As photographers, we find ourselves behind the camera way more often than in front of it. However, some photographers enjoy taking self-portraits as well. I belong to this group, and while I don’t feel too comfortable when posing to others, I am perfectly fine with posing to myself. I’m not a fan of selfies, but I think self-portraits can have certain benefits for photographers. I’d like to share them with you, and see if we think alike.
It’s good to note that this is my personal view and opinion, not based on the scientific facts or research. This is how I perceive self-portraits, and how I believe they shaped me both as a person and as a photographer – and hopefully, some of you will relate to it.
1. Practicing portrait photography
This probably goes without saying, but taking self-portraits can be a great preparation before you start photographing others. You get to explore the natural light or experiment with the best artificial lighting setups. You can learn which lenses work best for which kinds of shots. You can even try out the poses and figure out which ones you like best. All this could help you later when you start photographing others.
2. Self-acceptance
This is one of the ways self-portraiture has affected me the most. My body weight has varied ever since I was a child. Whenever I gain or lose a lot of pounds, I have a problem getting used to the person I see in the mirror. Taking self-portraits has helped me get out of my cocoon whenever I went through these transformations, and I learned to accept my body in all its stages. It has helped me get to know myself better, and see myself from a different perspective. It’s a bit hard to explain, but to put it simply – I started feeling better in my own skin after certain self-portraits I took. And I believe it could work for many people who feel awkward about themselves in whichever way.
3. Documenting the stages of your life and the ways you change
Many of my self-portraits are inspired by a certain emotion or an intense period of my life. It’s sometimes positive, but to be honest – more often it’s something negative. When I browse through these photos now, I remember what made me take them and what I was going through at the time. I wrote about it here so you can take a look. Also, it’s a great way of documenting the way you change. If you take self-portraits inspired by events and emotions, you get to see how you change emotionally and preserve some striking moments of your life. And not to mention that you can also track the way you change physically, which I find fascinating and interesting to observe.
4. Expressing your emotions and feeling them more intensely
In most situations, I think that the message about my own feelings is the strongest if I show it myself. For example, I took a self-portrait for my boyfriend a couple of years ago, trying to depict how I feel when dreaming about him. You’d agree it would be a bit awkward if I took a photo of another girl, right? :)
This works in other situations and for other emotions as well. If you’re fully involved in both posing and capturing the photo, you can live the moment more intensely. This helps you focus on the emotion or the story you want to tell. If it’s a positive one, it just feels great to evoke it. And if it’s negative, confronting it in such an intense manner could help you get rid of it (like Anya Anti with her “Butterflies in my Stomach” photo).
5. Quality time with yourself
Do you enjoy being alone? I believe most of us like spending some quality time with no one but ourselves, at least occasionally. Well, taking self-portraits is an awesome way to do it. I feel like a child playing while I’m taking photos by myself. Self-portraits fall into this category of images I take when I just want to hang out alone and enjoy it to the max. Other than giving you time to practice photography, it also gives you some precious time to think and let your mind wander. It’s useful, and it’s beautiful. Other than making self-portraits, I also love viewing those of other photographers. Since I’m definitely not the best self-portrait photographer there is, check out these posts on our blog for more inspiration:
Johnny TangRob WoodcoxFlóra BorsiAmanda ChapmanSamantha Geballe (NSFW)
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you enjoy taking self-portraits? If so, can you relate to the benefits I wrote about? Are there any you’d like to add?Share your thoughts in the comment section below, and feel free to share your favorite self-portraits, too.
