One of my mottos in my courses, especially the self-portrait classes is that Playfulness is an Antidote to Fear.
Its so easy to get caught up in our left brain worries about the technicalities of using a camera, or to let feelings of fear about how the photo might turn out and the vulnerabilities that arise if we don’t like the self-portrait we are trying to take. Those are totally valid feelings, but don’t help us if we get stuck in them and don’t give ourselves the chance to move forward from them.
Funny thing is, when we get playful, be that moving our bodies and doing a silly dance or being goofy; often the photos that will arise from that will be ones we can’t help but smile at. Then before you know it, its not so scary to turn the camera on yourself anymore.
Yesterday I went for a big bike ride on my favourite trail out to a park in Burnaby. I was just doing my usual thing, putting the camera on the ground or on my bike seat and moving and dancing. Then I had a silly thought.
What if I spun around holding the camera? How had I never tried that before?
I discovered that it would (for the most part) keep me in focus but the background in this awesome state of blur.
So yes, I became that girl in the woods spinning round and round pointing the camera at herself.
And it was ridiculously fun.
I’m always excited to think of new prompts for the participants in You are Your Own Muse (new online session running this fall….and an in person version this weekend…yahoooo) but I felt drawn to share this one right away.
You know, just in case you thought self-potraiture had to be all high art and serious.
Not so much, eh!
Will you join me today and do a little spin-selfie with me? All you need to do is aim the camera at your self and spin!
Here are a few other silly shots that occurred from all that spinning:
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