The Stories already around us
A self-portrait project exploring personal branding, everyday life, and the stories hidden in familiar places.
I've been working on a small self-portrait project recently.
Not because I needed new profile photos.
And not because I suddenly enjoy being in front of the camera.
It started with an idea that had been sitting in my head for a while.
What would happen if I became my own client?
Not in the full Presence Series way. Just enough to explore a story.
Becoming both photographer and subject
The challenge was interesting from the beginning.
As a photographer, I'm used to observing someone else. Looking for the details that make them recognisable. The little things that say something about who they are, how they work, and what their world feels like.
This time, I had to do all of that while also standing in front of the camera.
Photographer, creative director, stylist, and subject.
At the same time.
And if you've ever tried taking self-portraits, you'll know that immediately limits what is possible. A tripod doesn't move like a photographer does. The angles are more limited. The process is slower. There is a lot of walking back and forth.
But I wasn't interested in creating something elaborate.
I wanted to see how much of a story I could tell using the things already around me.
For this first shoot, that story lived in my living room and hallway.
The afternoon light.
Nothing particularly extraordinary.
But that's also the point.
The spaces weren't chosen because they were perfect. They were chosen because they are part of my everyday life.
Noticing what's already there
I think that's something I think about often when it comes to personal branding. People sometimes assume personal branding means creating a new version of yourself. A more polished version. A more interesting version. But the personal brands I find most memorable usually feel the opposite.
They feel specific. They feel connected to a real person, like someone has paid attention to what is already there and decided to bring a little more of it forward. That's what I wanted to explore here and not how to create a character.
But how to tell a story using my own world as the starting point.
Maybe that's why I called this projectThe Stories Already Around Us. Because I think many of us are surrounded by stories we overlook.
The spaces we spend time in.
The objects we choose to keep around us.
The routines that shape our days.
The things that quietly say something about who we are.
I'm not entirely sure where this project will lead yet.
For now, it lives in a hallway.
A plant found its way into the frame. And a large art print I love hanging in the background.
Neither were planned.
They were simply already there.
But when I looked at the images afterwards, I realised how much they contributed to the feeling of them.
The hallway itself is quite ordinary. Yet somehow those small details made it feel a little more alive. A little more personal.
Maybe that's what I'm interested in exploring. Not creating stories from scratch. But noticing the ones that already exist around us.
I'm willing to bet you have some of those details too.
A corner of your office. A favourite mug. A bookshelf.
Something you've walked past so many times that you've stopped noticing it.
And I have a feeling there are more stories hiding in familiar places.
I'll share them as I find them.
The living room images are still waiting for their turn in Lightroom, and I suspect they won't be the last chapter of this project.
I'll share more as the story unfolds.
If you're curious about photography, personal branding, creativity, and the small observations that shape my work, I'd love to have you along for the journey.
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