No Software Processing Self-Portraits

It's already 9:30 in the evening here in Philippines. And while I'm not yet ready to sleep, an hour ago I made a quick self-portrait using my mirrorless camera. This time, I quite made it a challenge, as I did not use any software to process my photos. But I used an in-camera setting known as double exposure in which images taken twice are superimposed to create a single image. This can easily be done with Photoshop or snapseed app but what's cool about an in-camera setting is that when you take your first shot and then overlays it with second, you manually choose your second photo to go with the first. You will have a concrete and instant idea of the result. If you use an app you will have to decide which photos you are going to use then.

I know Christmas is over but I can't get enough of my fairy lights and so I made use of it for my "no software processing self-portrait". Other props that I used are basically just found in my drawer. These are: sunglasses (DIY for filter), ballpen, and translucent stick.

My camera is just an entry-level mirrorless camera from Fujifilm. I have been using this widely in different kinds of photography styles and what I love about mirrorless is that it's beginner friendly. If you are new to photography and can already use manual yet can't quite automatically know what ISO, aperture and shutter speed to use in different settings, then a mirrorless camera is the friend you need. In its LCD display is an almost instant image reflection depending on the settings you used. You will then know if you are over exposed or underexposed. Other than that, mirrorless cameras are way more handy than dslrs. It has the compactness of a compact camera and a setting similar to dslr. It's like in the middle of two technologies. I still love dslrs though, but I am so drawn to my Fujifilm XA3. It is mainly because I already made friends whom I share my discoveries to and vice versa. And when you are drawn to that level, it's difficult to get out. My partner is a Nikon user and I have tried his camera a couple of times. It's cool but I still love mine. Hehehe

Self-portraits are pretty much challenging. The focus may not always be intact and so you use auto-focus with eye or face detection system. But what's not cool about auto-focus is that sometimes, there are creative portraits when you want something else to be focused rather than your face. Then that becomes tricky. When shooting like this, I usually have a very tight portrait as I need my screen to be just an arm away so I can click on something or adjust on something at an arm length. And also, several retakes will be necessary when doing self-portraits.

If it's quite difficult, why do I still love doing self-portrait? One honest answer would be, eliminating awkwardness. I am (not obviously) shy when it comes to being photographed. I am comfortable taking the shot but quite not so if I am on the other end of a viewfinder. And so I got a problem solved, self-portrait. I can endure taking and retaking shots because that's when I learn the most. I also want to be able to project freely to create a good outcome. When I do a self-portrait, it's most likely my selling point to which later on I will try to my customers or friends (my willingly unpaid models). I am not a pro and not even close to being one, I am still 24 years old and I just had my first camera three years ago which was not an interchangeable-lens type of camera. I learned photography there, the hard way. And it was stolen from me just after a year of first practice into photography. I bought my second (current) camera last year.

Yeah, I'm just a fresh bean that had just sprouted from the ground. And so here I am, exploring and learning stuff.

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This has been @nikkabomb saying, "Every professional was once an amateur. Do not ever be discouraged of tiny improvements, because baby steps it may seem you still did move forward."

Nikka Ganzan, the author

_{I was destined to be a successful civil engineer but my heart belongs to literature. And if I have learnt something from the past years of struggles, it is maybe this - "Sometimes a leap of faith is what you need in order to find happiness. Because if you are not to become a happy person, then what's the purpose of life then?".}

_{I tried working in an industry with the use of my maximum skills in my chosen field and I was earning big (bigger than what I expected), yet I was not happy. In between those times, I found deeper and stronger interest in my first and second love - writing and photography.}

_{And so here I am, in my little corner in the blockchain. I hope you had a good read and check out more here ---> @nikkabomb. Lovelots.}