As shared with us by Aimee Glucina, storytelling master and Instructor of ‘The Authentic Storyteller’ workshop. Begins March 1st, 2021.

365 projects are an incredible, immersive experience. I think challenging yourself to pick up the camera every day is the single fastest way to develop your photography skills.

As an added bonus you also get to walk away with an album worthy collection of images at the end of the year!

But as we compulsively click away - making sure we get a shot a day - there is sometimes something that is conspicuously absent from the record...US.

So here are 5 ways you can include yourself in your 365 project this year.

1. I'll start with the trickiest option - A good old fashioned Self Portrait

You can use your camera's auto timer to fire off a set number of shots or use a remote trigger.

There are lots of ways to nail focus when you're taking a self portrait. Both Nikon and Canon have apps that enable you to use your phone as a remote trigger (the Nikon one is called Nikon WMU). When using these apps your phone acts like a live view screen, allowing you to see your frame and tap on it to set the camera's focus. Of course it can be hard to hide the phone in the image when you're using it, but I've discovered a bit of a hack whereby if you repeatedly hit the shutter button quickly it will set the camera firing and you can chuck the phone out of frame while it's going (gently of course!).

If you're wanting to go completely hands free, set your camera up in one location and use a stand in to set your focus (a toy on a stool, a broom, a pillow, one of my kids...I've used all sorts of things as a stand in). Lock focus on your stand in and then switch your focus mode back to manual so that the camera doesn't try to go focus hunting while it's shooting.

Press the shutter button, leap into the spot previously occupied by your stand in and get shooting. Keep moving and changing your expression so you end up with some variety. But make sure movements are small and subtle so you stay in your focus plane. If you're still struggling with focus stop down a little bit rather than shooting wide open to give yourself a better chance of nailing it.

(ISO 100 | f/2.8 | 1/500ss) For the above photo I used my Nikon's auto-timer. My camera was sitting on a pile of books on top of a stool. I had my son sit in for me and then move to his foreground position after I hit the shutter.

(ISO 200 | f/4 | 1/500th) I took this one while I was working on my workshop materials for The Authentic Storyteller!

(ISO 100 | f/2.2 | 1/1600) Shot outside looking in to celebrate my 40th Birthday during lock-down.

2. Include your reflection or shadow

This is a fun opportunity to show your involvement with the scene. Look for ways to sneak yourself into an image, or more purposefully include your shadow or reflection. If you want the reflection or shadow to be the main subject of the image make sure you set your focus on that and not something else in the frame. Treat the reflection or shadow like a person and focus on them. Alternatively focus on another subject and let your shadow or reflection become simply another layer. When you edit the image you might like to go over the reflection or shadow with a localised adjustment brush set to slightly increase the texture, clarity or contrast to give it a little more oomph.

Freelensed with my 50mm

3. Turn the camera on yourself or just include a part of your body in the foreground

This is another fun option if you're shooting with your phone or a small device like a GoPro. There's a fine line between "Insta selfie" and creative photo - so play around with it and see what you can come up with. Either way it's a quick and easy way to make sure your 365 days of storytelling includes a chapter on you. It's totally possible to include parts of yourself in the foreground using your DSLR too. You'll just want to have a nice wide lens (35mm or wider) to do it. If you have a live view screen that can be popped up or rotated use it so that you can see and shoot from above your head.

(GoPro - ISO 412 | f/2.8 | 3mm |1/950th)

4. Hand the camera to someone else

Is this cheating? I don't think so if you've set up the scene, selected your camera settings based on the environment and then handed it to a "human tripod" to simply press the shutter. The one thing you'll need to be mindful of is that others might not be great at nailing focus. You can change your camera from manual to Aperture Priority if you want to help minimise the number of things that could go wrong in someone else's hands. I've taught my kids to look for the focus point in the viewfinder, then I tell them to put it over the thing I want them to focus on, half depress to grab focus and then push the button all the way. Most of the time this gets a good outcome.

Taken by my 10 year old son - shooting over my head.

I set the slice angle and settings then handed my Nikon + Edge 35 to my husband.

5. A tripod doesn't have to be a tripod

I'll let you in on a secret. I don't even own a full size tripod! Most of the time I just prefer to "build" something the right height to rest my camera on, or I just put it down on a table, chair, bookshelf, bench, a window ledge, the floor....whatever seems like it's a good height for the scene. Again I use my Nikon app or the camera's auto timer function to capture the image.

Camera wedged into tree branch - risky, I know - for this family self portrait using the auto-timer.

Our life during renovation with a sick child. There she is asleep in her bed, wedged between ours and my desk. The camera was sitting on top of a book on my bed to get this shot. I used my Nikon app and tapped the shutter release multiple times so that I would have time to pull my hand away from it for the shot.

Camera on chair, Nikon App on phone hidden inside book.

Camera on auto timer sitting on picnic bench.

I hope these tips and tricks give you the confidence to get in the frame!!

If you want to learn more ways to bring your 365 story to life I'd love for you to join me in my Gather Academy workshop The Authentic Storyteller. It's starting 1 March.

If you have questions about the workshop, or comments about this post I'd love to see them below!!