(upbeat music)
-: Hi, I'm Adam Jabari, and this lesson
is called Youthful Expression.
Today we're going to explore self portraiture.
A self portrait is an opportunity
to explore a subject that you know most, yourself.
So we're going to turn our cameras to a portrait,
or vertical, orientation for today's practice.
As with all photography, we need a light source.
Where does your light come from?
You will need your camera, a smartphone or tablet
with a camera app is perfect for this practice.
And have some paper and pen available to you.
You may also need something to prop up your camera.
I'm going to use my canteen for that.
Let's begin with three deep breaths.
Sit nice and tall, heart forward, crown high,
and take a deep inhale, in through your nose.
(inhales)
And exhale slowly from your nose.
(exhales)
Maybe place one of your hands over your belly
and take another deep inhale, in through your nose.
(inhales)
Into your belly, and into your lungs.
Exhale slowly.
(exhales)
And once more, deep inhale, through your nose.
(inhales)
And slow exhale.
(exhales)
What does your internal weather forecast feel like?
It might be bright and sunny, clear,
cold, stormy, overcast.
Take two to three minutes to write down
your internal weather report.
Now that you've spent some time exploring yourself,
let's use what you wrote to create self portraits.
So turn your camera to a portrait orientation, or tall.
Frame your subject, that's you,
from the waist up, or even closer.
Once you're set up on your stable surface,
return to your weather report.
And express some of those moods in your images.
Make five to 10 self portraits.
Maybe your weather is complex.
You might have sunny and stormy,
hot and cold, all swirly around within you.
If that's the case for you, try taking an image
to represent each of these moods.
Your face, your posture, your lighting,
and your surroundings all help express the mood.
Give it a try.
(camera clicks)
(phone dings)
(phone chimes)
South African photographer, Zanele Muholi said,
"Too often I find we are being mimicked,
"and distorted, by the privileged other.
"We are here; we have our own voices;
"we have our own lives."
Thank you for being here today to share your voice.
Let's close together with a full breath.
(inhales)
(exhales)
I'm Adam Jabari.
Peace.
(upbeat music)