Last year I was lucky enough to stumble upon a Facebook group that is devoted to encouraging photographers especially photographer mums to "get in the frame". I have been working as a professional photographer for about 5 years now and I'm telling you, the ability to get lost in social media groups that you think are helpful is incredibly frustrating because there are so many other people looking for the same thing and you can get lost in the sheer amount of people and content. Photography can be a lonely profession! We spend many hours watching Gilmore Girls and editing images until 2am without really connecting to anyone else. There are so many groups and so much talent out there but I need to connect with people, REAL PEOPLE. I want to connect to people that take the time to encourage each other, people that you can be vulnerable around and people that you may never meet but can call friends. The Dear Photographer family and especially the folks in the P52 group are just what I needed. To see another rad babe's self portrait work from the group please stop by Angela Doran's blog You will be blown away! xo
This was one of my first attempts at creative framing
I learned that not only am I good at capturing images but I can make art with my own self.
I learned that the music in my head can be portrayed in a self portrait...
Slow Like Honey Heavy With Mood
Using a prism to create a dreamlike look
I learned how to work with prisms
I had this hanging from the ceiling fan and anchored with the vacuum cleaner
I learned how to shoot through a magnifying glass
Light streaks and light leaks made possible with a folding chair and a lot of painters tape
I learned more about free-lensing which is quite tricky but fun
Waiting for my crew to come home
I learned that if I'm having a terrible day, creating a self portrait can be healing
Sunset and headlights
I learned that I can work in very low light situations
This was a very meaningful portrait using my friends ashes that were glassblown into this vase
I learned how to create a double exposure
Most importantly and the least expected was that I learned that I am beautiful. I am honestly not sure that I actually was seeing myself before. It's not that I had a terrible self esteem but I would fall into moments of self disgust especially after I had my babies. There are images of myself that I can remember hating that I now look at and and I have NO IDEA what I was worried about. I look young and happy bouncing babies in my lap. I really like these new images of myself and can without a doubt say that I look beautiful even in the strange ones that didn't come out as I had expected. I'm letting the magic just happen and trying to let go of some control because this P52 thing is wonderful and rad. I'm so grateful for the experience. Here's to 2018! I can't wait to see what I will create.
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