I'm back, with another creative self-portrait photoshoot.
A few years ago I really fell in love with a series of images I saw online, where the photographer (unfortunately I cannot recall who it was.) had photographed their model beneath a sheet of Perspex and it almost looked like the model was trapped in a block of ice. It inspired me to experiment with the idea of photographing through Perspex (or glass in my case, as I didn't have any Perspex to hand).
I wanted to create these images using just my phone and items I had around the house, to hopefully inspire others to get creative without the need to invest in all the latest gadgetry.
So, I set a circle of artificial flowers and plants on the floor, along with a purple cushion, and placed a chair either side. The glass sheet I used came from a picture frame and I carefully balanced the sheet across the two chairs.
I decided to spritz the glass with water to emphasise the feeling of almost being trapped in time beneath the glass, whilst time still flows and the rain still falls on the outside (kind of a bit Snow White I guess. I wasn't much into that side of Disney growing up, so I can't really claim that as my inspiration here).
To one side I had natural light pouring through my window and on the other I placed a table lamp. I then placed my phone on the table above and precariously perched it over the edge, to frame my shot. (Please do be careful if you're trying these things out! Perhaps tape your phone down, or use a tripod, and opt for Perspex rather than glass!)
I set the timer to 3 seconds and used a Bluetooth remote to trigger the shutter. Alternatively, if you don't have a remote then using an app such as Lens Buddy will really help speed the process along, as you can set the app to take multiple images.
I initially struggled with the focus as the water droplets kept stealing the show! So I had to set my focus to a specific point by tapping the screen and then carefully climbing back underneath the glass.
Once I had a good selection of shots, I scrolled through and chose my favourites ready for editing. Again I wanted to create these images entirely on my phone, so all editing was done using free apps, such as Adobe Lightroom and Snapseed.
This next photo shows the general lay out, with the chairs either side and the glass resting on top. This is the unedited shot and then below is the final edited version.
I just love how accessible all of these creative photography tools are these days. You don't need all of the high end, expensive gear to make something beautiful.
