I take part in self portrait challenges. Two of them to be exact, both on flickr. One is a small group of wonderful women called 52 Fridays, the other is a much larger group, the BAM group.
There are so many reasons to do self portraits. Here are a few of my thoughts:
They can be a push to get in front of the camera instead of always staying behind.
It can show you a side of yourself you haven't noticed before.
It can give you a visual of changes. If you are exercising or changing something in your look, you can notice it from your weekly photos. I stopped dyeing my hair November 2011, it helps to see the progress.
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It frees you in a way. After taking many weekly portraits, I think you start truly accepting who you are and what you look like.
You might just start laughing at yourself. Which can be a really good experience.
You might get really creative. Part of my issue is that I get bored easily with taking the self portraits, so I try to mix it up.
As a mom, we are all busy. Taking five minutes, sometimes even less, once a week to snap a few self portraits is a special time. A time to be "self-focused" for a little bit. Most weeks I don't bother fixing my hair or putting on make up, because that isn't who I am, but sometimes I do. It is another way of "stealing moments".
Self portraits are great for documenting the here and now of your life.
I took part in 2010 and again this year. Most weeks, I have no desire to take another picture of myself. But I do it, and I am always happy I did.
There are so many reasons to do self portraits. Here are a few of my thoughts:
They can be a push to get in front of the camera instead of always staying behind.
It can show you a side of yourself you haven't noticed before.
It can give you a visual of changes. If you are exercising or changing something in your look, you can notice it from your weekly photos. I stopped dyeing my hair November 2011, it helps to see the progress.
.JPG)
It frees you in a way. After taking many weekly portraits, I think you start truly accepting who you are and what you look like.
You might just start laughing at yourself. Which can be a really good experience.
You might get really creative. Part of my issue is that I get bored easily with taking the self portraits, so I try to mix it up.
As a mom, we are all busy. Taking five minutes, sometimes even less, once a week to snap a few self portraits is a special time. A time to be "self-focused" for a little bit. Most weeks I don't bother fixing my hair or putting on make up, because that isn't who I am, but sometimes I do. It is another way of "stealing moments".
Self portraits are great for documenting the here and now of your life.
I took part in 2010 and again this year. Most weeks, I have no desire to take another picture of myself. But I do it, and I am always happy I did.
great post!
ReplyDeleteGreat post and thoughts...rarely take photos of myself. I love seeing all the many aspects of yourself that you show in each one...
ReplyDeleteThat is so neat to see them all together like that. I am a bit resistant about selfies. Thanks for your thoughts.. you have shared some great reasons to turn the camera around.
ReplyDelete