Hey there!

I am a wife, a mother to two children, and am completely obsessed with photography. My obsession started as a child and has just gotten stronger! Between having my kids who inspired me to dive into portrait photography, a supporting husband, and our travels both at home and overseas, becoming totally enveloped in this art was inevitable.
Right now, we live in the United Arab Emirates and while business is on hold, I'm still doing what I can to build a strong foundation for a future career as a portrait photographer. Last year, I completed my first 365 project and was amazed at how much it taught me. Through that project, I realized that capturing those everyday details is what I truly love to do. I cannot wait to start taking on lifestyle sessions and create those special memories for others. This year, I am hosting my first Project 52 based on LIGHT! It's been wonderful having others follow me and my crazy idea!
I also have taken up making actions for other photographers and plan on adding other tools to my "bag". I really enjoy helping other photographers with their processing and watching them use my creations in their own ways.
Most days you'll find me in slippers, a comfy tank and some yoga pants/capris. I homeschool my kids and love to act silly with them. I'm so glad I am able to stay home with them and capture all their little quirks for them to look back on.

Shoot Yourself! | Self Portrait

Self Portrait Tutorial

Every photographer needs a good portrait of themselves! Don’t have anyone to take one of you? Shoot Yourself!!

Focus:

The trickiest and most important part of the photo.

Use BBF (Back Button Focus) Not sure what this is? Canon users go here. Nikon users go here. Using BBF allows you to lock your focus point so that when you go to press the shutter, activating the timer, your focus will not change

Pick a spot in the frame and do your best to put yourself there. This may take several attempts. LOL Ok, it WILL take several attempts, but you’ll get it.
I most often shoot at around 2.0-ish vs. shooting wide open to ensure that I have a better chance at actually being in focus. You may want to stop down even more than that though if you’re having trouble nailing focus.
Something I often do is put a chair or some other object where I plan to be so I have something to focus on, then when I go to get in the frame, I just remove the object and hop in!

Timer:

Use your timer!

I don’t use a remote for selfies. I don’t like trying to conceal and it’s just one more thing I have to think about while also trying to look good for the camera! LOL
So set your timer and get into your frame fast! Taking selfies can be a good form of exercise! ;)

Exposure:

Make an (educated) guess at the exposure and then adjust if needed after the first shot. Yep, that’s all I do. Nothing too tricky here. ;)

Posing:

This part can be difficult too. You’ve just selected your focus point. You have to remember where that spot is. You’ve also just pressed the shutter and only have 10 seconds to get your shot. Now you have to think about how to position yourself, where to put your hands, and… wait… does my smile look funny? Are my eyes only half open? No one at the camera to tell you that!

Practice in the mirror! Don’t worry, we won’t watch. It really does help. You have to know what you’re going to look like.
If you’re having trouble thinking of ways to pose yourself, look some up and get inspired. :)
It’s going to take a LOT of tries to get a shot you’re happy with most likely so don’t get discouraged!

Playing with some intentional OOF (out of focus) shots is fun, too. ;)