A Self-portrait Challenge To Show My Face More In My Photography
It was earlier this year, and I was scrolling through my pictures for one where I showed my face. I wanted to update the one I had on the start page here on my website, because I had a snowy one and it was already spring.
I scrolled and looked in folders. Eventually I had to conclude that no, I had barely taken any the past months, and the ones I had I was already using in some other part of the website.
It gave me pause. When had I stopped taking photos where I showed my face? I had used to do it without any hesitation. What had happened?
How Instagram’s algorithm influenced my photography
I’ve been on Instagram for four and a half years now. About two years ago, my photos started getting a bit more attention, reaching more people through hashtags and explore. I was happy about that of course, to connect with lovely people and see more interaction. But it had a side effect I hadn’t anticipated.
At first, the effect was very subtle. It could just as well have been that the photos themselves weren’t interesting enough. But over time it became clearer and clearer: photos where I showed my face did less well.
I’m quite sure a big part of the reason for this was that many of the people who have followed me over the past two years came through the slow living hashtags. Those types of photos are often faceless, so that’s the photos people tend to like. Perhaps the algorithm knows this as well and strengthens the effect.
It made me post fewer photos of my face. Part of it was that my photo style was changing, being influenced by other slow living photos. I captured cups of tea, books, my cats and of myself facing away from the camera instead. But as time passed, I grew hesitant to post photos of my face as well. I knew it was going to be a photo that did poorly on Instagram, and it didn’t feel good. So I did it less and less.
The power of self-portraits
Regardless of what works well in the slow living hashtags on Instagram, I believe there’s a specific power and strength in self-portraits. They are a way for us to show the world who we are, through our own eyes. Yes, they are curated, but through them we can show up as our authentic selves.
This is also the reason why it didn’t feel good when those photos of my face did poorly. I generally have a quite healthy distance between my creative work and my self-worth, but this got under my skin. When I had to turn my face away for a photo to do well, it was a bit too close to the conclusion that I just wasn’t pretty enough for Instagram. Or that the vast majority of people weren’t following me because they were interested in me and what I had to say, but simply to add some pretty photos to their feed. Perhaps that last one is true, but it was disheartening all the same.
When I sat there earlier this year looking for a photo of myself, I looked over the photos I had posted on Instagram and realised just how faceless it had become. And I knew that it wasn’t what I wanted. I’ve always enjoyed taking self-portraits, I want to show who I am and I like when others others share photos of themselves as well. In short, I was ready to make a change.
Challenging myself to show my face
I decided to give myself a challenge to take more self-portraits. I didn’t set any specific rules, just to devote time to taking photos of myself and to try to take ones that showed a bit of who I am. To put some energy into them and tell a story.
Ironically, the increase in reach and engagement I had enjoyed had already been dwindling since the beginning of 2020. In a way that became an opportunity to post what I wanted - my photos were all doing poorly anyway compared to how they had done a couple of months earlier. And so I went ahead.
I took photos of myself with plants and in the forest. Writing and at my kitchen table. Sometimes it felt a bit uncomfortable, but mostly it’s been fun. Having photos of myself that I like and that feels like me is empowering. And I hope that by posting more self-portraits on Instagram, they’ll be more expected by followers and algorithm alike.
My tips if you want to take self-portraits as well
Taking photos of yourself can be a fun and creative, and doesn’t have to make you feel self-conscious and awkward. I use a tripod and now have a camera that connects to an app where I can control it and see how it looks. I always take my photos myself and enjoy it.
Here are my tips for taking self-portraits and enjoying both the process and the results.
Let each photo tell a story about who you are
Don’t just take a photo of yourself standing or sitting somewhere, take it of you doing or holding something that is meaningful to you. What do you enjoy doing? When do you feel most like yourself? Can you capture yourself doing that, or take a photo representing it?
Take photos when you’re in a good mood and feel good about yourself
If you’re already feeling self-conscious or are in a low mood, take your self-portraits another day. You’ll enjoy it much more when you start from a happy mindset, and your good mood will show in the photos as well.
Take many photos and move around to make it more natural
Don’t expect to take a great photo right away. Allow yourself to take many photos and have fun with it. Be silly if that feels good, move a little and take photos in quick succession to make them more natural. If you want to smile in the photo, think of something that actually makes you smile.
Have fun and don’t take the reactions and results so seriously
Self-portraits shouldn’t be a painful experience, but something fun and empowering. If you feel anxious about it, try to just have fun with it, and don’t put too much weight on the outcome. Approach it from a sense of self-love rather than judgement.
I’m going to keep taking and sharing self-portraits, regardless of what the Instagram algorithm says. Because I always want my creative work to feel honest and true, and hiding my face just isn’t that anymore.
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