True Colours Assignment

For this week assignment "True Colours", we were asked to focus on improving our photography and achieving our own style. We needed to concentrate on what would create a good portrait. When I take portraits, I usually like to use a wide aperture such as 2.2 or a slightly bigger number to create a sharp focus. I have recently discovered using 1.8 with my 50mm prime isn't as sharp as I would have liked. With wide apertures, I create a shallow depth of field therefore creating less distraction in the background and complete focus on the main subject. A good portrait can also be more than just capturing what they look like, and will indicate aspects of their personality, their world or thoughts or lifestyle. Our self portrait needed to portray our knowledge of visual language in order to portray how we wish to be seen by others.