Check out this self portrait...

Some of the best things I see come from the good people who read this blog, this self portrait is no exception.

It is of (and done by) Monica Martin.

There are two things I like about it, it has a "minimalist" look, an image with the least amount of pixels as possible (much like telling a really good story with the fewest words possible), and I think this image is a great example of just how important the eyes are when taking a picture.

"The eyes are the window to the soul" comes to mind.

So I emailed Monica for permission to show her image and ask her a few questions, she kindly agreed.

Monica, how did this image come about?

"It was actually taken without fixing white balance and came out pretty orange. I have a huge window and was playing around with the natural light coming in with a reflector on a very purple wall as the background."

How was the camera setup?

"I used a tripod and timer"

What do you have around your head, is it a hood?

"I have a fuzzy hat and scarf around my head and face. Love hats!"

What kind of camera did you shoot it with?

"I shot this with a Canon 5D and 28-135mm canon lens, 1/100s at /5.6, ISO 500"

And post processing?

"It was edited in Camera Raw and CS3 to convert it to black and white and I used Ron Nichols palette to brighten, to add contrast in the eyes, and to soften skin."

Thank you Monica for letting me use your image and taking the time to answer my silly questions.

Be sure to learn more about Monica at her website and her blog.

(click on the image to view larger and in a new window)