Surrealist Portrait Ideas: Easy Tips for Beginners!

Alright, let’s talk about my latest project – a surrealist portrait. I’ve been itching to try something different, and this seemed like the perfect challenge. I wanted to create something that was both familiar, a portrait, but also weird, kind of dreamlike.

First, I gathered my materials. I used my trusty DSLR camera, a simple backdrop, and some props that I thought would add to the surreal vibe. I’m talking about weird stuff like a fishbowl, some old keys, and a bunch of random fabric.

Surrealist Portrait Ideas: Easy Tips for Beginners!

Then came the fun part – the photoshoot. I had my friend, Sarah, model for me. I started by taking some regular portraits, just to get a feel for the lighting and composition. I made sure to capture some serious facial expressions – you know, that intense, mysterious look. Apparently, that’s a thing in surrealist art, it just makes everything look a bit more off-kilter.

  • Cutoff limbs – inspired by some old photos from 1927. I had Sarah pose in ways that made it look like her arms or legs were disappearing or cut off at weird angles.
  • I played around with the props. I had her hold the fishbowl in front of her face, obscuring it partially. It created this cool, distorted effect.
  • I also experimented with long exposures. I had Sarah move slightly during the exposure, which created these blurry, ghostly images.

After the shoot, I moved on to editing. I used Photoshop to enhance the images. I messed with the colors, making them more vibrant or, in some cases, completely desaturated. I added some textures, like old film grain, to give the images a vintage feel. For some pictures, I layered multiple images on top of each other, creating a double exposure effect. There was one guy, Man Ray, who was famous for these kinds of photos, so I tried to channel a bit of that.

Finally, I put everything together. I selected the best images, the ones that I felt really captured that surrealist aesthetic. I arranged them in a way that told a story, or at least, hinted at one. It was less about a linear narrative and more about evoking a feeling, a sense of mystery and wonder. I even made a few photograms, just like Man Ray.

The whole process was a blast. It was challenging, for sure, but also incredibly rewarding. I learned a ton about surrealism, about photography, and about my own creative process. And the best part? I ended up with a series of images that I’m really proud of. They’re weird, they’re unique, and they’re totally me.

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