My First Self Portrait Photoshoot

Hello friends!

I sit here with my salt rock lamp glowing from the candle light and a big plate of pasta in front of me. I felt inspired to write because dinner time is a nice time to socialise and share the events of the day. So I thought I would welcome you to dinner with me, and invite you to share some moments from your day in the comments.

Today I spent most of the time preparing for a self-portrait photo project. I brainstormed some themes close to my heart, journaled about my personal experience, and explored ways to communicate my inner world through visual poetry. For years now, I have been drawn to self-portrait photography, before I even knew the name for it. And today was the first time I tried it out. It was love! I had so much fun despite me freezing in my dress. Snow everywhere and icicle falling from the sky into my tea. It was all perfect and part of the magical experience of photographing in nature. You become one with it somehow. It's an amazing experience. A put together little video blog that you can watch at the end.

I've always been drawn to the human connection to the much bigger natural world. More so from an environmental conservation perspective. I also believe that nature aids our emotional wellbeing. Being back to my roots and living close to nature helps me feel emotionally safe again. I don't have any outside influence, just me, the wind, the silence. It's the safest I have felt in a long time.

I understand now that I accept myself as I am. I think I struggle sometimes when I surround myself with people who don't accept themselves, because they project their insecurities onto me, and then I start to doubt myself. I think it's all very subconscious on both parts. I have learned these past years that being self-aware really helps me to understand what is my energy and what is someone else's energy. If I am not self-aware, I risk taking on too much of other people's energy, and that leaves me feeling disconnected from myself. If it goes too far, my emotional wellbeing suffers, and then my physical wellbeing suffers. But being here alone in nature, on this island doesn't affect me in that way. I feel more connected to myself than I have in years. Some people might think I'm running away from the world and my problems, but that is not what I'm doing. I'm reconnecting with myself again. I have made the conscious choice to not run away but to move toward myself again. Back to my heart. Back to myself. Through that I hope to foster healthier relationships with people. Because deep down, I really love people.

So on this photoshoot, I wanted to capture this moment in my life where I am reconnecting to my heart and soul. My emotions and my purpose. My roots, the earth. I desire to live more in tune with nature and let go of the expectations of others. That's why I chose to come to this part of the world.

I understand why artists never feel like their work is finished. After I was done taking pictures, I met a lovely older man called Ulf who lives on the island. I also met his daughter's dog, Ego. I chatted with them for a little bit and introduced myself. He had a very strong island dialect. It's a dialect you don't here very often. Because I am close to Norway, the dialect has a lot of Norwegian influence. I think it's one of the most beautiful dialects.

Here are some more pictures from today's adventure. It was a really special day.

Here's a little video to capture the highlights from today. A full length vlog from the day is coming later this week. Hopefully tomorrow!

The hours outside in the snow felt like minutes and I barely felt the cold because I was so excited. As a first attempt at self-portrait photography, I was really happy with result. I will definitely try more in the future and work to improve my photography. I noticed the quality is not so crisp. Any ideas why that might have happened? I shot with my Nikon D850 on raw and manual. I used my 50mm lens.

I'll say goodnight now, enjoy the rest of your day.

Puss och kram ꨄ