Day 4. And that's all I have to say about it.

So, this is today's image. Well, this is the one I put on facebook anyway. I had a very hard time picking out what image I was going to use today because...I don't like any of them! Weirdly, I feel like this was an amazing location with amazing light, but I just didn't like that it was very "me". If I was taking pictures of someone else, I probably would love them! I felt like the scenery and lighting just called for a more somber mood...but I didn't portray somber accurately. Sometimes I looked scared, sometimes mad, and sometimes I just looked! I'll give you guys here a few more options to look at...and then we'll talk technical stuff. Because although today's photo was a bust, I learned/remembered quite a bit technically. (Side note: Be proud of me! I wanted to crop everything down to my eyes, because my eyes looked amazing in this light. But, I don't want 40 pictures of my eyes at the end of this self-assignment...and it's a reflection of my insecurities and we CAN'T allow that to stand.)

Okay, now for the fun stuff. Today was the first day I shot in all manual with my digital SLR! AND...I bought a tripod! Two huge steps for this project. Manual is great...much more of a difference than I expected. I recommend learning the ins and outs of your camera and then using it in manual format ALL THE TIME. The top picture just above is with my camera in semi-automatic (aperture priority) and the bottom is in manual. I underexposed the bottom one to get richer colors and skin tones. Notice how in the top one I look super pale and almost glowing! The underexposure also adds to the ethereal nature of the photograph.

Another technical tip...play around with the composition of your photograph and where you place your camera. On two sides of me in this shot are busy streets, and on the other side, a big ugly parking lot. But, with the perspective here, all you see is JUNGLEness! You can make a little piece of beautiful go a long way if you position your camera right.

Note for tomorrow and the rest of this project...take Tyra's advice Angie! Practice different faces in the mirror! I promise to you all that before this project is over, I will do a full-body portrait and a full-face portrait...someday.

As always, PLEASE gimme feedback!