Springy Winter Balls
Topless in my living room at 3am, yet again. I'm brand new to photography—please feel free to be brutally honest. Nikon d3500, 50mm Nikkor 1.8/g, 3 light setup, Neewer ring light, Neewer led color lights x 2
More Posts in: Portrait Photography
Hector Reyes
Paige's booth portrait
Recently, I taught an Off Camera Flash class. Paige was my model for the class. We were outdoors but it started to rain. Luckily, a nearby restaurant let us conduct the class in their dining room.
Hector Reyes
Paige's booth portrait
Recently, I taught an Off Camera Flash class. Paige was my model for the class. We were outdoors but it started to rain. Luckily, a nearby restaurant let us conduct the class in their dining room.
Will Santillo
Detail - Mexico
While wandering through a junk yard in Mérida, Mexico, I found this unique composition of a used ... ?
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Last: Jul 11, 2026
2 Comments
I find self portraits tricky to setup and shoot so you are already doing well. You have a shallow DoF that has the face nicely focused. The overall pastel colouring works well with the skin tones.
For development, the light feels a little flat, i.e. there aren't any shadows to create contrast. You may want to look at youtube for video on lighting setups. The ring light in the eyes doesn't work for me. I am a fan of the catchlight, I think many photographers are but the rings draw my attention back to the eyes and this stops the overall appreciation of the shot.
Great start that can only improve IMO.
I like the colors and theme you were going for.
However, your face is way way way out of focus. It looks like the focus was on the ball right in front of your chin. What helps sometimes is using a light stand or something in your place and pre-focus on that. Then, set it to manual af. Now, kick the light stand over (haha, maybe not literally) and take its place.
Not a fan of ring lights. They are so passé and never looked good to me.
Btw, according to the exif data, you were using a 18-55 @ 30mm. 1/25 sec, f4.5, ISO 100. 1/25 sec is very slow. You, your camera, and your props would have to be statue still otherwise something is going to blur.