I’ve been experimenting with Self Portraits for about 2 years now, so it’s fairly new to me! Whether you get into it because your kids are no longer willing or around to be your muse, or if you just want to step into the frame to push yourself creatively. Not gonna lie…it was HARD getting in the frame at first. I accepted the challenge from my mentor and it was a struggle. Seeing yourself in pictures, it’s REALLY easy to dissect yourself. From wrinkles, to rolls…what happened to the 20 something year old that was rocking the low waisted jeans and tube top? When I say it’s been a journey, I mean it’s been a JOURNEY…a journey to find myself, to accept myself, to love myself…

Around the same time I started learning Lensbaby lenses. I loved the blur and feeling of movement I got from these lenses, so using them for Self Portraits was difficult because of the manual focus, but once I was taught that a mannequin head can take my place for getting the focus, and not to mention how forgiving the Lensbaby lenses can be…it actually made it easier for me!

Then bring on my multiple exposures path….All three started around the same time, so merging the three together was instinct. At first I used multiple exposures to “hide myself”. I’d overlay flowers, vines, bokeh…I would hide my face, only show my feet, anything to not put myself all the way “out there.” What I learned from it was how to create the multiple exposures AND how to not be afraid to get in the frame. Sometimes I will do a shoot, take 50 images, and walk away with 1-2 potential projects, if I’m lucky. Other times I will happily keep half and save them as potential future projects. Either way it's a learning experience!

The great news is that now I have images of me…are they all portrait pix where I’m recognizable? No, lol, but they are artistic images of me…so my kids will know I was really here on this earth...and maybe they will figure out the story behind each image. Really that's what I try to convey...a feeling, a distant memory, a story...