Some time ago, I wrote a post about buying my dream lens. That lens was none other than the Nikon 85mm f/1.2 and at long last, I decided to use it.
The result is the single, following image, where I gave myself the same treatment that I give to my subjects. Nice lighting, and direction – though, my direction wasn’t spoken out loud, it was just the ongoing inner monologue.
The result?
Behold, it is I, from the year 2025. This was lit with a single Godox AD200 strobe, in my all time favourite modifier, the Godox AD-S7 folding 48 cm softbox.
I love that softbox so much, that if I could only own one light and one modifier for the rest of my light, it would be the above combination. Seriously, buy it if you shoot portraits in small places. You won’t be disappointed.
Buy it even if you want to do some dramatic outdoor portraits, because it works in that environment as well.
Anyway, back to my self portrait here. There’s an obsene level of detail rendered by the Nikon 85mm f/1.2, and I shot the above image at F8. As a result, the outcome is so sharp, that I might have to ask an optometrist if my eyes are okay.
Above: a 100% crop of my eyeball. Notice the AD-S7? It is really that wonderful.
The set up here was in my garage. I sat on a chair. I had a light stand to my right. It had the Ad-200 and the modifier on it. It was above head height, pretty close, and angled to allow the light to skim across my face.
The bottom half of the modifier had the grid on it, the top half didn’t, so that I could create different textures of light across the surface of my skin, compared to my beard, which I wanted to remain dark.
Behind me was a home made reflector, constructed out of timber board and reflective contact paper to help bounce a bit of light back, reducing shadows.
I am not usually the subject of my own photography, but this one may or may not end up being used in my forthcoming exhibition, Myth.
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