The Uncensored Self

Liberate your full expression through self-portraits.

I’m ready

Do you feel like you’re hiding? From yourself and the world?

Do you feel like you suppress parts of yourself or expression to be palatable, liked, or approved of?

 

Have you taken time to truly acknowledge all that you are in this moment? All that you’re becoming, unbecoming, and experiencing?

 

Do you feel that you’re not good enough to be seen? To take up space? Do you believe you can only be happy and accepting of yourself WHEN you’ve achieved enough?

Do you feel like you're hiding? From yourself and the world?

My biggest wish for you…

 

1

 

 

You feel safe and confident to exist in your body – exactly as you are.

2

 

You deepen your relationship with and knowledge of your Self.

3

 

You feel comfortable seeing yourself and being seen

4

 

You show up powerfully and unapologetically in your fullest, most true-for-you expression

5

 

You trust yourself, your desires, your curiosities, and your intuition

It’s all possible when you become uncensored.

 

Inside The Uncensored Self community, you’ll have the resources, guidance, and support to explore self-portrait photography and the practice of embodied self-reflection in a creative, exploratory, judgement-free space.

 

Whether you are brand new to photography or you know your way around a camera, The Uncensored Self course will help you on your journey to deeper self-knowledge and fuller soul expression.

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Uncensored, adj.

Uncensored = “not having any part deleted or suppressed” (Merriam-Webster)

 

Your true Self longs to be remembered and expressed through you.

 

Self-portraits are a safe, judgement- and expectation-free space to explore your curiosities, your desires, and aspects of yourself you might hide away.

embodied self-reflection

The self-portrait photography practice I guide you through is a form of what I call embodied self-reflection / -observation.

 

Embodiment practices are about bringing you into your body, moving energy, feeling things IN your body, and processing things in a physical level. It’s about being here, with yourself, in the present moment.

 

The practice I’ve created with self-portraits combines embodiment with self-observation for a powerfully transformative experience of your connection with your Self and your Soul’s expression.

 

Self-portraits allowed me to fully embrace my own changing – my own remembering.

 

It’s the big reveal. It’s revealing your Self to yourself.

 

It’s looking in the mirror. Except you’re the mirror, the reflection, and the one standing in front of it.

 

You’re the method, the medium, the audience, and the artist.

embodied self-reflection

What’s Included

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO SELF-PORTRAITS

I know the process of getting set up and actually taking photos of yourself can feel overwhelming. That’s why I walk you through the entire process, step-by-step, so you feel confident moving through this experience.

TUTORIALS AND HOW-TO’S

Setting the scene, lighting, photo editing, full shoots from start to finish – you have everything you need inside this course to start or grow your own self-portrait practice.

PRIVATE DISCORD COMMUNITY

Self-exploration and uncovering the depths of our personal and sensual self-expression can feel lonely. This is a place to share, support, relate, and feel accepted.

PHOTOGRAPHY 101

You don’t need any photography experience to participate in this course. I show you how to take photos with the equipment you have (phone), as well as professional equipment (DSLR).

POSING TIPS

Posing can feel like one of the most frustrating parts any kind of photography, like, “What the f*ck do I do with my hands?” Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered 😉

AMA & PHOTO FEEDBACK

Ask me anything about your process, practice, and experience. You’ll also be able to share your photos with me for reflection and technical or process feedback.

I’m ready

“The greatest act of courage is to be and to own all of who you are — without apology, without excuses, without masks to cover the truth of who you are.”

Debbie Ford



Happy Clients

  • I absolutely loved the layout of this course! I liked having units that were broken down so I could go at my own pace and digest the information I read. I really liked the layout of written information and video instruction and BTS.

    I had a safe place to explore my self identity because I am going through SUCH a major transition with motherhood and career. My business is new and I am nervous so this [practice] is empowering because it will give me the courage to evolve.

    Kristina Gosley

  • I freaking love [the photos]!! You are knowledgeable and can see stuff I couldn’t, so that really helped. It was really great playing with the camera and angles, [and] having a personal cheerleader to lead me on!

    Stela Murrizi

  • I’ve been following Melissa for a while, and I really admired her ability to take self-portraits in a way that felt very empowering, that felt very authentic. It was something I was looking to be able to do more of, not just for my brand and being able to show up as a coach, but also for myself on a personal level. I’d been able to take great photos whenever I hired a photographer, but as a small business owner and entrepreneur, that isn’t always financially feasible. So I wanted to build some skills to be able to create really fantastic images on my own – that also allowed me to do so in different clothing or position or moods that may not be as well-suited to having an audience or other people there. It had a lot more questions than I was expecting to self-reflect, to really get in touch with my most authentic self, to get in touch with the vision I was looking to create. Thank you so much, Melissa! Highly recommend this course. I can’t wait to see what comes next in The Uncensored Self.

    Courtney Stacey

  • Melissa’s course is educational, thought-provoking, and easily digestible. As someone who had never tried self-portraiture before, the course guided me through each step and allowed me to be intentional with the picture I wanted to capture. I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to explore the “behind the subject” of a photo or just try something new!

    Rachel

  • The self-portrait experience was something I had never experienced before but am grateful to have had the opportunity to try. I had felt way more comfortable with Melissa rather than others in the past that I have done photography with.

    She was kind, nurturing, and allowed me to express myself in a beautiful way.

    Jillian C.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a professional camera?

Absolutely not! If you have one and want to use it, please do. Otherwise, your phone is perfect. This is not about creating the most “technically advanced” images – this is about you giving yourself the space to express and see yourself.

Do I need any other gear or equipment?

I’m a firm believer that you can do incredible things with exactly what you have.

If you happen to have some kind of tripod, that can make things a bit easier, but trust me, you can position your phone and hold it in place with things you already have in your space.

Do I need special software?

Nope!

While I personally use Adobe Lightroom for my photo editing, I also show you how to use free mobile editing apps, like Adobe Lightroom Mobile and Snapseed.

Regardless of what you use to edit images (if you choose to edit at all), the principles will be the same.

I have NO idea what to do with my hands or my face. Will you help??

Yes!!

I’ll take you through exercises to help this question become a thing of the past.

I also give you extensive behind-the-scenes access to my own self-portrait sessions, so you’ll be able to see everything in action.

Will this course improve my relationship with my body?

This course is not about our bodies, per se. It’s about our ability to be present IN our bodies. It’s about being WITH our Selves.

So my promise to you is not about how you feel about your body.

My promise is that through the embodied self-relfective practice of self-portraits, you will come to know your Self better and feel more confident expressing your Self fully ❤️.

I have a different question…

Please reach out to me through my contact page or on Instagram @bymelissaclaire.

I would love to chat more and answer your specific questions 🙂

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Hi! I'm Melissa

Hi! I’m Melissa

Self-portrait photographer and intuitive self-expression catalyst

I’m a self-portrait photographer and content creator, expressing myself in the world and on the internet as honestly (as true for me) as possible.

But for a long time, I was trying to express myself in the right way. Or, what I thought was the right way, based on what I thought I’d get approval for. Based on what I thought I should be doing.

I originally started my photography business to capture photos of other people, but when I could no longer do that (2020…), I turned the camera on myself and realized it was about so much more than simply capturing a photo of myself.

Documenting yourself is a way to meet yourself, again and again, and embrace all the parts of yourself you’ve been hiding away.