#just keep composing and brainstorming and hope an idea will stick

[living-history-lesson]

Vent in tags idfk

[kpop-zone]

Playing with Fire

If you play with fire, you’re gonna get burnt. You knew that. But what if four gorgeous girls fought for your affection at the same time? Would you bring yourself to safety or get singed by the flames?

Word Count: 1,943

Introduction

„Y/N! The girls are here!”

Nervously you looked in the mirror, tugging on your shirt one last time, before taking a deep breath to calm your nerves.

You had been working for YG entertainment for years. Doing the dullest duties to work yourself up on the corporate ladder. But your plan had worked. Today was your first day as a producer and the first group, you would be working with, was none other than Blackpink. When you had received the news, you almost kissed your superior in joy. Blackpink was on top of their game and producing for them would be a huge step in your career. Plus, you really admired their previous songs. You were looking forward to getting to know them and working with them.

“You’ve got this.”

You said to your reflection in the mirror, before stepping into the studio.

The four girls had their backs turned to you, talking to Teddy, the other producer working on this album. You were put by his side this time to breathe new life into Blackpink’s songs. Awkwardly, you cleared your throat to get their attention and when they turned around, your breath hitched in your throat. You had known that they were beautiful, but seeing them up close, made your brain freeze. Working in the music industry for years now, you had thought that you didn’t get starstruck anymore. But apparently you had been wrong.

“Guys this is Y/N. We’re going to produce your new album all together.”

Teddy introduced you and you stayed glued to the spot, but luckily the girls came closer to greet you.

“Hi, Y/N. It’s nice to meet you.”

Chaeyoung was the first one to greet you, bowing to you with a soft smile playing on her lips.

You were glad that you had to bow, too, otherwise you probably would have stared at her cute dimples way too long.

Jennie was the next one to greet you, followed by Lisa and finally Jisoo.

“We’re looking forward to working with you.”

The latter stated and you knew that it was pleasantry, but you wondered if you had just imagined her gaze lingering longer on you than necessary.

Quickly banishing that thought from your head, you smiled politely.

“So am I. It’s a true honor to be allowed to work with you.”

All of you took a last bow before turning your attention to Teddy that started to introduce the rest of the team consisting of several songwriters and composers.

You scooted a little closer to be able to hear his instructions and ended up standing directly behind Jennie. You could smell the scent of her perfume and you couldn’t help to check out her petite figure. Suddenly, however, she turned her head, directly looking at you and you snapped your gaze up, hoping that she hadn’t caught you staring. Your heart beat like crazy. But Jennie smiled at you softly before fixing her eyes to the front again, making you exhale the breath that had been caught in your throat.

“This album is going to be big. It’s going to be the first full album, so we’re going to work on it for one whole year.”

Finally being able to ignore the rapid beating of your heart, you were actually able to listen to Teddy.

You definitely had to pull yourself together. One year was way too long to get violent heart palpitations every time the girls were around you. You had to focus. This could be the start of a new life. If you managed to make this album succeed, you could be the most sought-after producer in the Kpop industry. Not to mention that you would also be the youngest. It was time to turn off your heart and to delve your whole head into this instead.

The clapping of the whole team pulled you out of your world of thought. Politely you joined in, pretending like you had listened to every word of your colleague. It was showtime. No more distractions. You had to fight hard to get here, you wouldn’t temper with this chance recklessly.

“Hey Y/N.”

You were about to talk with Teddy, when Lisa’s voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere from directly beside you and you jumped in surprise.

When you looked at her, she nervously fidgeted with her fingers, shyly searching for your eyes.

“We’re going out for lunch later. Do you want to join us?”

She vaguely pointed at her group members and you gulped.

You weren’t here for fun, you told yourself in your head. You were here to make your leap into the world of the rich and famous. There was no way that you could accept this offer.

“I’d love to.”

You heard yourself say instead, making you curse yourself inwardly. Your impulse control was definitely zero, which could become a serious problem in the next year. You had to find a way to stay focused.

A wide grin appeared on Lisa’s face and you almost sighted at the view. How could a simple smile light up a whole room?

“Great! We’re going to get to work then and get you later.”

Lisa said cheerily, gifting you with her smile a little longer before turning around and leaving.

This year was going to be fun if you kept being a mess whenever they talked to you.

You were supposed to guide them through the process of producing this album, not the other way around. There were a lot of people that expected a great deal from you. You had to satisfy them, otherwise, your career could be over. Therefore, you started to get to work, like Lisa had suggested.

Teddy and you sat together, to discuss your ideas and wishes for the album with the rest of the composers and song writers. After two hours of intense brainstorming, everyone was in desperate need for a break, right in time with Lisa sticking her head in the door. She smiled at you cheekily and you cleared your throat to grab the attention of your colleagues.

“I think, it’s time for lunch. How about we meet here in an hour again?”

You asked everybody around and were instantly met with grateful nodding from everyone. Therefore, you ended the meeting at this point before grabbing your jacket and slipping out the door.

Outside, all four members of Blackpink were waiting for you.

“Should we invite the rest of the staff as well?”

You asked sheepishly because you felt weird to be the only one going out with the girls.

“No, it’s fine. After all you are the one, we’ll spend most time with alongside Teddy. And we know Teddy already, but there is so much to figure out about you.”

Jisoo explained confidently and you felt your heartbeat fasten up at her remark.

It sounded like you were awaiting an interrogation that you were definitely not prepared for. What kind of meetup was this? Was it a business lunch to test your abilities as a producer? Was it a casual lunch between some acquaintances? Or did they want to take this relationship to a level beyond work?

Therefore, you didn’t know how to behave on the short way to the restaurant by foot. Should you walk next to them to demonstrate that you were easy-going? Or should you walk behind them to show your respect? Inwardly, you cringed at your own behavior. You definitely had to stop overthinking everything.

Chaeyoung apparently sensed your discomfort, casually linking arms with you. You looked down at your interlinked arms with wide eyes. Was this a normal thing to do for colleagues? For Chaeyoung, apparently it was. Her facial features were relaxed, and it didn’t seem to be a big deal for her. Opposing to you. Your heart immediately began to flutter, and your mouth was drier than the Sahara.

“So, Y/N. Have you been working in the industry for long?”

Chaeyoung asked nonchalantly after a while, glancing at you from the side.

You shook your head lowkey to get your brain to work again.

“Um... yeah. I started working at YG entertainment right after graduation.”

You answered a little constrained, catching the attention of Jennie.

“For so long already? How come I’ve never seen you before?”

She questioned you with a furrowed brow.

“Oh I guess, I was too unimportant to catch somebody’s eye.”

You explained honestly, because you had worked in the shadow of others for the longest time.

“Hm I don’t think so. You would have caught my eye, if I had seen you.”

Jennie instantly responded with a wink and you almost stumbled over your own feet.

What did she mean by that?

“Yeah Jennie has a really good memory for faces.”

Lisa added while grabbing your arm that wasn’t occupied by Chaeyoung to link arms with you as well.

They wouldn’t give you a break, would they?

As soon as one heated situation was solved, another popped up out of nowhere.

You definitely had to stop your brain from making mountains out of molehills.

This was nothing more than a friendly meetup to get to know each other better. After all you would probably be spending more time with each other the next year than with anyone else. Producing an album was a long and exhausting process that required a ridiculous amount of work hours and night shifts.

Therefore, you took a deep breath to get a clear head again. Now was not the time to panic. It was time to secure your spot as a permanent producer for Blackpink next to Teddy. You smiled at Lisa and the rest of the way the girls were engrossed in light conversation, giving you the chance to focus again.

When you finally reached the restaurant, you managed to keep your composure. Although you were on edge throughout the whole lunch, it passed without any further incidents. Most of the time, the five of you spent on small talk or on topics that were actually related to work. Nevertheless, you were glad when you went back to the company again. You knew that you wouldn’t see the girls the rest of the day. While you had to start working with Teddy on the details of the concept of the album, the girls had other obligations in the company.

Therefore, the rest of the day flew by and it was already dark when you looked out the window the next time. Stretching your sore limbs after sitting the whole time, you called it a day and said goodbye to Teddy eventually.

When you came home, you changed into comfortable clothes and threw yourself on your couch to watch the new episode of your TV show. But your mind couldn’t focus on the pictures on the screen. Over and over again, it drifted back to the weird occurrences of the day.

Jisoo’s gaze lingering on you. Lisa nervously fidgeting with her fingers when she was around you. Jennie’s wink. And Chaeyoung linking arms with you.

What did this all mean?

You tried to tell yourself that there was nothing to worry about. They were simply touchy people that wanted to create a good working atmosphere. But your gut feeling violently fought that assumption. Therefore, you restlessly tossed in your bed that night, haunted by the faces of four angels that could mean your downfall. You had to keep a clear head, otherwise this chance could turn into your biggest nightmare.

But it was too early to panic, you told yourself. Everyone had their weird days and tomorrow was a new dawn.

Little did you know that this is where the story only began...

[littleteatimestories]

writing prompt 101 with MTMTE Megatron please? Bonus if the reader is the one saying "you're tolerable". Thank u!

(Image Source: TF Wiki)

Prompt: @ourwritingprompts’s #101 “I love you.” “You’re tolerable.” || Pairing: With MTMTE Megatron ||| As requested by a mysterious Anon

A/N: Hey, guyths!!! Long time no see, right? I’m so sorry for not being able to update anything. I got really busy with work and I always ended up watching TV series during my free time. But, here it is! Another request fulfilled and updated! Finally, I’ve actually done something! So, as you can all read, this is a drabble prompt about MTMTE Megsy and I really hope that the dear anon (whoever you are, if you’re still out there) will be able to like this. I’m proud to say that the poem y’all going to encounter was inspired by William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29. Anyone familiar about this will probably recognize that I borrowed one of the playwright’s lines in there. Anyway, enjoy this one and if you want a prompt request, make sure to check this 🔖 first before making any attempts. Godspeed!

-

Budget meeting… How boring… You yawned practically for the fourth time now, trying to focus your attention on the different graphs displayed on the screen. The words were Cybetronian, but thanks to Brainstorm, you were given hi-tech glasses where the foreign words were automatically translated to your native language.

Ultra Magnus was still blabbering. You already wanted to end this, but knowing him, he can get pretty long. You already saw Rodimus playing with his datapad since you can see his tongue (whatever the Cybertronian equivalent term for that is) sticking out to which your TIC was completely ignoring. You turned your attention to your SIC, Megatron, who was diligently listening to the report. Well, good for him because as the selected liaison of Earth, you were tasked to keep an eye on him (and the rest of the Lost Light crew as well). You were like keeping the diplomatic relations between the ex-warlord and the crew (and also making sure that he’s not going to plan on invading Earth again). So far, it seemed everything’s fine.

You puffed out a breath and kept on wishing that this meeting would be over soon.

***

Megatron kept shifting his attention between Ultra Magnus’s report and to you. Actually, he mostly focuses on you when you were not looking at him. It had been six months since you came on board of the Lost Light. To admit that it was love at first sight that pulled his attentiveness towards you was an understatement; too cliché even. But, that was the truth. His brain module was like malfunctioning crazily just the thought of you.

If you think he was taking notes of Ultra Magnus’s report in his datapad, believe it or not, he was actually composing a poem; a love poem, to be exact. He had been arranging this for a while now and edited and repeated it many times. At first, he wanted to constitute the idea of your beauty. However, it turned foreboding that he had to entirely make another one. He tried again and it was still perturbing. He can’t seem to shake the fact that he was and will always be the mass murderer who everyone would associate with.

That’s why he always had this feeling that he didn’t deserve to be loved; that he didn’t deserve to have your love especially because he tried to kill your planet.

***

I long for a different path or route

Though it seems that I can’t have that at all

For I look at myself, I curse my fate

For how I wish I can have your love–

‘No, no! Don’t ever put that!’ Megatron mused. He was once again back to square one. His previous poem was a disaster. It was like he was pining over you on it and it frustrated him. He didn’t want to long over you because he knew couldn’t have you. It was impossible, after all.

After the meeting, he went back to his habsuite quickly. He had to find more inspiration on how he could express his adoration without looking like he actually wanted you in his life (though he really wanted that). He grumbled. He didn’t even know why he had to stress over this when he can always tend to other things.

‘You know what, forget about this. It won’t matter-‘ His thoughts were interrupted when his habsuite doorbells rang. He knew immediately who it was since that doorbell was designed only for you so that they could open their large doors for you.

He ex-vented anxiously and tried to remain calm.

‘Everything’s going to be fine, Megatron,’ he told himself and pushed a button to open his door.

***

You waved at him with a smile. After the meeting, you thought he went to the bar. You searched for him, but didn’t catch sight of him. You were delayed a bit when Tailgate scooped you up in an embrace and cooed you to hang out with him and Cyclonus. You told him that you needed to check on Megatron, which you were returned with an, “Awww! But, (Y/n)…!” It was a good thing that Cyclonus saved you and dragged Tailgate away from you. You sighed in relief at that time.

“I didn’t see you at the bar so I came in here,” you said. “Just wanted to check up on you. Are you okay? I feel like you’re being a little distant or something.”

***

That surprised him. “No, no! Not at all! I was just…” He was looking for an excuse. “I… needed to summarize Ultra Magnus’s report. It was rather long and Rodimus needs a more simplistic explanation of it.” Finally, he found one.

Just gazing at your innocent expression, his brain module was being frantic again. How he come to love any expressions you give to him was out of context and yet, he came to adore those.

He waited for your answer.

***

You nodded your head slowly. “I see. So, I guess you’re busy then. But, do drop by at Swerve’s once you’re done. It’s not like everybody hates you now. They already know you’ve completely changed. And if some of them don’t, I’ll have to remind them.”

Megatron smiled sheepishly. “That’s very nice of you, (Y/n). Yes, I am aware that everyone, if not all, doesn’t hate me that much anymore. I’m just… busy at the moment.” He loathed to lie like this, but for some reasons, he had to.

He saw you beamed. “Okay. I’ll see you then.” He longingly watched you walk away from him. Unconsciously, his lip plate was reaching upwards even more.

‘I think I just found my inspiration.’

***

I long for a different path or route,

Though it seems that I can’t have that at all,

For I look at myself, I curse my fate,

Wishing to myself that there could be hope,

To desire to be everybody else,

Desiring this to have done something good,

With my past, I enjoy contented least;

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,

I see your smile almost so radiating,

Like those clichéd romantic comedies,

Just thinking of you is enough for me

You amaze me every day of my life,

For your sweet love remembered such wealth brings,

That I scorn to think who I was before.

You read the poem over and over. It actually surprised you that he would do you a sonnet and that just warmed your heart. He didn’t say outright that “I love you”, but you got the idea that he couldn’t say it because he was afraid to say it. He feared his past as a murderer of billions of lives and thought he didn’t earn to have such caring feelings to anyone except for redemption. You knew he had come a long way and he proved to have really changed for the better.

You can’t say for certain if you could return his feelings, but, what the hell. He needs this and you’ll give it to him.

***

You were in an another meeting, this time, accident reports. Ultra Magnus is taking the lead again (because he couldn’t persuade Rodimus to do the reporting, for the life of him). As the boring reporting went on, you sent a message to Megatron.

***

Megatron’s datapad vibrated.

You have (1) message(s) from (Y/n).

As he was about to open it, another vibration occurred.

You have (2) message(s) from (Y/n).

He finally opened it.

(Y/n):

Thanks for that poem. You really didn’t have to do that. :)

“You’re tolerable” by the way

He replied,

What does that mean?

Not mere seconds later, there was an instant response.

(Y/n):

Uh… It means what it means. I felt the same

And from that moment, you were able to gaze at one another with huge smiles on your faces.

[thetruthampere]

Weekly Writing Tip #2: Writing Fight Scenes

Fight scenes are one of my favorite types of scenes to include in my stories.  They are also great opportunities to bring sequences to life in the readers mind eye and really pull them into it.  However, at the same time, they can be very difficult to compose and have a high risk of confusing or boring the reader.

So!  I am going to explain how I approach writing awesome action scenes and hopefully it will help all of you in your action writing.  Remember, like everything, it takes time and practice to get it to flow smoothly and have the desired impact.  Not everyone has the same style or approach, this is just how I like to break it down.

1.     Brainstorm: In my mind, I like to visualize a fight scene from start to finish dozens of times.  Let it change or adapt, throw in whatever you want, weapons, characters, injuries, etc.  Get creative and acquire a large number of possibilities that can be used when you actually start to write things out.

2.     Decide what style of fighting: Is this a gun fight? Is it hand to hand combat? Boxing?  MMA?  Wrestling? Sword fight?  A car chase scene?  A running scene? A comedic slap right?  Hair pulling cat fight?  A literal cat fight?  A mixture? I like to break it down by character on what style they will fight with and what tools (weapons, cars, armor, dinner plates, etc) they will have at their disposal.

3.     Injuries:  Next I like to go through and decide what major or minor injuries specific characters will get by the end of the fight.  A major injury I would define as something that will end up limiting a character significantly, while minor injuries I define as small hits that when added up will start to wear down a character.  One good example of a major injury is when Garnet gets shot in the leg by Pearl in Smoke and Grit.  That not only takes out one of her powerful tools (her legs and speed), but renders her immobile and almost defenseless for the gang members that run into her next. An example of minor injuries would be when the five rubies were beating up an already dazed Garnet in Smoke and Grit. Each punch by itself wasn’t hard to take, but the sheer volume of them are what eventually broke Garnet down.

4.     Map out the beginning, key points of the fight sequence, and the end result: You need to know where you are starting, where you are going, and what stops you are going to make.  If you don’t know, then neither will your reader.  There are multiple things that can be a key point, here are some that I like to use.

a.      A major injury

b.     Introduction of a new fighter

c.      Change in location

d.     Introduction of a new weapon

e.      Dialog (probably some cheesy line or goading)

f.      Loss of a weapon

g.     Loss of a fighter

h.     Loss of a character’s ability to fight

With those key points decided upon the beginning, and the end result, now you have spots to work towards in your fighting scene. For example, if character A is going to loose their gun, the fight needs to move to where character B has an opportunity to disarm character A.  Or the fight needs to move to an area where character A trips and loses their grip on their gun.  There are endless possibilities on how to do things, so get creative or use common methods! Just be sure you know where you are going and so will your reader.

5.     Other factors:

a.      Where is the fight taking place? (in the water, on land, on a falling apart bridge, etc)

b.     What environmental factors are going to affect your fight scene? (is the ground wet and slippery?  Is there fire nearby?  Is there a ticking bomb?  Are they running out of oxygen?)

c.      Wounds and getting tired.  Fighting is tiring, even for professionals and mythical beings with super powers.  Injuries will affect how a character is able to fight and how long they will be able to keep on fighting.  Does a character heal very fast?  Does a character have significantly better stamina than the other?

d.     Length of a fight: is it going to be over fast or will it be a drawn out struggle?

e.      Numbers: One on one?  Two on one?  Army vs army? One vs army?  No weapons vs lots of weapons?

There are so many combinations here to use and so many options.  It is up to you to decide which ones will be a factor in your fight.

6.     Research:  Now that you know who is in your fight, how they will be fighting, with what they will be fighting, what injuries, and lastly what other factors will play in it, it is time to fill any gaps of knowledge with research.  Watch videos on styles of fighting, look up symptoms and general effects of types of injuries, and look at pictures of weapons and learn how they are handled.  You can also talk to friends or family who have experience handling weapons and fighting. Watch action movies, read action stories, get a good idea of how things go. Being an expert is not required to write a good fight scene, basic knowledge of what you’re writing about goes a long way (even if it’s just looking at a few pictures).

7.     Putting it all together:  Here is where you begin now that you have made your decisions, acquired any necessary pieces of information, and brainstormed how you would like it to go.  Actually, writing the fight scene may seem very intimidating at first, but just start. Get the basics down like the beginning, your key points, and ending.  From there go back in and add a detail here, a punch there, an environmental factor over there.  With time and experience it will get easier.  For me personally, a short fight sequence can take a couple of hours to write and at least ten times of rereading and editing/tweaking it.  On longer fight scenes it will take me a couple of days of writing, editing, taking a break and relooking at it, etc. Details add a lot!  Describe how your character is feeling as they get punched or as they punch someone.  Longer sentences tend to draw out the action making it feel like it is taking such a long time for this tiring feat to be accomplished.  Short sentences are quick and to the point!

8.     Editing:  Read it over, take a break, read it over.  Have a beta reader look it over.  Read it aloud.  Act it out! Read it over.  Add details or remove unnecessary pieces.  Lots and lots of editing.

9.     Have fun! To me writing fight scenes are a lot of fun, so do what you want and get creative!  Make your rules and stick to them!  Make sure you know what is happening and who is doing what!  Have someone look it and get their feedback! Get crazy or make something very simple! Have tons of gore or none at all. It’s your choice so have fun with it!

 This concludes my weekly writing tip.  I hope this gives some of you a few ideas and tools to help you in your writing.  I am still new at this writing advice so please bear with me.

Thank you and good luck in your writing!

<3 The Truth Hertz

[bentonpena]

How to Shoot a Self Portrait to Support your Brand Identity

How to Shoot a Self Portrait to Support your Brand Identity http://bit.ly/2Lah0Cw

The post How to Shoot a Self Portrait to Support your Brand Identity appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.

Personal branding has become more and more important over the last few years. As photographers, we often carefully curate the image that we present to the world, even as amateurs. Our brand and image are usually closely linked to the kind of photographs we shoot.

Photographers will often carefully curate the look of their website. They’ll spend hours contemplating the images and text that they use to express their photographic hopes and dreams. They want their websites and online portfolios to give people an insight into their creative working process and the kind of photos that they intend to take.

I often start with natural light when shooting self-portraits. It’s how I prefer to shoot most of the time!

And yet, I often look at the ‘about me’ page on a photographers website, portfolio page, or social media, and front and center is a photograph of them taken by someone else. The image on your “about me” page, or your portfolio profile picture, is a great piece of marketing real estate. You can use this space to express yourself and tell a story. So why let someone else take that photo?

So what’s the solution? Shoot a self portrait! Put your own work in that valuable space, and express yourself and your photographic style clearly and coherently – even on your “about me” page.

What is a brand identity?

Now more than ever, photographers are the face of their brand. Almost everywhere you go on the internet, you’ll have the option to upload an ‘avatar’ image that represents you in digital format. This avatar image is a space to tell the world something about you and your photography.

A brand identity is the way you present your work to the world. It’s the visual and textual elements that differentiate you from other people in the minds of your audience. Since photographers are usually the main (and often only) person in the creative process when it comes to image-making, they are often the embodiment of their brand.

A single large beauty dish for this portrait reflects one of my usual lighting styles.

Generally, for a photographer, their brand identity will be heavily tied up with their style in which they usually work. A photographer who creates beautiful fine art portraits inspired by the Old Masters may have a brand identity that embodies timelessness, heritage, and classical values. On the other hand, someone creating cutting edge contemporary portraits may embody qualities such as innovation, diversity, and courage.

The key is to get your values into the images you’re shooting. You’ll probably find it happens naturally once you’ve been shooting a while and have developed a style. However, creating a self-portrait for your “about me” page and avatars is a good time to brainstorm what your work is about. The challenge is to see if you can capture these ideas in a single shot.

Got a fear of shooting self-portraits?

Self-portraits are hard. They’re hard technically, creatively, and emotionally. It’s no surprise really that photographers often shy away from self-portraiture. Portraits can be hard enough to get right when you’re shooting other people, let alone when you’re photographing yourself!

Experimental tricks like this shallow depth of field combined with fairy lights can add an artistic side to a self-portrait while covering up any perceived flaws in the way we look.

That aside, a self-portrait or two is also a great way to improve your skills, try new things, and make sure that the entirety of your personal branding works together coherently. You are likely to be your most patient subject, and if you set aside a day to create your self-portrait then you have time to get it exactly right – even if you’re trying something new.

Go light on the retouching. When you’re working on a self-portrait in post-processing, it’s easy to be super-critical of everything you don’t like about yourself. Stick to your usual workflow and only retouch as much as you normally would.

Start simple

If all else fails, start like you would any other portrait. If you’d usually start with a simple two-light headshot in your studio, then give that a go first. Review your images and then make adjustments. Once you’ve found a shot that works then try something a bit different. You might find a completely new direction for your work!

This self-portrait was shot with natural light against a grey paper background. Often simple pictures can be really effective!

It’s easy to think about self-portraits in the context of a studio, but don’t limit yourself! Take your camera outside into natural light if that’s a place you enjoy taking portraits usually. You can even buy stands to hold reflectors so that you can take advantage of all the usual light modifiers that you’d use.

But if you’re going out on location to shoot self-portraits, consider taking someone with you. It’s easy to get distracted while shooting self-portraits out and about. Having an extra pair of eyes can help protect you and your equipment. You can also get your assistant to hold the reflector or a flashgun too!

And if you want to really show off what you do, consider an environmental portrait in your own studio and surrounded by your tools of the photographic trade.

Think about the context

Where is your self-portrait going to be placed? Will it be on your own website or will it be on social media?

In traditional media, you usually want to have the subject facing the viewer or looking towards the center of the book or magazine. There’s a reason for this. It helps direct the readers focus back to the content rather than off the edge of the page into the wider world. It’s a simple trick to help keep the readers’ attention where you want it.

The “about me” page on my portfolio website showing my self-portrait in relation to the text block.

You can apply this to your website too. Think about the placement of your self-portrait on the page of your website. Does it fit better on the left or the right of the “about me” text? When you’re working out your poses, keep this in mind and make sure you’re either looking straight ahead or towards the text block.

It’s possible to break the rules, of course, but make sure you shoot both options if you’re going to be adventurous!

What about the practicalities of self-portraits?

If your camera connects to a phone app that can assist with exposure and focusing, then make sure you take full advantage of that. Self-portraits used to be a lengthy process that involved sitting my mannequin on a chair in my studio to get the focus and lighting right.

Now I can see everything in real-time, including exposure and focus adjustments, using the Fujifilm Cam Remote app that connects to my camera.

Using the Fujifilm Cam Remote app to set up the lighting and exposure, and the resulting self-portrait a few minutes later. (Lighting was a single large beauty dish).

If you don’t have a camera that connects to your phone, get yourself a remote trigger and consider shooting tethered to a laptop so that you can see the images as you trigger the camera. You can look at software such as Lightroom or Capture One Pro for tethering. That way you can make small adjustments to your pose and settings as you go along to make sure that you really nail everything and create your best work.

Using a good tripod will also save you some frustration when you’re shooting portraits. Balancing the camera on a stack of books can work (believe me, I’ve done it before), but a tripod will help you compose a shot more effectively. Don’t forget to try unusual compositions too. Raising the camera up above your eye level can be very flattering while shooting from down low can create a powerful pose.

A profile self-portrait recalls the kinds of images that you often see historically on coins and medals. Don’t be afraid to experiment with unconventional poses when photographing yourself.

Keep your standards high

And lastly, be as thorough and rigorous with your standards as you would when shooting a portrait of anyone else.

Make the effort to do your hair, press your clothes, and get a great expression. Just because it’s a self-portrait it doesn’t mean it’s an excuse to be lazy and “fix it in post.”

I’d love to see how you get on with shooting your self-portrait to support your brand and expressing your values through them. Drop a comment below with the results, and don’t forget to update your avatar with your new portrait!

  The post How to Shoot a Self Portrait to Support your Brand Identity appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.

Men via Digital Photography School http://bit.ly/2h5PnNN August 30, 2019 at 08:49AM