michaelaunaturel

Spring Has Sprung

Added 2023-04-05 02:15:30 +0000 UTC

The first day of spring may have been a few weeks ago, but it wasn't until the last couple of days that it began to feel like it in my area. When I saw that it was supposed to be warm and sunny today, I decided I had to get outside and take new self-portraits, my first of year!

When I head out to take photos, there's always a sense of uncertainty about the process because there is no guarantee that I'll end up with anything worth keeping or sharing. In fact, there have been many times when I've deleted entire portions of the day's work because of issues with lighting, focus, or overall quality. When you're both the model and photographer, you can't be in front of the camera and behind it at the same time, so sometimes the outcome is left to chance. I've taken many bad photos over the years but every so often I get lucky with a shot that makes me say "wow!"

As I was wandering through the woods earlier looking for areas to shoot, I saw this beautiful patch of daffodils growing amongst a few fallen trees and I was instantly inspired. I've never seen flowers when I've been out exploring, so I knew I had to work them into a self-portrait. As I framed up the shot and began taking photos, I was excited at the prospect of being able to share them with you here in (almost) real-time and decided I had to post a preview tonight.

Over the course of a few hours, I took hundreds of photos and have begun the process of sorting through them to find the gems. As the weather continues to warm up, I'll be heading out often and look forward to sharing more about my process with you!

Enjoy the rest of your day,

- Michael