Transcripts
1. What is this class about?: [MUSIC] Thirty days of self portraits as a means for self-discovery, that's what this class is about. It aims to boost your creativity and you'll learn new angles to look at yourself while learning a lot about photography. Even if you are allergic to selfies or you feel uncomfortable capturing yourself, this class may still be for you. We will surpass the selfie. You will use yourself as a subject to express ideas and we'll be making pure portraits. There will be 30 prompts to get you going and you can do the class in a month, spread it out over a longer period, or go faster. It all depends on your pace. In 2008, I participated in a year-long challenge on Flickr, where I posted a daily self portrait alongside hundreds of others. I learned so much from this experience. I ran into trouble, I didn't like what I saw in the picture, I didn't have any ideas. But the big takeaway from this, I discovered I was allowed to be in front of the camera, I didn't have to hide behind it anymore. I experienced a huge breakthrough in my creative expressiveness and I learned to look at myself as a whole being instead of a collection of imperfect details. Do you feel like exploring this too? Come join me in this personal and creative adventure. [MUSIC]
2. Class materials: [MUSIC] Like for all of my classes, you don't need anything special for this one. Just your smartphone or a camera, a tripod, or a stack of books. Sometimes it can be helpful to have an extra person helping, get to know yourself timer, and you'll need a mirror. For some assignments, there are some other materials needed, but I'm certain you have those lying around your house somewhere. For some of the lessons, photo editing software comes in handy. Most of the assignments can be done without any extras though. [MUSIC]
3. What is a self portrait?: [MUSIC] What is a self-portrait? Let's define this for the purpose of this class. Anything we create or do is, in fact, an expression of who we are, so could be called a self-portrait. But for this class, I ask you to capture at least one body part in every image. At least have an eye or a hand or toe or rib show up in all your images. After playing in the safe manner, you work towards showing the whole you, or as much as you feel comfortable, and you will investigate how it feels to emerge. If you like showing your face, you may, of course, go faster. [MUSIC]
4. How it works: [MUSIC] The class project will be the basis of this class, where you will keep returning. You will update it frequently with your newest portraits. Does it scare you? I get it. It can be daunting at first, but please do share your photos, even if it's only a tight crop or perhaps just a written account of how it went. Sharing and thus becoming visible adds a lot to this journey. By being vulnerable, we can discover a lot about ourselves, and we can inspire others to grow the courage to become visible too. I would love it if you would share part of your journey on Instagram too using the hashtag 30 days creative journey. Also, check out the inner travel journal that I created for you. It contains all the important worksheets, and you can find it under the class project materials. I also started a private Facebook group that you can join as a student. Click on the link in the download called extras. Let's do it. There will be 30 prompts. Pay attention to yourself when you find yourself gravitating towards certain ones or running away from others, especially the ones you're trying to get away from, maybe the ones you need. On the other hand, be gentle with yourself. Don't go too fast. Don't force yourself. Check with yourself and then you'll be fine. Let's go to day one. [MUSIC]
5. Day 1, the body part: Day 1, let's dip a toe into the water. Let's start off easy and only portray one small body part. You may literally portray your toe or maybe your eye like I did in my 365 days challenge. Take at least two pictures of this body part in two different ways. Vary the angle and the crop and play with the focus. Then create a new project for this class under your project and post one or more of your portraits.
6. Extra lesson project creation: [MUSIC] Extra lesson on project creation. There's not one way to do it, but I'll show some examples that work well, and I'll give some pointers about the navigation of the page. At the end of this video, you can find a short demo of how to access your project on your phone in a browser. Unfortunately, I have not yet found out how to do it in the Skillshare app. When you open the class in your browser, you see the large video and below it, you can find info About the Class, the Community, Your Project, and All Projects. click "Your Project", scroll down, click "Create Project," then start adding the project cover image. I recommend refreshing this whenever you upload a new portrait so other students and I will see you on the overview page what you've been creating. I'll show you two different examples that work well as a project page. Charles uses the project title and cover image to list his latest portrait and adds the new ones above the older ones. It means each new day he will have to replace the cover image and upload the older one into the page as a normal image and this is no problem, if you are well organized. This one is by Jeroen, and he refreshes the cover image with his latest portrait, and also adds this image below the previous ones. The benefit of this approach is that you won't have to look for any older images the next day. Highly recommended for disorganized people, but both are good ways to do it. Let me show you a bit more about how this page works, and how to put the text, and images, and videos where you want them to go. In this example, I'm uploading my day 3 and I use the slider to fill the whole space. Then I add the project title and you can add the day and perhaps a title for that image in the text field. I'm making it bold. It also listens to keyboard shortcuts, so Command or Control B, in this case. If you want to add other media like images, video or links, make sure to put your cursor where you want the media to appear. Adding video is fun too. I, for one, love to see some behind the scenes footage of your photo-making. Upload your video to YouTube or Vimeo and copy the share link, paste it here. Press Enter, a voila. When you're watching classes on your phone or tablet, you can also create a project, but you need to get in the desktop view of the page, also view it in the browser and not in the Skillshare app. Scroll all the way down and click "Read More". Then you will see the same page as on your laptop or desktop computer. Good luck organizing your projects. [MUSIC]
7. Day 2, the object: [MUSIC] Day 2, The Object. The things we surround ourselves with speak volumes about us. We have carefully selected them, or received them as gifts, or we find them tasty. When we look at them, a feeling maybe evoked. Use that in your portrait. Pick one object without thinking about it too much. Portray it in such a way that you or part of you will be in the picture as well somehow. Please experiment, be creative, and play with the focal point. Share it under your project and perhaps come visit us in the Facebook group. By the way, if you find yourself being very camera shy, I can recommend taking my class, Courage for the Camera Shy. It is full of playful tips and tricks, and it will help you gain the courage to show up in front of the camera.
8. Extra lesson on lighting: Extra lesson on lighting. I received a few requests on sharing a bit more on lighting. I've decided to combine two lessons from an earlier class, master the light and mood of your head shots, to give you a little push towards making better light for your pictures. You know how I've said that you shouldn't strive for perfection. I don't believe in perfection. I don't believe it exists and we would never know when we have arrived. But we have an idea that it does exist and it usually chokes us up. There's nothing wrong with striving for better images though. If you look at my photos from 10 years ago, the ones that I'm sharing in this class, they're not so good. The lighting is usually not very good. But during that year, I learned a lot and I think I improved my images a lot. If you want better images, make better lighting, Here goes. When there is light, there is shadow, and the shadow is equally important for the result. It shapes your subject, and determines the mood of the surroundings and the whole image. When the light source is far away or small relative to the person or object, the light and the shadows are harsh. Think about sunlight. Yes, the sun is in fact enormous, but it looks small since it's so far away. On a cloudy day, however, it becomes huge and the clouds let the light come in from all directions and the shadows the sun now produces are very soft. The larger the light source, the softer the light, and the smaller the contrast as it envelops the subject. There is a downloadable PDF that summarizes what I've explained in this lesson. You can find it under Your Project. Look at this portrait taken by only window light on an overcast day. Although this lighting is nice and soft on one side, you could see the face is split in half diagonally and it's quite dark on one side. Also, there is hardly any catch light in the eyes. That is the tiny reflection in the eye that makes it pop. The first thing to do is ask the model to turn a tad towards the light and you can see an instant improvement. The face gets a more sculpted look, the features become more clear and a lovely catch light has appeared. When the room is dark like in this example, and not reflecting much light back to the subject's face, the shadow side will be dark and the large contrast feels more dramatic than when the light is reflected back. The second thing we can do is reflect some light back to the face to soften the contrast, modify the shape and thus change the feel of the portrait. Look at how the shape of the face changes and how the mood becomes friendlier and softer as I reflect some light into her face. For a natural lighting effect, it is best to hold the reflector high. You won't get strange lighting effects or creepy shadows. Remember how we used the flashlight on your face when you were at camp. Even the catch light in the eye will be more beautiful than when you hold it low. Here's another tip. Always bring along your reflector. When you want to make a beautiful backlit portrait outdoors, you won't end up with the silhouette. This should already help you make better lighting for your photos. To watch the whole class and get more low tech lighting tips, no expensive gear required at all, just daylight and some household materials. Go to my profile page and find the class or click the link I added right here in the notes, in the video status bar.
9. Day 3, peekaboo : [MUSIC] Day 3, peekaboo. To make a lively portrait, it helps to emerge from behind something else. Somehow the joy of playing peekaboo remains with us as adults, at least I like it. Set up your camera, use a timer or a remote control if you have it, but it can definitely be done with a timer too. Just practice and find out how long five seconds or 10 seconds take and enjoy all the bloopers. Hide and emerge, hide and emerge, repeat until you get tired, and upload the best result and the worst result to your project. I look forward to it.
10. Day 4, the mirror 1: [MUSIC] Day 4, the mirror. There will be three more mirror prompts and the execution will take a little more time on average. If you want to get the most out of it, find a mirror and sit down in front of it to answer the questions in your inner travel journal on day 4, the mirror 1. Press pause before you continue and return after filling in the answers. Now that you've sat down and given the answers, put the mirror in an unusual place like outdoors, the kitchen, on rooftop, or on your floor. Turn your back to the mirror and take a picture of yourself or part of yourself via the mirror. This may take some practice. Share the image in your project and describe your experience. Did you learn anything? [MUSIC]
11. Day 5, the book: Day 5, The Book. Today's inspiration will come from a book. Pick any book you like and open it. Close your eyes and point your finger at the page in the book. The word or image you land on is your prompt, whether it is a juicy noun or a simple. Write it down, relax and wait till an idea pops up. However tiny, some suggestions, just pose with the word next to your face. Write it on the sidewalk with chalk and play a game of hopscotch. Write the word on your skin. Be light and playful, and please share. [MUSIC]
12. Day 6, sculpt Hockney-style: Day 6, Scoped Hockney Style. It is usually not advisable to zoom in on our details. They are meant to be together as a whole and for a reason. Think elbow or back of the knee. Nonetheless, today you will dissect and reconstruct. You've probably heard of artist David Hockney, who made tons of photo collages in the '80s' and after and has been copied many times since. You will too because it is a lot of fun. It will make you look at yourself as material for a sculpture instead of as a person that needs to be done justice with a portrait. We can put our ego to bed in this assignment. The images can be shot in several ways and this is where the second person comes in handy. If you want to do this by yourself, you can make a bunch of close-ups one by one, holding your phone or camera or make a burst. On iPhone, you do this by keeping one of the two volume buttons pressed and move the phone like a scanner. If you don't know like me how to do it on another type of phone, please do a web search for taking continuous burst shots. After shooting yourself, load the burst or a selection to a photo editing program that allows for layers. If you are completely new to working with photo editing software, you could make an old school paper collage, or use the free online tool called Canva. Try it out, It's very intuitive. Put each photo in a separate layer and then the collage making can begin. I think it works best to have a variety of angles of the face. Remember, your goal is not to create perfect results. It is to experiment, discover, and to have an enjoyable experience. Play with size and order, repeat pieces, chop them up. I look forward to your results. Please share them under your project and on Instagram with the hashtag, 30 days creative journey.
13. Day 7, zoom out: Day 7, zoom out. On Day 6, you zoomed in dissecting and reconstructing your body and today you'll do the opposite. You will zoom out and put yourself in a large space, go outdoors, bring a tripod or something that can serve as one like a friend. find an open space, make a composition, and choose a spot where you will be in the picture. Play with this and make at least two different compositions this way and share.
14. Check in: Check-in. You're well on your way on this creative journey, and I'm really curious to know how you're doing. Perhaps you've watched all the lessons before you started. Maybe you've done one each day, maybe all seven in one day, please let me know in the Community how you're doing. Do you have any questions? Would you like to share anything on your process? Is it getting easier being in front of the camera or more difficult? How about your creative juices? Are they flowing freely? Do they need more squeezing? It's all good and I'd really love to know where you're at now.
15. Day 8, motion blur: [MUSIC] Day 8, motion blur. Today you'll be playing with motion blur. It can be used to emphasize an action and you can make part of the image stand out. Motion blur can be created in any of the three ways. One, by keeping the camera still and moving the subject you, this approach asks for a long exposure time and may be difficult to recreate on your phone. Two, by moving the camera and keeping the subject still. This will create a fully blurred image. Three, by moving both camera and subject, this will result in an image where if you move subject and camera at the same speed, it will create a sharp render of the subject and the blurry background. Experiment with as many of these approaches as you like and use yourself or part of yourself to tell a visual story. Why are you moving? Is there a dance? Are you jumping, falling, waving? Pick an environment that adds to the story. [MUSIC]
16. Day, 9 upside down: [MUSIC] Day 9, upside down. If you've never done this before, be prepared for a little shock or maybe a big one. When I took this image, I was quite surprised to see my whole face displaced. People commented that I looked like Christopher Walken. Now, isn't that a complement? If you're ready to start taking yourself a bit less seriously, let's do this. It's simple. Just take a photo of yourself hanging upside down. Make sure there's some light in your face and no cheating. Don't just turn the photo upside down. I want to see those faces hanging. [MUSIC]
17. Day 10, dressing up: Day 10, dressing up. Dressing up can not only be fun to do, but it can also be powerful and have a large effect on how you feel. Put on a wig and you become someone else. Wear a suit instead of casual clothing, and you grow an inch. I ask you to put on something you normally don't wear. If you normally wear black, try and dress up very, very colorful or the other way around and if you dress casually, try putting on some very serious dinner attire. You don't have to go as far as I did here but try and stretch the limits. Look in the mirror and move in front of it, wearing your new outfit. How does it feel? What has changed? Write it down for yourself in your journal and share one or two of your photos in your project and on Instagram.
18. Day 11, the mirror 2: [MUSIC] Day 11, the mirror 2. This is the second mirror day. Today you'll be facing it instead of turning your back towards it. Find a mirror and sit down to answer the questions in your inner travel journal, day 11, the mirror 2. Answer the questions from the heart and no thinking. Now press pause and return when you're done. Make a similar portrait of the one you did on day 4. With this difference, you look into the lens via the mirror. Don't look at yourself in the mirror, but look into the lens and then press. After this, look at the results and write down in your journal how this was for you. Was it easier to look into the lens via the mirror than directly, or was there no difference? Share it in your project. I'm really curious to hear about your experience. [MUSIC]
19. Day 12, shadow story: Day 12, shadow story. Using shadows is an interesting way to tell a story, especially when you combine the real you with a shadow or the shadow you with something real. Experiment with both ideas and try and come up with more ideas. Hold something in your hand, play with the angle. For instance, show the shadow projection of an arm on a wall without showing what is actually in the hand. If you can use sunlight, the shadows will be nice and sharp, but softer shadows can be interesting too. Be creative with angles, sizes, distances, and please share. [MUSIC]
20. Day 13, the record cover: [MUSIC] Day 13, the record cover. This is so much fun to do. Find a record in your own collection or that of one of your parents or friends, with a face on it. Hold it in front of you in a way that it matches with your body, this takes some practice. Dress up accordingly, and perhaps interact with the image on the album. If you can't find an album cover to your liking, you can use a magazine or even a painting. Play around and experiment as much as you can. Share your results in the project and on Instagram with a well-known hashtag; '30 days creative journey.' [MUSIC]
21. Day 14, food play: [MUSIC] Day 14. Play with your food. As a child, I was not allowed to play with my food, and I'm happy I'm an adult now and I can play as much as I can. I think as long as I don't throw it out, there's nothing wrong with it. Food is fun, it is beautiful and often colorful and sometimes messy so play. Put that chocolate spread on your face, hide behind your veggies, attack that vicious eggplant, make a clown's nose, wear onion glasses, make jewelry, and if you don't feel comfortable using food, why not take a bite of something else? Yes, that is real soup. [MUSIC]
22. Check in 2 : [MUSIC] Check, 14 days already. Some of you may have already taken 14 portraits and some have taken none or two. It's all good. I'm really curious about your photographic endeavors. Have you noticed that by simply playing with the exercises and figuring out your photographic technique, it's becoming more easy to be in front of the camera? Or is it becoming more difficult? That's also possible. When I did the self portrait challenge, I found things shifting on several levels. I was slowly losing my camera shyness because I wasn't as focused on me anymore. I was simply taking fun images that happen to have me in them. How is this for you? Can you enjoy your craziness, your beauty, your playfulness, or are you judging? Let me know in the community below this class how this is going for you. Do you need anything from me? Can I give you some assistance? Do you need any technical advice? Let me know and I see what I can do for you. I'm here to help and I'll respond as fast as I can when I'm online that may be really fast. If I'm out shooting portraits, it may take a bit longer, but you'll always hear from me [MUSIC].
23. Day 15, under cover: [MUSIC] Day 15, undercover. Today, let's go undercover. Use three different types of fabric or plastic, vary the thickness and the translucency, like use a thick blanket or lace curtain, and describe in your project how it feels. What is the difference when you use a blanket or something very transparent? Make at least three different portraits using different materials, and please share and describe your experience. [MUSIC]
24. Day 16, wet and pure: [MUSIC] Day 16, wet and pure. I don't know what it is about being wet from water, but I'm fascinated by it. It can make us look so different and make us look very vulnerable or the opposite. May be we are very strong. [LAUGHTER] Maybe I didn't practice this well enough because I lost my text. Today, you'll be taking a photo of yourself dripping wet with water. I'm going to read what I was actually going to say to you. I'll be right back. You know what? I'll just keep my notes here. When we look wet, we look a little bit like a child who is not aware of what it looks like. Our make-up maybe running, or our hair is not very nice anymore, and we become more playful, more pure. Today I'd like you to explore this and to go somewhere in the shower or outdoors where you can have someone throw water on you or just have a shower running, put your camera maybe on time-lapse. Don't forget to take an image of the before state when you are still nicely clothed and your makeup, if you were worried was still in place. Try not to influence your face or expression. Just be pure. I'm always in the shower in front of the camera. Or you could later express what it does to you and makes you maybe playful, or funny, or joyful. Make sure to have enough light and have someone present with a bucket of warm water so you can stay wet while you're taking your photos. You understand I want to see your results, share them under your project and on Instagram, I'll see you after I've washed my dress. Bye.
25. Day 17, bird's eye view: Day 17, bird's eye view. Get out your broom, have someone climb a tree or a rooftop. Get out your drone. Today we're going to take a bird's eye view portrait. When we shoot people from above, it can have an alienating effect. We don't often see ourselves from a distance, let alone from above. In this lesson, you'll explore this angle. You can make a simple, pure portrait, a stylized one, or even a flatly array, perhaps surrounded by your favorite stuff. In the German children's program, the they made a very funny sport series, Soccer while lying down seen from above and posting a link in the PDF document called and in the class notes, you find those in the Video Status bar. I'd like you to play and experiment with this interesting viewpoint of yourself. Try out different poses, ask someone or your pet to join you, use props. Perhaps make a time-lapse for extra enjoyment. Let's see those attempts and results.
26. Day 18, the mirror 3: [MUSIC] Day 18, the Mirror 3. On this third mirror day, you have three things to do. One, you try to catch the real you. Two, you use the mirror as the frame for your head. Not as wide as I'm doing here but just the head and maybe the shoulders. Three, you make a good composition. Put the mirror somewhere interesting or simply nice so your face will be surrounded by beauty or chaos, or emptiness or anything you like. Choose an environment that suits your present mood. Try to keep the camera out of the frame, so it will just be you there, look into the lens via the mirror. The best way to bring out the real you is to show some energy in your eyes so you won't just catch the surface. A good way to do it is to look away, breath in, and as you breathe out, you come back to the lens. Don't pout, don't puff. Just sigh. The timing may take some practice, but you can ask someone else to help or just do it again and again until you succeed. Oftentimes the failures are better than the perfect ones, so don't bother, it's no problem if you don't do exactly as I tell you. Just do it, follow the process, and show the results [MUSIC].
27. Day 19, the object, a series: Day 19, the object, a series. You're going to pick an object that speaks to you and that allows for different interpretations when used differently. In my 365 days challenge, I was often looking for ideas, then I remembered these small traffic cones that I used for motorcycle practice. There was an abundance of possibilities and I discovered many aspects of myself like chicken Statue of Liberty, fashion icon, norm, while playing with the cones and expressing silly ideas. Now it's your turn. Find an object that inspires you to discover the borders of your creativity. You'll find out there are no borders. You will soon find that something simple has more possibilities and something complex. Make three completely different images with your object. Horse around, be crazy, go wild and also be still, discover, experiment and share. [MUSIC]
28. Day 20, together: Day 20 together. So far, most of you will have done the exercises by yourselves, maybe sometimes with the help of a friend. Today you may invite that friend or many friends or animals into your portrait. This will create new possibilities and also new difficulties with regards to focus and lighting, for instance, but also you'll have to deal with composition and perhaps the other person's awkwardness and camera shyness. Your prompt, make a portrait in which you interact with someone else. By being in the image together, a different story can be told, a new meaning arises. You can apply some of the techniques and ideas from previous prompts, like motion blur, shadows, using an object, etc. Just play, experiment, and check which lighting works best for both of you. Let's see what you came up with. [LAUGHTER] [MUSIC]
29. Day 21, half: [MUSIC] Day 21 half. Today you'll cut yourself in two pieces and tell an ambiguous story. You may choose which type of meaning you want to express. Use day, night, male, female, inside, outside, going out, staying indoors, anything goes. There are a few ways you can approach this. Dress yourself up in two halves and take one image. You can make a seamless edit or cut yourself in two halves and simply stick the halves together visibly. If you are good with Photoshop or want to learn by doing, a project like this with a seamless edit could be interesting. Maybe you cut yourself horizontally or diagonally, or maybe you have a totally different idea. I look forward to seeing your ambiguous portraits. [MUSIC]
30. Checkin 3: Check-in, you are now 21 days on your creative journey. I would love to know how you're doing. Many of you are already sharing your projects. If you haven't already, please do so or share just a little story in the community. Also, I'd love to know what it's like for you to spend so much time in front of a camera. Is it getting better? Is it getting more difficult? Did you learn anything new about photography, about yourself? Please let me know. So far, most of the prompts allowed you to look at yourself in an indirect manner, but from now on, it will become more and more personal. I hope you look forward to it as much as I do. [MUSIC]
31. Day 22, bodyscape: [MUSIC] Day 22, bodyscape. Today you will use your body to create an abstract body portrait. You can use a large part of your body like so, or make a close-up image of a small part of your body, like your hands. Don't just point and shoot, but put some extra care into this. Have some light coming from the front, but also from behind, to give it a more sculpted look. A simple desk lamp or a piece of reflective material like aluminum foil, will work just fine. Experiment until you get a result that you like. It's okay to use props or draw on your skin, but it's not necessary to create an interesting image. Let's see the results. [MUSIC]
32. Day 23, a well lit portrait: [MUSIC] Day 23, a well-lit portrait. In this class, you've been playing and experimenting with many aspects of photography while capturing yourself. In the prompts, the focus has been mainly on boosting your creativity and getting to feel more free in front of the camera. All this helped to learn more about your camera and photography in general. Today, you're going to give extra care to the lighting of your portrait. You're going to take a portrait in front of a non-distracting background and not too close to a wall. Make a few versions with the light coming in from slightly different angles. You can achieve this by simply turning your head a little bit without having to change the setup all the time. If you haven't watched it already, please watch the extra lesson on lighting that I added after Day 2. There are many possibilities and many setups that work well, all with different moods as a result. It is up to you to find out which works best for your portrait. As always, experiment. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and be open to happy accidents and surprise yourself. Also, please share your setup with a little sketch or in a few words so other students can learn from you and me too. [MUSIC]
33. Day 24, your favourite space: [MUSIC] Day 24, you and your favorite space. The environment can have a large effect on how we feel. Some people prefer large spaces, some small, some very lively, some very quiet. Which space makes you feel good? Go there and spend some time before you start shooting. Then find a nice way to portray yourself. Try not to act. Just let it happen. Please share.
34. Day 25, the mirror 4: [MUSIC] Day 25, the mirror 4. This is your final mirror prompt. Today, the prompt will come from within. Sit in front of the mirror and look at yourself. Look at the whole you. Don't scan the details, just see the whole person that is reflected back at you. Look at you and see the whole package: the dreams, the experience, the good feelings, the sadness, the potential. Now portray the person that you see. You could do this exercise by making a video or a time-lapse so you can catch many different moments. Of course, you can also do this by taking separate pictures. Please upload one or two of your portraits and a short account of your experience. [MUSIC]
35. Day 26, the timer: [MUSIC] Day 26, the timer. In the morning set a timer for some moment in the day. When it goes off do this; jump up and down a few times, sit down, take a few breaths, feel your body, and take a photo of yourself without trying to influence your expression. You can do this a few times. If you feel embarrassed because you happen to be on a crowded terrace or in a packed train and people look at you funny, just blame it on me. Tell your ego to have a little break and that you will apologize to it later. You'll feel so proud of yourself. Describe how this went and share the results, please. [MUSIC]
36. Day 27, come alive: Day 27, come alive. It's all about following our passion and listening to our hearts these days. But it's quite difficult to know what that really is. A few years ago, I read this quote by Howard Thurman and it touched me very much, what makes you come alive? Don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. Do you know what makes you come alive? Do you know what makes you take, what makes your heart pound faster? What makes you glow? Sit down for a few minutes or as long as it takes, and write it down in your inner travel journal. Then portray yourself in a situation, in an activity with a person or an animal that makes you come alive. You can also evoke this feeling by visualizing or imagining that it is here at present. No acting please, but let it come naturally. I look forward to seeing your results.
37. Day 28, the embarrassment: [MUSIC] Day 28, the embarrassment. When we post photos online, we often try to show the beautiful moments and perhaps even a bit more beautiful than it really was. We don't like showing the uglier moments. But whenever someone does, we cheer that person for their courage and we really can relate. Moments like these can be very funny and help us see things in a less serious light. In myself portrait challenge, I made a series called Inconveniences of a lady, and it got me a lot of response. I recreated some moments that actually happened to me in my life. I would like you to think of an embarrassing moment and then recreate it for your portrait. I can't wait to cheer you.
38. Day 29, a cause: [MUSIC] Day 29, a cause. Today you may ask attention for something you care about. It can be something in society or your own product or brand. It can be anything at all, as long as you think it's important. During my year of making daily self-portraits, I focused more and more on vegetarianism and the meat industry. That's when I made the series with the veggies, and this one, which was scary and powerful to do. Pick a topic and make your point. Please share here and on Instagram and also write a little story that will be Google friendly and you may actually grab more people's attention. Enjoy. [MUSIC]
39. Day 30, your own rules: [MUSIC] Day 30, your own rules. The last portrait, can you believe it? Like I said, these last 10 portraits would be more personal than the first 20. Today I'm going to set you free. You may decide how you want to portray yourself, and the only thing I ask you is that you look into the camera. If this is too much freedom, you may recycle an earlier prompt, or you can set some own rules. You could tell yourself that the image has to be square. You have to lie down or jump up and down. The color red has to be in it or cannot be in it. It doesn't matter, as long as you set some rules and you make the room a little bit smaller. Your creativity will be prompted by restrictions and not by complete freedom. Now you may practice boosting your creativity and in future, when you are at a loss, when you are drowning in possibilities or have no clue, you can remember this day and this portrait that you are about to take. Enjoy and please share. [MUSIC]
40. Checkin & out: Check-in and out. I can't believe this class is almost over. It was so wonderful to guide you and to see what many of you did with the prompts, and to read all your questions, and suggestions, and ideas. We went from superficial and simple exercises to more personal ones. We touched on several photographic techniques and learn them by doing. Your creativity was boosted and showing up and sharing was encouraged. I hope you had tremendous fun in getting to know yourself better by simply shooting creative portraits. I would like to ask you to change the cover image for your project to your best one. The one that surprises you most or touches you most, or makes you laugh. If you enjoyed this class, please leave a short review or drop a line in the community. Feel free to keep updating your project with new portraits and ask questions as many as you like. Thank you so much for taking this class and follow me if you want to know when I publish a new one. Bye.
Lucy Lambriex, Creative Confidence & Camera Courage
