Reflection

This weekend, I was in the middle of changing up my mantle (I don't like it to stay the same for too long), when I got what I thought was a pretty good idea to attempt some self portraits.  Awhile back, I had refinished this mirror that I had found at Goodwill (click to here to see how I did it).  I decided to have some fun with it out in the community area across the street from my house.  Although I'm not usually one to take a lot of pictures of myself, I wanted to do something that really represented me.

This was my initial idea - capture my reflection using the mirror I had redesigned. While looking at Touch Up Tuesday last week, I found this blog about converting photos to black & white.  Stephanie at Behind the Camera and Dreaming did a great tutorial on this conversion using PicMonkey (which is my newest favorite tool for photo editing...if you haven't tried it yet, go now!).  To see this tutorial, click on the Behind the Camera and Dreaming link.

The picture on the left was converted from the original above, and then I decided to play with some other effects as well on the right.

I wanted to represent as much of myself as possible in these photos.  I started with the mirror to show craftiness.  My initial vision for these photos kind of developed as I went along - trying different angles and views.

Obviously my latest love is for my camera, so it needed to be present in at least most of the pictures.

I also wanted to express my personal style fashion-wise.  I'm a sucker for a comfy pair of jeans and flip flops - but if at all possible, I go barefoot.  Sunglasses = sunshine (I am not much of a winter or rain person - so why do I live in the NW?!)

You may have noticed the tattoo on my foot.  Awhile back, I became extremely aware of my inner strength and wanted a reminder of that awareness during times I may be feeling weak.  I also had been toying with the idea of getting a second tattoo for awhile but didn't know what I wanted.  One morning, though, I woke up and knew that was the day I was going to do it.  The infinity knot is a Celtic symbol for inner strength.  After going online and searching around a bit, I found a design that incorporated a heart into the knot and knew that was the one.  It really has become an encouragement for me and represents my journey to explore who I really am.



Like I said before - the purpose of these photos were not to be conceited or self-centered, but to express who I am and just have a little fun with it.  It was also good practice for my composition and editing skills.