Your photos are impressive, so it’s not surprising that you are a photographer. But how do you change from taking pictures of people to taking photos of yourself?

It’s all storytelling and differs in the story I want to tell.

All your photos are in Black/White; why is that?
Honestly, my colour is all over the place, and feel
it doesn’t quite fit the mood of my images or what I’m trying to say.

What is your current setup?

I have a Sony A7R3. My go-to lens is the Sigma Art 85 and of course a tripod. I have a Sony app on my phone so once I have set up the camera I am able to see the pose before taking the photo! There have been photos where my phone has been in the shot! But I have been able to brush it out or crop it.

How do you come up with the ideas for your photos? Is there much prep involved before shoots?

Not too much prep, usually. I run with what feels good at the time of creation. Sometimes I have an idea in mind for what I want to convey, other times it just happens… in the moment.

I am not going to ask you to give away your secrets; when you take the photo, is it a case of setting the timer and running into position or do you have a hidden remote control?

I use a remote.

Why did you start vein_of_gold?

I knew I wanted to share my art on a public platform to potentially share my struggles with mental health…. with the hopes of my story helping and inspiring others. When gold is mined, a vein of gold occurs in the narrow lines of hard rock, which is where the name vein_of_gold came from.

How did you get started?

A photographer I was following on Instagram had inspired me to try my hand at self-portraiture. Having needed a creative outlet during my postpartum depression, I decided to try it out. I participated in a couple of self-portrait groups online that had weekly themed prompts such as ”vulnerable”, ”power” and ”fear” that I created images for. Both groups later became inactive but I continued to create from there. I was hooked.

What’s your biggest challenge starting vein_of_gold?

It’s hard putting oneself out there, there’s level of vulnerability involved with sharing my images, being so personal. The hardest part for me is finding captions that are relatable to my experience and images that best describe my thoughts feelings and emotions behind them.

If you could do a self-portrait shoot anywhere, where would you do it?

I’ve seriously considered doing a shoot at a body of water due to its healing powers. I feel an image created by water would best display where I am now in my journey. Free, healed and flowing…. if I could just get over my social anxiety of shooting in public.

What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you whilst you taking a self portrait?

I have yet to have an embarrassing moment during my sessions. Likely because I shoot alone and have yet to shoot in public.

Is there any advice you would give someone looking to start self portrait photography?

Just do what feels good and understand that editing comes with time. ”Just keep swimming.” I’d say.

Do you have any plans you want to achieve in the next 2 years?

My plans are to keep creating, work on my skills as a photographer and sharing my art.