Project 52 ~ Week 29
Theme for this week’s photo challenge “Self Portrait.”

Ok…this was the most challenging of all photo challenges!   I can’t believe I took so many photos until I finally said ok this one is fine.  I tried many senior high posing ideas up against our shed.  I then tried in my gardens and then laying in the grass but I just couldn’t capture the background and morning light I was looking for.

Let me tell you how I got this shot. I did need the assistance of my son to hit the shutter button because my new D700 doesn’t have the remote to use like my D90. Which makes it a breeze and I highly recommend you get one!  Why I did not just switch camera’s is beyond me.  I was in such a hurry to just get this done because I had to bring my son to his modeling appointment and I had to meet up with a client to talk about her newborn session.

I used the flowers I’m holding in a vase to get my focus on…with many tries!  Set my camera on my tripod and had my son Michael just hit the shutter button.  Then I would go to see the image in the view finder and try again…and again…and again.  I wasn’t that happy with my results…off the camera came and onto a small book.  I wanted the camera to look up at me like it is in this image.

Ok Michael…hit that button…just keep hitting that button and as he did I tried different poses and finally liked this one.  It’s pretty nice…I do love the coloring and how the grass is in the foreground and if nothing else…it’s me!  Done!  I hope I never have to do another self portrait again…if so it’s back to my D90!

I took this shot with the aperture pretty wide open at F2.2,  shutter at 1/250 and ISO 200…that’s what created the nice bokeh background and let in a lot of light.

The best thing I like…I hardly tweak this photo…the reflector used up against a lawn chair really helped with throwing light back into my face which by the way fills in those wrinkles…great trick!

Daphne…I’m ready for the next challenge!  I hope it will be a whole lot easier!  Self portraits are tough and we are tough on ourselves!  I so much enjoy being behind the lens instead of  in the front!