As someone who has been under doctor’s care and in talk therapy for clinical depression for well over a decade, I have gotten very good at taking care of myself when a depressive episode hits. On Wednesday I woke up and almost as soon as my feet hit the floor I started feeling bad. So I did two things that help me through those episodes: I reached out to my amazing tribe to let them know I was struggling, and I did a series of self-portraits. Both things were a success. My tribe came through with love and funny anecdotes. My self-portraits helped me celebrate myself. All of that took the edge off the depression until it passed on its own.
For these shots I hand-held my camera using my 50mm f1.8 with a 13mm extension tube. Using the 50mm by itself wasn’t giving me the closeups I wanted, so I attached the extension tube on a whim just to see what I’d get. The weather was cloudy but bright, so I was able to use the natural light coming through my living room window without any flash or light modifiers. I am thrilled with the results.
