Multiplicity/Clones- Selfie Saturday Week 6

OK, I know what you’re going to say “Wait, but today is supposed to be Portrait Selfie/Model Eyes!”
I know I know, and I am so sorry you, guys. I am aware that some of you were looking forward to learning how to squint your eyes the right away, but there’s a good reason why I am switching it all up on you again.
The only way for me to show you how to do it properly would be to do a video and, in the kind of shape that I am in now after my wisdom teeth surgery ( yeah I know that darn surgery… I am still recovering}, there no way you want to see me teach you anything. I look and feel like butt!

So once again, I will move onto the next topic that doesn’t require me to shoot new photos or do videos. We will go back to that topic as soon as I am feeling well enough to shoot a video.

So now that I am done making excuses and complaining, I will move onto the THEME of the WEEK: Multiplicity

Don’t you ever wish that you could clone yourself for a day? Just so that you could tackle that load of laundry while cooking dinner? Or so that one of you could put the little one to bed, while entertaining her big brother? Or so that you could write that report and watch American Idol at the same time?
Well, you can’t!
But what you CAN do is pretend that you can!
And I’d love to show you how!

Let’s start with the HOW-TO  and then move onto WHAT

Cloning is very very easy! There are two ways of doing this: using mask layers and paint brush or using erase tool. I’ll explain the easier way first.

Here are the steps:

1. You will need to keep the camera in the exact same position for several shots. For this, you’ll have to either use a tripod or prop the camera on some surface where it won’t be disturbed or moved even an inch. It cannot be handheld.
2. Having a remote helps, however if you don’t have one, it’s not a problem, just make sure that you do not move the camera at all while pressing the shutter button manually.
3. Once you’ve placed the camera where it needs to go, assess the area you’ll be shooting. Make a mental note of the spots where you could stand without overlapping yourself. Try using a blank wall for starters if you’re worried about the results. The shot below was my very first clone shot and it really helped not having too many lines to disturb in case I screw up.
4. Position yourself in the first spot and hit the shutter button ( or hit the shutter button and run to the spot).
5. Repeat as many time as needed without touching or moving the camera, taking a shot of each one of the positions you mentally mapped out a few minutes ago. Keep safe distance between your clones, until you’re comfortable with the distances and overlapping
6. Take one scene shot ( without the subject, you, in it ) at  the beginning or end of the session. This might be needed in case you mess up a bit or have different depth of field on the shots.
7. Now to the our digital darkroom…. You’ll need Photoshop or Elements, or any other program that allows you to create layers.
8. Open all the shots you will be using for the clone. All the shots that have a separate you standing in a separate place + that empty scene shot if you need it.
9. Move them into one file as layers laying them on top of each other in any order you like.
10. Let’s say you have two shots of you standing in two different places. Use the eraser tool ( brush, opacity 100%, hardness around 60% which you can adjust to your liking) and erase the top layer in the place where your 2nd self is supposed to stand, thus revealing your clone.
11. You can always change the opacity of the top layer to see where exactly to erase and then set it back at 100%
12. If you make a mistake and erase too much, but can’t undo, use that empty scene layer as a background to fix it.
13. If you’re using more than two images, work on the bottom two first while making the rest invisible. Reveal them one by one and erase further.

The final product should look somewhat like this. 

WHAT you can do with Clones is absolutely amazing and the most amount of fun I’ve ever had taking a selfie!

Clone shots are a lot of fun to use as a selfie when you’re out of ideas.

Your whole house is an awesome clone playground. Kitchen,bedroom, living room, even stairs can work ( OK, we do have very large wide stairwell)

Often I have to use clones to get the point through in photos I shoot.

This shot was done for Earth Day. The middle me is trying to decide which car to pick, so for Earth Day it’s better to go with a small sporty car rather than a big gas guzzler. I know it’s kinda silly…but what else do you shoot for earth day, come on?

They’re awesome to do with your BFFs

I love doing clones when we go places, because you get to encounter some of the greatest cloning playgrounds.

This shot was taken in an alley at Universal Studios.

And this I shot by the little empty restaurant at the same park:

Clones can spice up a cool but boring background

It also helps to know how to clone when you’re shooting a concept and literally don’t have enough people at hand to fill in as “extras”.

When I was shooting a poster for Kill Bill, I obviously needed quite a few crazy 88. Clonning hubby was a solution.

And kids ABSOLUTELY LOVE taking clone shots:

Hey, you can even start your own fake band.

 The possibilities are truly endless (can anyone recognize the band I am trying to imitate here?)

And finally if you’d like to see THE CLONE OF ALL CLONES, click on the picture below. It features some partial nudity {a thong}, so i didn’t feel comfortable posting it right out like the other ones. It’s the most involved clone I’ve ever done with two volleyball teams (Russia vs Brazil) and a 2 referees. Look at it closely for the position of each player (don’t mind my butt). There are quite a few screw ups on this one, but it took me so many hours to shoot and clone it that at that point I didn’t care anymore.

For more clone ideas, you’re welcome to visit my Flickr set, ATTACK OF THE CLONES

Knowing the cloning concept can really help with you with your everyday photography.
You can use this cloning technique to replace faces in group shots and remove artifacts from similarly taken photos.

So here’s what you need to do:

Start with a simply two clone shot far apart next to a empty wall. As you get better and better, you can try overlapping yourself in certain areas  and carefully erasing the background with a brush soft enough to hide the mistakes, but hard enough to make it look like a real overlap.

If you’re more comfortable with using masks and layers, you can  use those instead of erasing the top layer. ( layer mask, invert, white brush tool to uncover the background)

So there’s your next assignment! Off you go scouting your next place where you can clone yourself! Don’t be afraid to get creative and give yourself 6 arms  or two heads if you need to.
See you next week, hopefully multiplied!

{The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy}

Oh and feel free to ask questions if needed.

Happy Selfie Saturday, everyone! 

 

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