I have to agree whole-heartedly with Colorcarnival's assessment. This portrait of you really does look like a photo for the book jacket of your next book especially against the backdrop of the shelved books in the background. I would NEVER have thought of utilizing the light from a laptop to illuminate the subject but you have done an excellent job here! The side lighting on the one side of your face subtly focuses attention to where you have posed your hand in a position that projects the contemplative mood of the subject. My only critique is that in small areas of your hand and the top part of the forehead it is a little overexposed and detail is lost - a little use of the burning tool to tone down the blown out areas should work nicely.
this is excellent. looks like a photo you'd see on the cover of an author's novel. (oh especially with all the books in the background lol) Love the lighting. The only thing I think should be done differently is that the lighting is over-emphasizeing the part on the left side of your face that is being pushed up by your hand. To me the lighting makes it look like you have put too much force on that side and it kind of detracts from the natural lines of the rest of your face.
(#9?) Aristotle appears to be prominent on the shelf. They appear to be in order according to Mortimer Adler, dof makes it difficult to tell for sure. Composite or no, you have some good taste. Ha. Excellent.
excellent .. love the pensive and just about intelligent look ... (probably hard to achieve, so congrats on that ..!.:)) ... i really like how you are in a room full of books, it makes this portrait meaningful .. the contrasts are excellent and the darkness just adds to that pensive quality ..
In a way, it almost looks like someone came in with a camera and got your attention. Like you were deep in thought and just raised your eyes up to look at the camera. Very nice.
Ken, you have such a pleasant look about you, here. There is a wisdom - oh maybe it's the books. (tee hee). I like the hand. The lighting is on the verge of harsh - I dig it.
Look into my eyes....You WILL learn the nefarious black art of photoshop
Really like this shot (certainly my favourite in the challenge to date) and excellent self portrait, with beautiful lighting tones and contrasts and the bookcase background works brilliantly for the pose
Possible tweaks I would consider would be to get rid of the label on the cuff, which for some reason really attracts the eye away from what you should be looking at. Possibly also lose the watch, although the (I'm guessing) canvas strap actually works quite well with the (corduroy?) material of your top and if the label disappears then it may be fine to keep it
I like what I see, and the serious side of you is quite handsome.
Your talant is amazing and I love the contrast of the light and shade on the face and hand. A strong composition, well balanced, and in all, a great portrait of you Master Ken.
thanks for the excellent and simple tip on interesting portrature lighting. This image is really solid - I love the light reflections off the books in the library behind you.
laptops make great front lighting unless you wanna shoot for colour.
Good self portrait, as you know, if you get the lighting right, there is very little need for editing.
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