Another entry in the MPA iPhoneography StoryLines series

Conflict was the winning image in the 2011 MPA Self-Portrait Category.

Conflict is such a personal image, it’s like a window into my truth. It tells the story about my internal conflict of feeling sexy and vibrant yet also feeling the need to hide those feelings from the world, it tells the story of my vulnerability and insecurity.

I was inspired to take this picture after getting a really great haircut that made me feel energized and beautiful.  My friend had been encouraging me to take a new photo of myself, and this worked out to be the right time to take one. The image was shot while I was lying in my bed at the end of the busy day; the house was quiet and my children were asleep in their beds. It was time just for me.

I took my picture to witness my own transformation, and to express my energy and emotions of that moment, and I think because I planned to share the image it added feelings of vulnerability.  Self-portraits, for me, are often very difficult to share, there is a fair amount of courage that I need to drum up before I can do so. The same goes for this article! When I post a selfie at least I can cling to the idea that perhaps the viewer won’t recognize all my vulnerabilities, with this article I’m just laying it out on the table for you.

I feel compelled to make images– to reflect the truth that resonates within me, the truths that I find in the world around me and within myself. Expressing myself this way has become a necessary part of my life; it makes me feel whole and balanced. Making images brings me joy and fills my life in a way I would have never expected that it could.

My images are based on feelings – I take a photo when something I see resonates with me.  I know when my composition, light, lines, color, mood etc. is right only because it feels right.

Mobile photography is the only reason that I was able to become a photographer at this point in my life. I’m a divorced mom of three girls and manage an incredibly busy life; making time for art wasn’t an option. My camera phone opened up a whole world of options because it didn’t require a sacrifice in time or money. It has allowed me to interact with and see my world in a different way, and I’m so grateful. Mobile photography has truly changed my life.

My images are based on feelings – I take a photo when something I see resonates with me.  I know when my composition, light, lines, color, mood etc. is right only because it feels right. When taking photos I work from a deeper place that doesn’t allow for much technical thinking. When apping, the process is a bit different, there is more thought process about how to best achieve the feel of “doneness” for that photo, but at the end, it’s still all about the feeling that it’s right, that the image is as it should be – that it reflects truth.