CHICAGO WEDDING & FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY

Tag: chicago self portrait artist

  • Self portrait inspiration Chicago | Conversations with the sun

    Self portrait inspiration Chicago | Conversations with the sun

    This is the recipe of life

    said my mother

    as she held me in her arms as I wept

    think of those flowers you plant

    in the garden each year

    they will teach you

    that people too

    must wilt

    fall

    root

    rise

    in order to bloom

    r u p i k a u r

    Today I have some self portrait inspiration chicago, I bought myself some sunflowers recently. It’s one of my favorite flowers mainly because of the big connection to the sun and how they are so in love with the sun. Yes I know all flowers technically need the sun, ha. But it seems to me like sunflowers are this special letter from the sun to us. They bathe in it, live for the sun. Then in a short amount of time die. They are flowers that make a statement. Even if you buy a bunch of them, every single sunflower has their own personality it seems. They remind me of Mexican Art. They remind me of resilience. I think of fire and power when I see that flower. All other flowers, especially in my favorite group are dainy, soft and beautiful but this flower is different. Yes, you can’t deny its beauty, but the thing I love most of all is their grandeur. It’s a helluva flower.

    Self Portrait inspiration in Chicago

    I started this self portrait series with the intent to focus on my hair. & how i’ve outgrown the hate for it finally at 31. Perhaps hate is a strong word but I felt it in waves towards my hair. I guess somehow the wilted sunflowers on my coffee table became the star of this series. And I don’t mind that at all. My hair can have it’s shinning moment another time.

    I’m currently relearning and unlearning things I couldn’t even imagine I’d be in the middle of at 31. I stupidly had this notion when I was younger exhausted by life that by 30, I would be Ok. And it’s not that I’m not Ok, but it seems that the thing that I greatly tried to avoid. The very thing I didn’t want. I became. & now I am so grateful for that. For the way it made me come to acceptance. Im in the middle of healing, but more importantly in the middle of living.

    You see when you aren’t your most authentic self, you keep pushing forward regardless of the pain to the next milestone. You think to yourself, perhaps when I have kids I’ll feel better. Perhaps when I get married it will be Ok. Or when I am wiser and older, I will finally get relief. But relief never comes because it doesn’t really exist. The tension we hold. That’s just how it feels when you’re constantly running. God knows I’m an expert at running, I could run forever if they’d let me. Pushing everything far far away from the front of my mind. I finally had this little rip in my heart, it brought me to my knees and it caused me to make all of the life changes I am currently living. My heart caught up with my mind I guess. So I am buying myself sunflowers because I am learning the difference between being alone and loneliness.

    self portrait inspiration chicago

    COME SAY HELLO ON INSTAGRAM

    movement in self portrait inspiration in chicago

    loml

  • Chicago Self Portrait Artist | Tips for Movement in Photos

    Chicago Self Portrait Artist | Tips for Movement in Photos

    Hey guys! Today I am sharing some images from this spring. I took a little time to work as a Chicago self portrait artist, photographing myself and my kiddos enjoying one of our favorite things: our little outdoor swing. My son suggested the swing, and since then, I’ve added a rebozo swing as well.

    What I wanted to achieve in these images was intentional movement. Fluidity doesn’t always come naturally in self-portraits because you are busy setting up the shot. Sometimes, anticipating the movement makes it feel forced. I knew I had to encourage the fun to keep us from looking stiff. If you’ve seen my recent Oak Park birth photography post, you know how much I value documenting raw, unposed energy.

    A child and an adult walk along a pathway beside a house, surrounded by greenery and blooming trees.

    Capturing Movement as a Chicago Self Portrait Artist

    If you want more movement and fluidity in your own images, here are my top three tips:

    1. Pick an easy and fun activity. Jump in there with the kids! If you use a timer like I do, you only have 10 seconds to set up the shot. While a remote might be easier, I always seem to lose them. Try doing the movement once or twice before you press the shutter to get into the flow. This creates a much more documentary lifestyle feel.
    2. Say no to a shallow depth of field. Focus is much easier to maintain with movement at f/5.6 or even f/11. Seriously, try it! This allows you to capture yourself and your environment completely without losing sharpness. As a Chicago self portrait artist, I find that the environment tells just as much of the story as the subject.
    3. Let go of perfection. This is my number one tip. When you are learning, your “failures” are actually your best teachers. If your mistakes push you to create more, it means being in your photographs is truly important to you. Don’t worry about every hair being in place; focus on the feeling.
    A mother and her two children are enjoying time together on a swing in a garden setting. The mother is smiling down at her two kids, a boy sitting on the swing with no shirt and a girl in a black dress with white flowers. The scene is lively, capturing a moment of joy and family bonding.
    Three children enjoying a fun moment outside, with one girl in a polka dot dress and two others playing under a flowering tree near a house.
    A boy standing outdoors with no shirt, wearing blue jeans, and facing slightly sideways with a calm expression. In the background, there are green plants and a house.
    A young girl in a polka dot dress laughing and playing on a sidewalk, surrounded by fallen petals, while a boy swings nearby. Chicago self portrait artist
    A woman playfully interacts with a shirtless boy swinging from a tree adorned with red fabric, set against a backdrop of a house with flowers blooming in the tree. Chicago self portrait artist
    A young woman in a pink dress is sitting on the ground beside a young boy in a blue shirt and jeans, who is swinging on a rope swing attached to a tree. They are outdoors, with a house and flowering tree in the background. Chicago self portrait artist