The Self Portrait

go{4}pro’s Self Portrait challenge was a great excuse to do some fun shooting for… ME …. OF ME!

I really love the concept of meaningful self portraits.

I have a tendency to search for symbolism and moral in nearly every life experience and most especially in the things that I create.  To some it might be considered “thinking too much”, but for me, its what gives my experiences and creations purpose.

I feel in many regards that I am in a personal “winter” right now.  Winter itself is not an inherently bad season…

it can be truly beautiful,

it helps us be grateful for the warmth of summer and the new life of spring

and to me, it is a time that some things take a rest and lay dormant for a period in order to fully grow in a new season.

I never would have guessed that my life would be where it is right now.  In no certain terms has it played out the way that I expected.  In many ways it is better than I would have planned, and in many others, it is just plain surprising.

I spent my entire life studying to be a musician.  Music was my life.  I am a performer, a teacher, and a composer of music.  When I would write it would come from the very depths of my soul in such an intense manner that I felt I was sharing something so deeply personal that I needed to be careful.  I had direct goals and dreams with music and how I could do my part in changing the world through my contributions…

then I went to graduate school.

And my experience there was soul shattering.

I have a hard earned masters degree in music composition that robbed me  of the joy and spiritual intent of writing.  Graduation was the start of a long winter season for my music.  I so desperately needed to be washed in a blanket of white snow, hibernate, and start fresh after everything had officially died.  I needed a rebirth.

I have started many new chapters to my life since then.  Marriage, motherhood, photography, business, teaching, writing… all seem to go through their own types of seasonal changes and growth.

I’m enjoying my winter.  The beauty of a veil of white that alters my perspective of my world, the chance to rest, and a time to hope and plan for a fruitful future…

and the opportunity to rediscover

with the onset of spring.

Thanks to Ben for working the camera.  Just imagine the lively little one year old who was upset to be left inside, a very patient but anxious husband who needed to go to work who was dutifully following very specific instructions.  These shoots are what I call the “five minute wonder”.

Brooke Snow is a Lifestyle photographer in Cache Valley, Utah. She has a passion for creating meaning through visual and musical mediums.  Though her post above seemed very much on the serious side of life, she hopes that people know she can be “light-hearted” to the same degree.  All that talk about having a personal “winter” also means that there are opportunities for play… like when she was an elementary student and would wait for the bus till it was within eye distance and race her siblings on sleds down their long stretch of road to the bottom of the street.  Yeah.  You can only do that in winter.  And its fun.  Even when you’re big.

Brooke teaches private photography lessons , online photography classes, as well as monthly photography classes in Logan, Utah.

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13 Responses

  1. Great photos Brooke! I think #2 and the last ones are my favorite! I somehow missed that assignment from Go4Pro until her reminder last night and just felt too stressed to do it right now… 🙂

  2. The pics of you with your hair down are so pretty! They make you look young and carefree. Self portraits are hard to love – but they look great!

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