Coming Home to Self-The Evolution of My Self-Portraiture

The first time I turned my camera around onto myself was ten years ago. I had no idea of what I was doing or why I was doing it. Hindsight tells me I was going through a challenging time in my life and was looking for ways to express and process my feelings. I remember the need to express myself through self-portraiture feeling urgent and persistent. The usual things most photographers thought about before shooting, like time of day, lighting, weather, and pre-planning, did not cross my mind—the need to create something overpowered and trumped all. 

In the beginning, I made self-portraits to express emotions based on my feelings. I made self-portraits to feel seen and witnessed because I felt invisible. I made self-portraits to give myself a voice because I felt unheard. As time went on, my work began to evolve. I moved through and past emotion and explored storytelling. I started telling my story through self-portraiture but in an anonymous way. From there, it has evolved into what you see today. It is ever-changing, just as we are. It is boundless. Most importantly, it is a part of me. 

Self-portrait taken with my Lensbaby Velvet 56

Self-portraiture has become a tool I use to deepen my practice of self-love and self-discovery, and it has had a ripple effect on me. What do I mean by this? When I first began, I was driven by instinct—creating made me feel empowered. I didn't realize the importance of spending time with myself and was more focused on the resulting self-expression. Now, the process of creating is of vital importance to me and extends past creating self-portraits. It begins with nourishing my mind and body, and I meditate and move my body daily. I journal each morning and pull a daily tarot card asking myself- What do I need to know for my creativity today? Self-portraiture taught me how to love myself. It taught me to nurture and forgive myself. It lit a desire in me to care for myself and set a better example for my children. It made me realize the importance of putting my oxygen mask on first before helping others. It has encouraged me to look deeper inside myself and question and explore who I am and who I want to be.

My self-portraiture acts as a visual diary, but one written in code. It's pieces of me, clues, and insights into what was occurring during that time in my life when I made each self-portrait. While they may not read like a diary to the viewer, I can piece them together and remember intimate details about each one. I know what I was doing that day and how I was feeling. As a teenager, I made up a secret written language of symbols and filled a diary with it. I could read the symbols fluently. Now, I use both personal and universal symbolism throughout my work. The meaning something has for me might be completely different from what it means to you, the viewer. We see something and connect to it in personal ways. That's the beauty of art!

Velvet 56

 My favorite tools for my work are Lensbaby lenses and optics. They help me to slow down, be more present in the moment, and visualize things more creatively. Self-portraiture combined with Lensbaby products has challenged me and activated and super-charged my creativity in a way that nothing else has. These lenses emphasize the beauty of imperfections. They break the rules and molds and allow you to dream big and wild. I cannot think of a better tool for self-expression and freedom in your art. Using Lensbaby lenses for my self-portraiture has been a coming home to self. It is life-changing. 

You can save 10% on Lensbaby purchases with the discount code wsharon at checkout!

Velvet 56

The Fool's Journey

Let’s talk Tarot!

How can the Fool card relate to your creativity? I like to think of the Fool as having a beginner’s mind.

As artists, how can we embody the Fool’s energy? Look at it as an invitation to approach creating with a beginner’s mind.

The Fool doesn’t have life experiences under their belt. Because of that lack of experience, their mind is more open and free. What is there to hold them back?

Embodying the Fool might look like creating for yourself and not fearing what others may think. It’s taking chances and trying new things. It’s like seeing things for the first time and not having outside influences.

Approaching your work with the Fool’s energy might help you feel more creative freedom, and with that comes growth. Experiment! Have fun! Create for YOU!

Sony a7riii | LBSFII | 1/200 | ISO 320

Sony a7riii | LBSFII | 1/200 | ISO 320

Self-portraits taken with my Lensbaby Soft Focus II optic. As a Lensbaby Ambassador, I can offer you a discount on your purchases. Use the code wsharon or click this link to be directed to their website. Comment or email any questions, and I’d be happy to chat!

Lensbaby's New Soft Focus II

In February of 2021, I challenged myself to shoot my self-portraiture for 30-days using only Lensbaby lenses and optics. Self-portraiture can prove intimidating, and adding a creative manual focus lens into the mix can feel like a formidable feat. These lenses and optics soon proved to be the missing pieces to bringing my visions to life. Over a year later, I'm still shooting my work primarily with Lensbaby gear, and I haven't looked back.

Lensbaby Soft Focus II | ISO | 160 | 1/250 | Sony a7rIII

Recently, I had the opportunity to be a beta tester for a new optic, The Soft Focus II, by Lensbaby. The Soft Focus II optic fits into my Composer Pro II and judging by my results, it will stay there for a long time to come. This new optic has significant potential in aiding me in my future work.

Lensbaby Soft Focus II | ISO | 320 | 1/250 | Sony a7rIII

My first impression was that it gave a similar feel to my Velvet 56 when I shot between f/2.8 and f/2.5. There was a familiar smoothness and a glow reminiscent of the Velvet line, but I felt the glow was more substantial than the Velvets upon deeper inspection.

Lensbaby Soft Focus II | ISO | 320 | 1/250 | Sony a7rIII

I usually shoot fairly wide as a self-portrait artist, only stopping down to f/2.8 at most. When I began testing the Soft Focus II, I shot at f/2.5 - f/2.8. The softness, blur, and luminous glow immediately brought me into that dreamworld atmosphere I am drawn to so deeply. I then decided to try out f/4 and was pleasantly surprised with my results.

Lensbaby Soft Focus II | ISO | 160 | 1/800 | F/4 | Sony a7rIII

There was a level of detail and structure brought out in the image, yet it still had a smoothness and softness to it. I usually use three editing software programs for my black and white images. When shooting at f/4, I achieved the same qualities as I typically do in my second editing program. It could essentially allow me to skip a step in my editing process.

Lensbaby Soft Focus II | ISO | 160 | 1/800 | Sony a7rIII

I want my art to give the viewer the feeling of looking through an old vintage book of fairytales. I'm not looking for sharp, precise details, and I like the imagination to come into play. I want the viewer whisked away into another world and time. The process of creating is of vital importance to me. Similar results may be possible in post-processing, but I want to spend as much time in the creative moment as possible. I want to look through my viewfinder and already begin to feel I'm there in that far away land. I want to see the results on the back of my camera and feel the excitement of knowing I was able to achieve my vision. Lensbaby's products help make all of this possible for me.

Lensbaby Soft Focus II | ISO | 320 | 1/120 | Sony a7rIII

I am looking forward to the Spring and Summer months when the foliage begins to fill in the empty gaps, and I can test out the magnetic drop-in aperture disks as a new way to bring more wonder and enchantment into my imagery. The Soft Focus II optic will now be on my camera until further notice!

*I am proud to be both a Lensbaby Ambassador and Click Pro Ambassador. If you should have any questions at all please reach out to me!

The Evil Queen- Lensbaby

A year ago, I challenged myself to use Lensbaby lenses for my self-portrait work. I thought I would do it for 30-days. Here I am, a year later, and madly in love with these creative lenses and optics.

I made this self-portrait using my Lensbaby Composer Pro II with the Sweet 50 optic. Let me know if you have any questions, and if you’d like to save on your next Lensbaby purchase just use this link and the discount code wsharon .
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Sony a7riii | Sweet 50 | f/2.5 | 1/125| 1600