Self Portrait
2018
Let's journey into the darkest side of my mind
Worry not, you got me by your side
Lots of interesting things we could find
Trust me, no one gets left behind
As I hold the light of uncertainty
I will empower the soul that is inside me
Let it be our guide to eternity
Embracing the burning flame dauntlessly
Hold on tight to the bloody lifeline
Feel the black and white intertwined
Great eyes may not be part of my design
But trust me, my heart is not blind
Follow Me
Self Portrait
2018
Creative Process
I don't usually write about the process of how I did my photos. But I feel this is quite special and if I saw another person doing this, I would ask the same thing: How the hell did she do this?
Conceptualizing
Before I do my photographs, I always think of a concept first. Some take months, some take weeks, some take days... Doesn't matter. The process is the same when I do a painting.
I would say this step is the hardest part. Part of that 'thinking' is also stressing on how am I going to make a concept work.
For this photo, I immediately drew the idea in my cute sketchpad so I won't forget about it. :P
The original idea was me holding a lamp but I realized I don't have a lamp so I used a candle instead. Well, I think that the candle is a better idea though. For the composition, I haven't decided the number of figures at that time yet, that's why there are four figures in the sketch. But while editing, I decided to just use the Rule of Odds composition.
Capturing the Image
This is another challenge too. I do self portraits. That is, shooting this all by myself.
After planning, I prepared the things needed for this image. Then I set the camera on a tripod. Since I am used with doing self portraits, focusing the camera and imagining myself in a certain spot to remain being in 'focused' is not that hard for me anymore. Yeah, I don't have a remote yet. Might have to buy that soon. lol.
I took the shots of the figures holding the string first because it is easier than shooting yourself while having a blindfold and holding a candle, right?
For the string, I put it right in front of me (on an easel) then I let it hang onto something at my back to give the illusion that someone was holding it.
After shooting those figures, I then put the blindfold on my forehead and clicked the shutter and positioned myself at that certain spot. The self timer was set to take 9 shots in 10 seconds. So while it was counting down, I took the time to hold the candle and position the blindfold to completely cover my eyes. It required patience and faith that I won't burn the house down while blindfolded. Well, luckily I didn't. :D
Editing
This is the very challenging but the fun part. I almost quit because of this lol. (Not gonna be technical here though, just gonna show how it was done)
The first thing I did was I chose the photos to use and combined the three on Photoshop. Combining it is easy. Sure. But making it look realistic is not.
Next thing I did was manually painted the background. So it looks a bit okay now.
Then I connected the strings.
Then I cleaned the background and corrected the colors a bit.
Then I did the changed the colors one last time for the final look that I was aiming for. A vintageish feels.
That's it! I don't think there's a need for me to explain the concept since the poetry is self explanatory and besides I don't really want to explain like this. I just let you find out what it means. It makes the photo more interesting than spoonfeeding the audience with information, right? Go think!
Awesome!
Thank you!
Incredible! And thank you for sharing the process, I had no idea how it could be done. I love how the color brightness becomes weaker on the pose in the back, really adds realism. The front view is also really interesting and can see the classical dress better :D
Also it's really nice how to blindfold isn't symmetrical, as one side is covered with hair. ^-^
And how are your images is clear in the dark with little light? :O
Thank you! Yeah, I forgot to mention the light at the back... The figures behind the figure with the candle should have sharp shadows, but I didn't add since it's gonna be hard for me, so I just decreased their brightness as they go further from the candle. :D
I set the camera ISO to 800, then carefully focused the lens so it would still be clear with little light. And yeah, the candle is the only light source for that. :D
Lovely! I think decreasing the brightness worked out much better than the shadows would :D
And thanks for sharing ISO, I'll check it out ^^
great work, love seeing things come together like this.... not that i dont appreciate the finished product for what it is but i feel so much more invested if i have seen it come together... like im invested in it somehow :) much love and copious hugs in your direction :)
Oh nice! Glad you liked the step-by-step process! Thank you for the compliments and the hugs! :D
I saw some beautiful pictures from the post.
:D
This is awesome. :)
Thank you!
this is awesome... thank you for resteeming this @clayboyn
Thanks Meno! :D
Pretty sweet, love your creativity☆
Thank you!
another really powerful image! I don't know what I am more impressed with about your portraits, the conception or the execution - your concepts are always so creative and interesting. And then you nail it :)
Thanks so much Carl! :D
This post was shared in the Curation Collective Discord community for curators, and upvoted and resteemed by the @c-squared community account after manual review.
Dear Artzonian, thanks for using the #ArtzOne hashtag. Your work is valuable to the @ArtzOne community. Quote of the week: Art, freedom and creativity will change society faster than politics. -Victor Pinchuk
What a great post, hiddenblade. I really like that you showed how you created the art with detailed explanation here. Of course the final result is also lovely :).
Thank you! I thought sharing the process would be a bit helpful :)
Really amazing! I have my own interpretation of your portrait but I'm sure it's not right. That's the beauty of it means something different for everyone! Great work.
We always have our own interpretation of works, I guess. I always love to hear different interpretations of my works. Thank you!
This is beautiful! I love the self portrait vibe! I follow an artist on social media: Brooke Shaden - I think you will love her work too! She also has a course on creativelive.com on how to sell your photographic art.. I have a few self portrait idea sketches too and one completed.. when I eventually get to posting it I’d love to hear feedback from you to see where I can improve 💝
Oh I think I saw some of her photos before. Thanks for the suggestion! I indeed love those type of photographs. Good luck with taking your photos! :D
Excellent work. Would you mind if I dropped two of these in one of my galleries on G+ ? It fits the motif so well. (links in my bio, I'll let you guess which one.. xP
You did a great job intertwining the words and the images.
Thank you for letting us have a peek into the "behind-the-scenes." Although it is not your normal process, I consider it a treat.
Thanks!
Thank you! And you're welcome. Although it's not the very detailed behind the scenes, glad you appreciate it!
''That's it! I don't think there's a need for me to explain the concept since the poetry is self explanatory'' <---- couldn't agree more :)
This is a great photo art @hiddenblade! I loved to see the creative process .. how a little idea turns into a sketch that turns to a complete art piece . ninja all the way ! hope to see more of this :D !
Thank you piggyyy! :D
Beautiful poem :')
All that editing was worth it in the end, the photo looks amazing, bravo
Thank you!
Love the image of the candle, blind fold, string, all super powerful and creative.
Thank you!
Well self portraits is the next best thing to selfies.
That's a pretty cool process and concept. :) You deserve the Curie upvote. It is an apt photo art for your poem.
If I journey to the darkest parts of my mind it's going to take a while before I get out. Haha.
Thank you! Haha, yeah. Just don't stay there for too long :D
Yeah... I'm afraid to go actually. Hahaha. I'm not prepared. 😂
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This post has been selected for curation by @msp-curation by @clayboyn and has been upvoted and will be featured in the weekly philosophy curation post. It will also be considered for the official @minnowsupport curation post and if selected will be resteemed from the main account. Feel free to join us on Discord!
Thank you MSP! :D
Beautiful, @hiddenblade :-) I also love the step-by-step you included. Thanks so much for sharing your art! <3
Interesting theme too: you move toward the light, yet are blindfolded when you get there.... Very poetic :-)
Thank you! I should probably do the step-by-step more often lol. Haha yeah, I like it when the audience think deeply about my art. :)