Self Portraits - Beyond 50

I photograph my body as a whole and in parts. I prefer to work with direct sunlight and hard shadows, or lighting that falls off to shadow and shape my body and face. I also explore my emotions and movement to music. I love music, it draws out emotions that I didn't realize I had. I pair my self portraits with my still life using diptychs, collage, and video shorts. This collection is a combination of Iphone and Canon 5D Mark III. I plan to start using my my 35 mm film cameras, medium format and pinhole. When I was 50 I suffered a brain stem stroke. The birth control pill was the catalyst for the stroke. One of the lasting effects of my stroke is the lack of sensation in the entire left side of my body from head to toe and everything in between. When I realized that I may never get my sensation back I was devastated, but I had to pretend I wasn't. I began to reframe my thoughts about who I was now in light of the changes. My practice of self portraits helps me to explore my ideas around getting older, menopause, motherhood, intimacy, femininity and stroke recovery. This project reconnects me to myself and provides me with a therapeutic outlet to explore my emotions.