Notice I did not say “Selfie”… I’m no authority on the subject, so you can take this with a grain of salt if you’d like, but I think the word selfie cheapens the art of street photography (or photography in general). So, for this challenge we will be creating a self-portrait. Leave the selfie creation for the tourists with their cameras phones perched on a four-foot metal stick.
My self-portrait captured in the more traditional “reflection” method
One of the most popular methods of creating a self-portrait is photographing yourself in a mirror (see image above). The next most popular way is probably the old set the camera on a tripod and remote trigger it trick. The self-portrait challenge that I present to you here is the ole’ shadow capture method (brings back memories of the first scene in Peter Pan).
The best times I’ve found to practice this type of self-portrait are morning, mid-morning, mid-afternoon up until sunset, as well as at night/indoors where there is directional artificial light. Try to stay away from simply photographing your shadow with no elements of composition (think framing, leading lines, reflections, etc.). Consider trying to photograph your shadow as if it were a person interacting with the world around it.
Feel free to share your images on Instagram using the tag #PhotolisticLife for chance to be featured here on the site. You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
