#18: How I Got Into Self-Portraits

Hello there & welcome to this week’s phlog! This one’s going to be a little different because we’re going way back in the past - 15 years ago to be exact!

Where it started:

Above Image: This photo is where it all began. I wanted to join a kpop group (LOL don’t judge 🙈 It was back in 2007 when I was in 9th grade), and they required portraits of ourselves. I looked for the old family point-and-shoot camera in the kitchen drawer and found random objects lying around to take my shots - my sister’s cupcake pillow, blanket for the backdrop, and an LED desk light (which created this bokeh effect and I thought it was the coolest thing). When I was ready to take my pics, I had my little cousin press the camera button for me and voilà!

Sadly, I never made it into that kpop band because I never submitted the photos 😂 BUT that started a new journey for me in self-portrait photography… And I never looked back since.

That’s me back in 2008 when I saved up for my first big purchase (~$600). I chose the Canon Rebel XS (which was the first of the Rebel series! So old) because I was told it was a great entry-level camera.

And then the magic happened and I was hooked on doing self-portrait photography. I experimented with different styles, lighting, sets, and really just had fun with it.

This is one that I was proud of. I was new to Photoshop, but I took a photo of the floral fabric separately then had a separate photo of myself in my home-made robot costume and put the images together. (The costume was for my French class. We had to do a skit)

While some of these old photos are cringe to look through, I’m reminded of how BLESSED I was to have had the tools and support from so many of my friends and family to grow in this art form.

Still to this day I am truly grateful for the never-ending support and opportunities I had. Above are photos of my most recent shoots from 2020-current.

Ahhh, feeling major nostalgia and gratefulness today 😌 If there’s an old hobby you loved before, pick it back up! You’ll never know - it might hit different.

Until next Friday, friends! Stay golden 🌼✨