365 Project - Day 37

I do not enjoy being photographed and you will find few photos with me in them. I believe, however, self-portraiture will allow me to have more control over what appears. "How Self-Portraiture Makes You a Better Photographer," by Ryan Pendleton (another Digital Photography School article) inspired me to work on a self portrait project yesterday. This was more ambitious than I anticipated. I chose to use natural light from a large east facing window. Once I lost that light, I switched to light from an adjacent room. The photo I selected is from the latter. I also preferred the mono version.

Of course, I worked through the normal challenges, including lighting, posing and placement. This project was also personally demanding given my limited mobility with my broken leg and on top, I could not find our remote trigger. Therefore, I had to minimize placement adjustments and set the camera timer at 20s to give me enough time to "crutch" over to the stool, drop my crutches and pose. In the end, this was not much of a glamour shot (not my style anyway) as I did not have the flexibility to change outfits, redo my hair or refresh my make-up, but I ended up with few keepers. And, I had a few laughs at myself too.

I love the idea of using self portraits as a creative outlet and tool to develop technique. I learned a lot throughout the day and Ryan is right, I was a more patient subject. As my first sincere attempt at self portraiture, I'm pleased ! I am thinking about this as a regular project.

Today's Photo: Self Portrait #1

"... the Lord bestows favor and honor, no good thing does He withhold ..." Psalm 84:11

"The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments." Thich Nhat Hanh