If you would like to skip my drawn out, over-explained stories regarding life, creativity ( or lack thereof), and frustration skip straight to the “how” section. If you would like to skip over all parts of my blabbering and just see photos then I recommend scrolling down a bit. If you would like to skip over my blabbering and the photos… just click the little red “x” mark at the upper left-hand corner of your screen because you’ve come to the wrong place…

The “Why”:

It had been almost a month since I last picked up my camera. Between moving home and settling into the overall chaotic nature that is the world’s current reality, taking photos was the last thing on my mind. In fact, when I did think of my camera I became overwhelmed. As someone so used to pouring my emotion into creative outlets, it’s a strange thing to suddenly be overwhelmed by even the idea of sorting out my feelings long enough to snap a photo. As time has gone by my anxieties have settled and my mindset shifted. The stress and unease are still there but I’ve become more at peace with it, accepting that I am in control of myself and no-one/nothing else.

Last night I decided that it was time to blow the dust off my camera and shake off any expectations I had for myself regarding quality or concept or depth. I made a pact with myself “get up, get dressed, try something different, and if it doesn’t work you can act like it didn’t happen”. I decided not to attempt to sort out my feelings, to just allow myself to be.

The “What”:

This morning I woke up early knowing that rain was expected around 10:00 am. I got out of bed, I washed my face, threw on some mascara and concealer, and picked out the most comfortable, light, outfit I could find. I didn’t even brush my hair (but you probably already guessed that). I tend to take my self-portraits outside in meadows, or on the beach, or in any number of messy rooms. Last month I did a fun and creative self-portrait shoot in front of a blank wall. I had little hearts sloppily taped to my face and neck as I sat in front of the small section of clear wall in my college dorm’s common room. I loved the look of the blank wall and soon regretted not having used it earlier. With everything happening I didn’t want more chaos, I wanted simple and bright and raw. So with that in mind, I grabbed a large sheet and headed outside with my camera. I wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out but to spice it up a made a little time-lapse.

The “How”:

As someone who epically fails at most “DIY” projects I can honestly say this set up is straightforward and pretty time efficient.

Tools:

one large sheet of your choice of color
a clothing line (you can substitute this for something else to hang the sheet on)
tripod
camera
remote (optional)

a note on the last three points:

About 90% of my self portraits have been taken without a tripod, up until January of this year I had never even used a remote (now I use an app on my phone), and now a’days you can rock a photoshoot out with your phone if you don’t have access to a camera. I used to stack my camera on books instead of using a tripod and to focus the photos I’d put a pillow where I would be, focus it, set a timer, run back in front of the camera and throw the pillow to the side. I’d repeat this about 100x. It takes time and is frustrating but it works.

The rest is pretty straightforward.

For this shoot I used my Canon 5d Mark IV with a 50mm 1.8 lens. This particularly camera connects to my phone through wi-fi so I was able to use my phone as a remote to take the photos. The tripod I used is a Sunpak TravelLite Pro which I personally wouldn’t recommend. I invested in the product because of its great reviews but constantly have issues with the legs coming off. This may just be me but if you are looking for tripods and are on a budget I think there are better options out there.

I shot from 9:00 am to about 9:40 outside in overcast weather. The lighting was soft though the overcast did create some heavy shadows (just something to be conscious of).