Yourself With Someone

Project number 2 to keep me blogging: 

Sometime in December, while I was in one of my many 'i've lost myself' crises, I joined the flikr group Self Portrait Challenge.  Delving into a new found love of photography, it was easy to play along for a while. Then something happened. I sorta lost interest in the camera. Just like that. I think I reached the capacity of my own learning and started to get frustrated with my limitations. I was not improving my skills, and being a part of this group, while an amazing learning experience, is oh so humbling for the girl that is always so good at everything. So I just sorta gave up.

Just when I was beginning to think I had exhausted yet another short-lived hobby, Jeremy posted this month's theme: 'With Someone.' I was inspired. My word for the year is community. During all that crazy searching in December one of the things I realized was how important a village can be when you are raising a family. I've always been a solitary sorta gal, but now I needed support. Little by little I reached out and in the last months I have begun to build some amazing relationships I never knew could exist. So as soon as I read the theme, I knew it was time to get that camera out again and really stretch myself artistically as my body was already doing so physically. In just two weeks I have learned a thing or two about communing.

Taking pictures of other people is really hard. For all the other SPC's I could spend as much time as I needed setting up a shot, adjusting the camera settings and clicking away. When you are asking someone else to sit for you however, that feeling of unlimited time disappears. Suddenly, you are taking up their time, de-intimizing (is that a word?) their moment. It's kinda invasive and a little strange. But putting me on the spot is really testing my skills, especially in post production processing. Here are the first two weeks, both surrounding birth -- surprise. Click on each picture for a little bit more detail about the person and the shot. 

Week 1

Week 2

The best thing about this project is hearing how supportive and willing my people are. Even though I feel a bit strange, no one has even wavered when I've asked them to be a part of my little arty moment. And to my self-doubting self, (who am I to call myself an artist), they've even seemed somewhat excited about it.

**On a side note, I think this 3rd trimester insomnia is going to be good for blogging!**