Yep. I’m very behind in sharing the photographs from my self-portrait challenge. I’ve actually taken the last month or so off, with all the sickness and holiday-making going on here, and I’m finding it a bit hard to get back into the swing of things. I have been encouraged though by the folk that have sent me messages asking where the rest of the ‘pieces of me’ have disappeared to, so I’ve plucked up the courage to share a few more.
Week 17
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I really struggled with this photo. I was having a bit of an un-creative day and was starting to feel like my self portraits were all beginning to look the same. BUT I had just had my hair coloured the day before so thought I’d try and at least document that HUGE big event (I can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve indulged myself enough to spend a couple of hours lounging in a chair while someone massaged my scalp – that HAS to be the best bit of going to the hairdressers…)
Week 17
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I had fun with this shot. And, yes, that is a miniature version of me sitting in the palms of my hands. There are times when I wonder what I would do without photoshop. 😉
There was a bit of a thought process that went into this shot, as well as the desire for wanting to make things a bit more interesting. The part I’ve enjoyed most about this challenge is actually discovering myself, in little ways, each week. The following was week 17’s find:
Sometimes I’m my own worst enemy.
There’s a little piece of me that seems to continually doubt herself.
She second-guesses her ability to be a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend, a photographer – all the things that make her who she is.
Too often I let her affect my outlook on life, and I resent her for this.
Instead, I should be nurturing her.
Showing her some love.
Embracing her inadequacies and imperfections.
This week I’ve realised that without her I wouldn’t strive to be better.
She brings out the best in me and through her I can see the person I’m capable of becoming.
So from now on I’ll hold her tight, look her in the face, and be her friend.
Week 18
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I’ve been posting my self-portraits on my flickr stream as I’ve been going along, and here’s what I wrote with this image:
I wanted to incorporate my mum somehow into this week’s challenge, being mother’s day and all that, but with us being 3 states apart it was a bit hard to pull off.
So I did the next best thing I could think of (though not the most exciting perhaps…) and snatched my treasured photo from the wall in AR’s room of me as a baby with mum and dad.
I love this image. So much the more because I actually copied it and restored it myself – by hand, before photoshop even existed probably. And I made the frame too, as well as cutting the mattboard – all things I once did in one of my former lives. So it’s something I hold dear for many reasons. But not as dear as my mum, or dad for that matter.
(When you eventually get around to seeing this, mum and dad – love you both!)
Oh, and I had to title this ‘Warm 70’s Love’ because I used that particular action from Jesh de Rox’s latest set to process it, which is quite fitting as I guess this photo is all about warm 70’s love – though I won’t tell from which end of the 70’s.
So, you should know me just that little bit better now. It’s kinda scary sharing such personal thoughts with the world, almost as scary as putting my face out there. But that’s what this project’s all about.
And at least if you’ve been thinking lately that you’d like to have yourself cloned, once or twice over, you know I’d be happy to give it a shot for you. On paper anyway. But imagine how awesome it would be if photoshop could bring to life our craziest, or most credible, imaginations. If anyone out there figures it out before I do PLEASE let me know how. 🙂
Narrelle x
{ Melbourne Portrait Photographer }