Happy Birthday to Me… and 12 months of experience

All during 2013, I did a project with myself…  every month I would take a self portrait, seeing how I change & what ideas I challenge myself to.  This wasn’t an easy feat… stepping outside my comfort zone, trying to be creative & not come up with a boring selfie… and no iphone shots in the bathroom for me! lol.  Sometimes I took the shot myself, but most times I used a “human tripod”, lol… aka a friend to hold my camera and press the button for me (after I made the settings I wanted for the shot)… and of course, I did all my own post processing so I could interpret the image as I wanted.

So, here I share with you… my 12 months of me, Tracy Joy… today, on my birthday <3

JANUARY
It was so chilly out.. I wanted to create something to make me feel warm.  So I used some warm post processing, and made it “glow”.
*thanks to my mama for snapping this one on her balcony*

FEBRUARY
I had some great little strands of pink in my hair, and I wanted to try to make them POP on the white snowy back ground.  This was taken right outside our Palatine Studio.
*my wonderful photog partner Jamie shot this one*

MARCH
I had my hair curly this day.. and actaully put on make up (surprise!)… so I played with a fun angle, and tried to concentrate on my eyes as the key feature for this shot.
*shot myself

APRIL
This is one of my favorites… cuz baby, I WAS IN MEXICO!  Cancun Mx for a friends wedding… and this image was shot on the brides balcony, looking out to the ocean.
*shot by the bride!*

MAY
This one is just me being goofy… as many of you know, I also own & head blog for PROP INSANITY.. so it was fitting that I posed as the “prop queen” lol.
*again, shot by Jamie

JUNE.. .1/2 way done!
This one was a project for me indeed.  I wanted to challenge myself, and do something more artistic & dramatic.  Jamie is wonderful at finding the right light.. so this image is really all Jamie. She set it up and shot for me… I wanted something dramatic with lighting, then a post processing in black & white.  Needless to say, I think we got the shot!
*again, Jamie shot this one! 

JULY
This is me… summer time glow, no make up… and lots of freckles!  Here I wanted to capture me naturally… no fluff, and all summer time warmth!  Sun in the background, and some great lens flare to boot!
*shot myself

AUGUST
one of my favorite things… my eyelashes have naturally thickened up (miraculously!)
one of my insecurities… my nose… its my least favorite facial part… yes yes, its not a horrible nose… but it’s mine, and I always wished it was short & dainty (like my sister, she has the cutest button nose ever! ) haha
*shot myself

SEPTEMBER
totally outta my range, but SUPER FUN! this month is gratitude of my friend Charlotte Sharpe and her line of GORGEOUS Pinup/Burlesque head pieces… Black Cherry Pin-up Retro Style Accessories & Clothing . We did a lil “model session” at my studio to showcase her newest pieces… well, she modeled, and I Just pretended! haha
*shot by Charlotte

OCTOBER
I was looking forward to this one.. I wanted something ‘weird’ for my favorite month…. And my fabulously artistic (and wildly wonky) friend Alicia Hortman Hartfield helped inspire me here… I think it might be my favorite (next to December).
*shot by myself… 

NOVEMBER

I figured, something totally different for this 2nd to last month.. why not macro my face, pieces of me… untouched by portraiture & sans makeup (minus the left over on my lashes haha).
*shot by myself

DECEMBER
I waited for this image, I knew what I wanted… lots and lots of SNOW!  December is also my birthday month so I wanted something really fun & artsy fartisy.. and of course SNOW… and man, we had a GREAT snow the other day! Top it off with some extra snowy post processing from Jessica Drosin actions… and I had the shot I imagined.
*shot by my husband.. he’s a great human tripod! 

This was a super fun & amazing challenge!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it to any photographer, professional or hobbyist… or mom tog.

And I think for 2014…
I will continue my challenge, but with my children as my subject…
maybe I can even sucker Jamie into joining me this round!