If you are anything like me the words ‘Self Portrait’ will fill you with fear. I love being behind the camera and have never felt comfortable in front of it. Ever. Now, when I say self portrait I’m not talking about phone selfies, with a pout (You absolutely can if you wish). I’m talking about you.

YOU. An image that tells us who you are. What you are about, how you are feeling, just you. Capturing yourself in a moment of time that you can look back on in years to come and thank yourself.

Self Portrait Tips:

1: Be yourself
You don’t have to get dressed and put on a face full of make up, just be yourself. If that’s a messy bun on the sofa with a book… shoot it. Muddy in the garden? Shoot it. Making dinner for the kids… shoot it.

2: Think about composition
Do you want your face to fill the shot? Do you want to shoot parts that make up a whole story, you can be as close or as far away from the camera as you like. Think about where you are in the photograph and how it relates to what you are trying to say. It can make a shot 100 times more interesting.

3: Props
The possibilities are endless when it comes to props in a portrait. Use something that tells us about you. Your favourite book, sitting at a table with a mug of tea, flowers from the garden. There are no limits to how you can shoot using props. You can get really creative with shadows and light near windows or keep it super simple with a plain wall.

4: Be comfortable
This isn’t meant to be uncomfortable, it’s meant to be fun. It can be nerve wracking getting in front of a camera and looking at what you’ve shot. So set a time to shoot, roughly plan what you want to take and play with it, get the kids to help you, mine make funny faces at me behind the camera.

5: Tell a story
Self portraits are all about you. Telling us who you are, so use that to tell your story. Document the things you do in a day. Use small details to tell us about your life are you a parent, a cat lover do you love to bake or read in bed, your job can say a lot about you, do you paint and keep hairbrushes in a messy bun? a florist with busy hands or a writer? how are you finding lockdown? Tell us….

But most of all this week, have fun. Experiment and keep shooting. Over and over again, I can’t wait to see YOU!

You can see Week One | Black & White

Thank you so much for taking part! I can’t wait to see next weeks shots!