Week 1

Self portraiture allows for the photographer to begin to understand the lighting, their equipment, and themselves away from the eyes of others. This makes it the perfect place to begin, in a space that allows for risks and mistakes.

It's a medium where popular photographers like Brooke Shaden, Joel Robison, and Lauren Withrow, first, made their names and discovered their passion. The beautiful thing is that it's possible for you to make that leap if you're willing to try.

The best way to begin is with a camera, an empty room, and lights that work.

Set your camera on something sturdy. Point it somewhere in the room that you think could be mildly interesting and set your ten second timer. If you don't have enough light, add some more. Go down to the basement and drag some Christmas lights out of storage.

Run back and forth as many times as you like. Play around with your settings, move things in and out of the frame, change up the focus. You cannot make a mistake when you're only shooting yourself for yourself.

For this first week I kept it simple. I used the light in my living room, dragged over a kitchen chair (which doubled as a good trick to focus my camera without me in the frame) and draped a green sheet around the set that I eventually ended up wearing.

This is where I started with my camera. It also moved to the doorway, the kitchen, the floor, and six inches from the ceiling. I tried probably ten different things and I'm still not sure what worked best.

If you're not happy with your photography, especially in the beginning, don't get discouraged. Try something else. Close the blinds, move the lights, put on a crazy outfit, take pictures of your dog and come back later. Beginning isn't about creating something that transcends time, it's about the journey. Trust me, you'll find your own voice along the way.

Note: These have been lightly edited (I just adjusted the contrast and made the green more prominent).  

And photography isn't entirely about the camera but I do shoot with a DSLR but there isn't any rule that says you can't get similar results with an iPhone.

I also tripped over this sheet and almost sprained my ankle but that's just a part of the process. 

This project will not be entirely self-portraiture (in fact my goal is to move beyond it) but I love starting projects with selfs because it makes them personal and serves as a good marker of growth from year to year and week to week (even day to day if you're crazy).

And feel free to ask me anything:

allison@trebacz.com

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