February 24, 2012

In the Picture: February Edition

Self-Portrait #5
Self-Portrait #6
Self-Portrait #7
Self-Portrait #8
This month's theme for In The Picture was words. Words!!! *latches on* Something I'm familiar with! At the first of the month I thought I'd incorporate long passages somewhere in my pictures, but in the end, I kept words to a minimum.

My parents surprised me with a tripod they were getting rid of. I think I actually squealed. It's been such a nice added dimension. I'm not gifted with the hold-the-camera-at-arms-length ability. I am trying though. I realize I can't take all my self-portraits with the tripod, so I'm trying to learn how to do the arms-length thing.

For those of you who've done this for awhile: how do you manage getting a good shot holding the camera-at-arms-length? And how do you overcome feeling conspicuous taking photos of yourself in public?  I've found wonderful places I wanted to use in my photos, but just couldn't bring myself to run out there and take the shot. Maybe this is a growth thing, but I feel so...so...self-absorbed doing it. I know, I know, why should I care, right? *sigh* Any tips would be appreciated!

And for those of you NOT doing this, have you ever taken a picture of yourself? Did you feel conspicuous?

I'm just a newbie but if you'd like to see some really creative photos, head over to Urban Muser!

28 comments :

  1. I've only taken a photo of myself with a daughter in the pic too, usually as we have a good laugh. But otherwise someone else is always snapping that shutter.

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  2. These are great shots! I don't have a tripod but would love to get one. I feel very awkward with the camera at arms length! I'm a self portrait newbie too so don't have any advice but I feel the same way about taking pictures in public.

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  3. So creative! I really like that first shot...perfectly lined up :)

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  4. Love the first pic! Awesome!

    Thank you for stopping by my blog today and normalizing this crazy adventure of selfies! It looks like you are having fun with it.

    I, too, am trying to get past the fear of taking pics in public thing. I'm guessing we'll get there in time. :)

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  5. Oh your selfies are so cute & clever! And thank you for the sweet words you left on my blog:)

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  6. This is a wonderful series of selfies! Your first shot is terrific -- are you a painter? I'm a newbie too -- if you find out how to master the arms length camera shot, please let me know.

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  7. I love the first three - you did a great job on the "words" assignment.
    Rinda

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  8. The arms length is tricky for me too. My camera is heavy! I'm using my tripod and remote (best $20 ever spent) for most of my selfie's. The public thing...yeah... I have no idea how you get over that. lol. I usually stick to private locations. The one I posted today was taken out in public but anyone seeing me was driving 50 MPH past me so it wasn't too embarrassing.

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  9. oh, i love all your shots!!! you are so playful!!!

    i'm still working on the self-conscious thing too...i suppose it wanes with growth/experience. (i hope!)

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  10. I love these photos, such fun! I'm going to try a few more in public at some time this year- I think the trick is to look confident, maybe act like a photography student & go places where there are people you'll never see again!

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  11. Your images have such a cheerful spirit. I especially like the first one with your art work.
    As for being in public...bah! People are way more interested in themselves than anything else. After you ignore them for a few seconds, they get bored and wander off. No worries.

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  12. so cute! the second one is my favorite.

    i don't think i've ever taken a self-portrait in public. and i never take them with my hands/arms outstretched. those shots totally distort me and don't capture what i really look like... or at least i HOPE that's not what i really look like. =)

    i, too, got a tripod from my mom that she was getting rid of. and my husband gave me one of those little ones that wrap around tree branches. it's nice to have both.

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  17. oh, my goodness. sorry about my comment posting so many times. my internet connection stalled, and i did not know, so i kept hitting the "publish" button multiple times because i could not see my comment after i hit it the first time. oops. =)

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  18. this is a wonderful series of self-portraits this month! i don't do much with arm's length and when i do it's always with my iphone, which is much easier than doing it with a dslr.

    as for the public thing--it's really a tough one to get over. i think you just need to tell yourself that you don't care what the people walking by think, and after a while you start to believe yourself. i haven't fully conquered this yet but i do go to the park near my apartment and often times people walk by and see me and smile and just keep going. it's nyc so there are many crazier things to be seen on any given day than me taking a photo of myself :)

    one of my goals it to take a selfie of myself somewhere in the city where it is much more crowded, with people all around me. i'm not there yet, but hopefully this year.

    thanks so much for linking up at {in the picture} this month!

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  19. What a delightful series of selfies, Catherine! My first thought was how on earth did you shoot BOTH your hands... but then I haven't tried a tripod with a remote... The believe-in-fairies is adorable. I haven't taken that many selfies yet, let along in public, but I tend to agree with Susan that others don't really care. Consider: If I saw someone doing it, I might raise an eyebrow in curiousity, but the flash through my brain should hardly concern them. But even if someone was a total meanie and had evil thoughts, well, hmmm... so what? I suspect the more we do it, the more at ease we become with it. I can't try arms-length until I get a smaller camera. :-)

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  20. Catherine - all of your selfies made me smile. I love how you incorporated the words in your shots.
    I'm using my iPhone for my project, so the arms length thing is much easier to manage. I don't take too many pictures in public - I need to work on that too!

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  21. Francisca, I don't have a remote but I put it on the tripod and pushed the button with my chin. :D

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  22. I do not have a remote as well. Must of the time I put something like a chair or stick (or whatever) in a place where I want me to be in the picture, I focus on this subject, set my camera on self-release with 20 sec. delay. Next I remove the chair or stick (or whatever) from the view and start posing :)
    ... and I do not take pictures in public. Most of the time it all happens in my home or somewhere near by where there are no people at all. If I do it in public it's very quick shot and almost all the time it's from my arm-lenght.

    Anyway, I love your first shot. Very funny and creative!

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  23. What gorgeous face! :) Aww, congrats on getting a tripod and have fun with it.

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  24. oh this is too much fun! You're wickedly fun. I do believe in fairies! ...haha, I do get shy away while people are looking.. And let me tell you, a cordless remote is the best thing...and cheap! :D

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