Taking pictures of oneself is often times how it begins, but the question I hear most often is: Who's taking the picture?
In the beginning, there was the 10 second dash. In my early days, that's how it was. I'd set up precarious arrangements of various household objects, in lieu of a tripod, set the timer, and make a break for it. Thankfully, Flickr is a wonderful teacher. Through the Project 365 group, I heard that remote triggers existed, and in various forms. They use infrared and a sensor on the camera itself, and they're inexpensive. I chose this little guy:

You can handle this is a few ways. You can drop/throw it (be careful with that though), stick it in your pocket quickly, 'shop it out, or just use slight of hand- which is what I do. You can pose in such a way where you can't see it, but you're still in character:

It's in my left (your right) hand, under that ribbon. That was a bit hard because I couldn't see, but that's also part of the fun.
This tiny thing gives you the freedom to take however many shots you want, without disturbing costumes/props/any setup, or making you run back and forth. They will have range limitations, and you can get more robust ones. Unless you're going quite a distance, it usually doesn't come into play; though you may look a little funny trying to line up the remote and the sensor just right.
That's all there really is to it! No man behind the curtain, just a teeny and handy bit of technology- readily available at your online superstore!

I like to think that we all have our go-to places for photos. The rainy days, the polar vortex days, the days that you come home from work exhausted, but buzzing with the need to create something- that one place is always there for you. In my first apartment, it was the sole blank wall, the only space that could serve as a blank canvas. In the next apartment, the window seat made for a perfect macro space. Now, it's my basement.

I have a scary basement. That's a good thing, because I can make use of it in a variety of ways. From laundry to monsters, the place serves me well. The fist-sized spiders, however? I could live without those. As a rule, I try not to overuse it, but it's made several appearances in my work.
Sometimes I use the entire space, emphasizing the strangeness of it- the textured concrete floors, streaks of dirt, bits of metal and insulation.

Sometimes I use it as a neutral backdrop. It's more interesting than a blank wall, and doesn't necessarily scream 'basement' when you look at it.
More recently, our basement has been collecting things. From antique fairs that birth projects in progress, to the standard odds and ends that make their way in.
When I found my usual blank canvas a little cluttered, I decided to make use of it all the same.

This is a copper sink we bought at an antique fair, that Don is slowly cleaning of all its wonderful corrosion for one of his house projects. I'm glad I got to it before he got too far, because it has become this lustrous, shimmering thing that is not nearly in character for this shot. This sucker is heavy, by the by, and there was a lot of clanging, scrapes, and name-calling of inanimate objects. This was obviously lot of fun to do. I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that the limb at the top is definitely my leg.

What's your favorite go-to place, and how do you like to use/change it up?

A precursory note: I've never written about photography, or my photographic process before, so this is new territory to me. I have a food blog that lends itself more easily to my sarcastic voice than photography would, though I'm not sure where that distinction really comes in. Food: Sarcasm. Photography: be a good girl.
Perhaps once the newness wears off, I'll find my natural vibe with this.

That said:
In the midst of all this polar vortex malarkey we've been having, there was a weekend day where the temperature hit 50°F, and I knew I had to go exploring. I found my way to the path I've been meaning to explore on the other side of town. The day was beautifully overcast, only a little drizzle, and the warmest it's been in weeks.
Photography helps me remember things. All the pieces of the day seem to fall into place if I have a visual anchor, along with the experience of creating it.
I went in to the park with a bag of silk ribbons, a length of blue velvet, some fake rose petals, and my usual gear. I had no idea going in what I would do, these were the least buried items in the maelstrom that once was my closet. I was merely looking for a particular place, tree, light, or come what may, to inspire something.
As if wandering around in what felt like spring time weather by comparison, alone in a new, beautiful place weren't magical enough; there were beautiful blue birds flying across the path. They were vivid blue enough where I first thought they were Blue Jays, but according to Google, they're a variety of Robin.

These little guys were completely unafraid of me, and flitted about long enough for me to take out my camera and catch them in action. The next thing I came across was a stroke of luck as well. Sometimes things fall into place. You never know when, in February, as you're walking on the first warm day of the year, you're going to come across the one, oddly perfect pine in the middle of a field. A perfect pine that just so happens to be decorated as a Christmas tree, then left to the elements for just the right amount of entropy to kick in. I mean, how am I supposed to pass that up?

It even came complete with ornaments. By this time, I'd had another idea that I put on hold, and set to incorporating the elements I'd come across so far that day into one shot. Thankfully for the rain, I only had one curious passerby, but you get used to that over time.

The lesson learned here came to me largely when editing. This was a long one. I shot everything from a lot of angles, but I had done so in a) kind of a rush, and b) before I'd actually nailed down exactly where I wanted to shoot from. A lot of the scale became wonky, and expanding the frame became a bit of an ordeal. I did have a lot of fun with the editing, and overall with this piece.

I'm not one to gush, but it was, for lack of a better term, a freaking magical afternoon. Things fell serendipitously into place, and I enjoyed it completely. Even after all the digging through thorns, checking for ticks, drenching my socks (oh hey, my boots are cracked), and the sidelong glare of that one lady and her dog, I thoroughly loved the experience. Also, a large part of that park remains unexplored, so now I have plans for next time- and different boots.
As for the end result.

Along with a detail shot of one of the birds.