Baobab Media LTD

Tag: DIY

  • An Ode to Self Portraits: Ivy Gathii

    An Ode to Self Portraits: Ivy Gathii

    “There is a magnificent, beautiful, wonderful painting in front of you! It is intricate, detailed, a painstaking labor of devotion and love! The colors are like no other, they swim and leap, they trickle and embellish! And yet you choose to fixate your eyes on the small fly which has landed on it! Why do you do such a thing?”
    ― C. JoyBell C.

    If you’ve been following along Ivy’s work on VSCO you might have noticed how beautiful she creates and curates her work; we had a conversation about it and this is what she shared with us:

    Hey! My name’s Ivy Gathii. I’m a 22 year old photographer and art enthusiast.

    What does self-portraiture mean to you?

     Self-portraiture to me is a personal art form that expresses yourself at the time. It tells a story that you yourself want to tell which is what makes it so personal.

     How did you end up in self-portraiture?

     I started during a low period when I wanted to keep taking pictures of people but had too much anxiety to do that. I quite liked taking pictures so it became a bit inevitable to take pictures of myself at the time. It grew from working with myself to bring out my ideas to a way of teaching myself to be vulnerable in my art because it’s very important, and I’m a pretty closed up person. To help grow out of myself and be open with myself, with people and my art.

     

     

    What/who is your source of inspiration?

     For self-portraiture, I’d say that a lot of inspiration comes from me, as it’s me that I’m drawing from; my thoughts and these story-lines that I’ve created for myself and decided to capture in an image.

    I’m also inspired by people who do the same, who teach this to me such as Teff . I love her work because she has this wild thing with her colors and composition. She creates this beautiful warm image that makes you want to be a part of it. Then she has these captions that lead you to feel like it is you in the image, you relate to it. The combination of this is surreal and beautiful. Another inspiration is Noemie Marguerite. She’s actually what made decide to start this at the beginning. I love how she composes herself in her pictures.

    There’s also Wonoula Lawal who I actually got as a mentor a few months ago. She honestly taught me a lot, having done quite a bit of what I’d like to do, which is creating these lovely images that speak for herself and in that way, speaks for a lot of others as well.

     How goes your thought process from creating to conceptualization

    I start a lot by journaling about what’s going on around me/with me. I draw inspiration from the mood in that bit of text then on composition from things I’ve seen, online or offline. Then from that, I shoot with the mood in mind. I’m trying to get a lot into post processing in a way that fits into the theme I’m trying to create.

     

     

    How do you shoot? (I especially noticed a couple of complex images)

     I tend to have few props if any and as I said, try and capture a mood within the image. I usually shoot with natural light. I have a Nikon D5100 and a tripod so usually, I compose everything and get myself in front of my camera before it goes off (So yes, there’s a lot of frantic running :D). Then I go through and pick the pictures I’m satisfied with. So in a nutshell, it’s all about getting the mood right, getting a simple set up and getting in front of the camera. I usually have a pretty intimate set up during so I can get comfortable in channeling my thoughts.

     

     What do you get from creating this form of art?

     I get a lot of personal satisfaction. It just makes me happy to shoot and edit, I guess. Lately, it’s been helping with a bit of introspection plus it helps grow my other forms of art as I’m trying to be less closed up with this and myself, generally. Plus it makes me happy when people like it and relate too. 🙂

     

     Anything you’d like to add on?

     A little belief in yourself goes a long way. Love yourself like you bloody well should…All that nice stuff. ?

    What inspires you from Ivy’s work? Share with us and don’t forget to check her out on VSCO, Instagram, & Twitter.

  • An ode to self portraits: Maira Stephanie

    An ode to self portraits: Maira Stephanie

    “All my images are self-portraits, even when I’m not in them.”
    ― Nuno Roque

    I’ve always been fascinated with self portraits but in fine art until I found some images by different creatives in digital form. After following along Maira’s work I managed to catch up with here and here’s what she has to say;

    Hi! Ever wondered how people get into self portraiture? This is a look into how I, as a 23 year old dental surgery student, got into it and what I’m about as a self-portraiture enthusiast.

    What is self portraiture?

    I would define it as a form of art where one is free to express themselves however they like in the form of a picture.

    How did i get into self portraiture?

    It all happened by chance…or is it by fate? *shrugs*  It started with a photograph I took of my hand reaching out into the light from the empty darkness. For me, that picture signified a sliver of hope in the dark situation that I was in.

    From darkness into light

    Thus started my love affair with the art. From then on, self-portraits became a sort of safe space, a world where I could explore sides of me that I normally didn’t show out there in the ‘real world’.

    What is my inspiration?

    My inspiration comes from almost anything really. It can be from a line I heard in a song that touched me in a certain way.

    Inspiration from Take Care – Drake ft Rihanna

    It can be from a particular mood or emotion I’m feeling. Be it missing someone, or craving a little affection or even finally gaining confidence in yourself and your body.

    Mood: Missing a significant other

     

    Mood: Craving some affection
    Mood: What’s wrong with being confident?

    I also get inspiration from other photographers. I normally see amazing shots on Instagram that make me want to try something outside the box.

    Through the looking glass.

    Inspiration comes from everyday experiences and events, from African leaders and even friends. There is literally no limit to the things that influence my ideas.

    Thought process.

    Now, I can’t say I have an actual thought process. Every idea is different, from its conception to its completion. But what I can say is that I definitely have to sit down and think of the ways I can take a photo without compromising my own beliefs. For example, I am not comfortable with nudity, so I find ways around that. I also try to make sure that the photograph is an extension of what I am feeling at that moment.

    The eyes are the window to one’s soul.

    Shooting process

    It is amazing what you can do with good natural light, a small space and a camera phone. Until recently, I had been using phone cameras to take all my self-portraits. I found it more convenient. I am however exploring taking self-portraits with a DSLR now and its working out pretty great.  So far I’ve been using natural light only, I take advantage of rooms with large windows. It does, however, limit the time I can actually take the self-portraits. As for space, I don’t have an actual studio (fake it till you make it, ha-ha!) I use the spaces and rooms available to me. Add a few props depending on the theme and I’m good to go.

    Good lighting is everything

    What do I get out of it?

    All in all, I would say self-portraiture has helped me discover things I didn’t know I was capable of, it has opened me up to feel more and experience more, it has taught me a lot about photography and last but certainly not least, it has led to new friendships.

    Nourishment.

    Parting short

    Self-portraiture isn’t just about serious faces and deep thoughts. Have some fun while you’re at it. Smile! Happiness is an emotion too.

     

    Let me know where you draw your inspiration for your self portraits (if any). You can see more of Maira’s work on Instagram, VSCO , Facebook  & Twitter.