SelfiePro: The Beginning

I always wanted to create something I could call my own. I wanted to create a book with myself as the main character. I was always too shy for the camera, and sadly still am. However, in order to face my fears, I decided to embrace my skills and help myself feel more comfortable in front of the camera.

I didn’t just find a new way to master my photography skills, but I also began taking really amazing selfies. Now that I have accumulated a good amount of selfies, I made a decision to teach others what I know.

In my mind, I wanted to create a story of myself with superpowers. I wanted to tell my story, my experiences, as a way to teach others. I wanted to give myself the lead in a movie based on a book I wrote.

And it would have been possible if I were not so afraid of being in front of the camera. I always stumbled on my own words, and I always managed to forget my lines. But under all that camera shyness, I still felt comfortable enough with myself to enjoy some me-time embracing my passion.

Taking selfies wasn’t only a way of improving my art, it also became a mirror of myself.

My entire life people have called me names and criticized my body.

“You have no boobs.”

“You have no booty.”

“Your pinky is weird.”

“You’re gay.”

“I don’t like your kind of girls….”

So being in front of the camera, happily vulnerable, made me realize that people will ALWAYS have their opinions. Seeing my photography skills in action made me happy. And most importantly, seeing just how amazing I looked in the photos made me feel sexy, confident, and proud.

When people started asking me about my photos and then seeing their reactions when I told them I had taken them was priceless.

My confidence skyrocketed. I wanted to do more. So then it became a thing, and now here we are.

Now you get to read my story and see my photos in action.

I want to start with one of my favorite selfies & the introductory photo of SelfiePro.

You've probably seen this photo many times on my blogs and stories on Vocal. Below is a little mini Q&A about the uniqueness and authenticity of this one image.

1. Why did you choose that tattoo?

Before that day [The Prologue], I’d been wanting to get a tattoo. I wanted to get written text. Something impactful, powerful, and meaningful to me.

The meaning behind my tattoo was to celebrate an era of healing. I wanted words that would empower me, that would make me feel confident and strong every time I read them. I wanted something that represented the inner me—the protagonist in my story.

Everything about my protagonist is about me. That’s what makes this story so unique.

That tattoo IS the representation of my character.

2. Why did you choose to have the photoshoot on the same day you got the tattoo done?

There is a very good reason actually. Anyone that has ever gotten a tattoo would know that a tattoo has vibrant colors the first few days before it starts to peel. Once it’s done peeling, the colors become just a bit dull.

I wanted my tattoo to pop.

It was the main event after all. The whole point of that photoshoot was to show off my tattoo.

3. What made you decide to get the tattoo on your shoulder?

Shoulders to me are one of those body parts that people don’t really pay attention to. But the significance of our shoulders is extremely grand.

“Our emotions are worn on our shoulders.” - Janis E.

We slouch when we’re sad, and expand our shoulders when we’re proud.

But in reality, the significance of our shoulders wasn’t the reason I got it there. To create the characters for my story, I asked friends and family a few questions that would help mold the characters. One of the questions was to share the person’s most favorite body part on themselves.

When I personally filled out the questions, I shared that my most favorite body part is my chest, the area from my chin down to my breasts.

I feel that I have a very elegant bone structure, and I really like that.

Because I wanted to feel sexier and badass at the same time, I felt that my shoulders would be the best place to have empowering words.

4. Can you tell us how you took the photoshoot? The Setup.

A couple of weeks before my photoshoot, I did something most individuals won’t do.

Invest in themselves.

Like any person trying to make a dream come to life, I sacrificed money for passion. I didn’t have a big enough savings to allow me to spend a good $500 on a camera and be comfortable. But I did it anyway.

It hurt my pockets so much, I cried. But I was too determined to let that stop me.