January Self Portrait | Personal

While a general (smart phone, at that) 365 project is enough of a challenge for me, there are people out there taking 365 self portraits this year. Talk about a huge challenge. I greatly admire their dedication and creativity to take and edit a picture of the same subject every single day.  I have really been inspired by a lot of the self portrait projects I have seen the past few years... some I have seen have absolutely blown me away. I know that taking self portraits is one of the first things artists attempt to help them practice creativity. It is usually the first step or assignment in any workshop, class, or project. So here's my confession: I hardly ever take self-portraits anymore. I used to take them... until myspace got popular and I simply got weirded out with people thinking I stood around in my bathroom all day taking pictures of myself. (Where else is there a large mirror at my disposal?) Although I do remember being particularly proud of this little gem back in 2005:

Oh yeah. I took that baby with my little Nikon Coolpix I got for my birthday that year! (See? I was once a Nikon girl!) And in the WalMart parking lot, no less. Ahhh... we all start somewhere. :)

Anyway, so all that to say... Welcome to my new 12 month project. One of my items on my 101 in 1001 list is to complete 12 consecutive months of a monthly photo project and since I'm a bit of a perfectionist, I prefer to start most projects at the beginning of the year. I'll be taking 12 self portraits this year and posting one at the end of each month. I hope to be able to stretch my creative wings and try a few new things with this project... we'll see how it goes!

January 2011 | texture

Liz Cook

Liz Cook is a wedding, birth, and motherhood photographer based in Central Virginia. Her intuition and creative perspective allow her to connect both professionally and personally with her subjects, and thus, her portfolio is saturated with authentic emotion. Whether she's sharing her story with fellow entrepreneurs or enjoying quality time with her husband and two daughters, Liz is both present and passionate about capturing and celebrating life. Her work has been featured by O "Oprah" Magazine, The Huffington Post, The Glitter Guide, Essence Magazine, domino, Rue Magazine, among others.