Share Six Blog Circle – July 2019 | This Is Me

Ceri-Herd-Photography Fleet Photographer Portrait Double Exposure Black and White

I’m not going to lie, this month’s Share Six theme puts me waaaaay outside my comfort zone. And what do I do when I’m forced outside my comfort zone? I hide. In life and in photography, whether that is through avoidance, behind people or behind the lens, I hide and I find a mask. When I’m confronted with the option of fight or flight, I choose flight so you’ll find me cowering in the corner with a pile of excuses. I am non-confrontational, I hate being centre-stage and I am almost as introverted as they come.

All photographs are self-portraits
~ Minor White

Every image I take, every single one that I share, is part of me. They come from such a deeply personal place that they are surely a reflection of my ‘self’. So if my soul is already out there for everyone to see and to judge, why is it so hard to put myself in front of the camera in the more traditional sense? I’ve given this some thought and come to the honest conclusion that it is because I’m shallow. I might be too much of a thinker for my own good, but I’m also vain and I know it. The images I create and share for all the world to see, they are my mask and frankly that mask is more appealing than my face.

How am I comfortable sharing these images with you now? Well for one, I’m not, but also because I’m hiding still. My safety net is creative techniques and experimentation so that is how I am hiding today. Maybe this wouldn’t be {This is Me} however, without my signature in-camera moves.

Ceri-Herd-Photography Fleet Photographer Portrait Double Exposure Black and WhiteCeri-Herd-Photography Fleet Photographer Portrait Double Exposure Black and WhiteCeri-Herd-Photography Fleet Photographer Portrait Double Exposure Black and WhiteCeri-Herd-Photography Fleet Photographer Portrait Double Exposure Black and WhiteCeri-Herd-Photography Fleet Photographer Portrait Double Exposure Black and WhiteCeri-Herd-Photography Fleet Photographer Portrait

Ok, so this last one isn’t me hiding per se, but I still can’t look right at you!

Life begins where fear ends
~ Osho

Thank you for joining me for another month at Share Six.

Post your {this is me} image on our Facebook page SHARE SIX or to our Instagram gallery by using #sharesix_thisisme. A new theme will be posted on 6th August.

Up next is my friend and talented photographer, Sharleen of Sharleen Stuart Photography. Click here to see her images and be sure to leave her some love!

Share Six Contributor

{Inspired by…} | Scottsdale Photographer

To be {inspired by…} great photographers is not to imitate; it is not to impersonate. It is to look at their art, to soak it in, to think about their thought processes and let those guide you in yours. It is not to copy but to allow your style to be influenced and to open your eyes to new possibilities.

By HeArt, a wonderful online community of photographers, hosted an entire month of {inspired by} themes. I was so inspired, I felt compelled to put my submissions into a blog post. So here it is!

Francesca Woodman ~ Francesca Stern Woodman was an American photographer best known for her black and white pictures featuring either herself or female models [Wikipedia].

Influenced by Francesca Woodman
Inspired by Francesca Woodman

Check out the winners for this theme (not mine, but the winners truly are stunning) here.

Imogen Cunningham ~ Imogen Cunningham was an American photographer known for her botanical photography, nudes, and industrial landscapes [website].

Inspired by Imogen Cunningham Theme Winner
Inspired by Imogen Cunningham Theme Winner
Inspired by Imogen Cunningham
Inspired by Imogen Cunningham


See all winners for this theme here.

Ansel Adams ~ Ansel Easton Adams was an American photographer and environmentalist. His black-and-white landscape photographs of the American West, especially Yosemite National Park, have been widely reproduced on calendars, posters, and books [website].

Inspired by Ansel Adams
Inspired by Ansel Adams
Inspired by Ansel Adams
Inspired by Ansel Adams

Check out the winners for this theme (again, not mine but the winners are inspiring in their own right) here.

Henri Cartier-Besson ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 35 mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and conceived of photography as capturing a decisive moment [Wikipedia].

Inspired by Henri Cartier-Bresson
Inspired by Henri Cartier-Bresson
Inspired by Henri Cartier-Bresson, theme winner
Inspired by Henri Cartier-Bresson, theme winner

See all the theme winners here.

I hope you enjoyed this look through a month of my image submissions. People often ask what the benefits are for submitting to By HeArt, other Facebook-based communities and their weekly competitions. To them I say this: researching and studying these photographers has given my own work a new lease on life, I have been inspired to try new things, I have found a new method and a new confidence for creating for black and white images. These pages are integral to my photographic and artistic development. They push me to be the best that I can be. I will be forever grateful to these pages for their support, their encouragement and the inspiration that they provide.

Love~ Ceri