Welcome to Mind The Lens, our mental-health-focused month in partnership with The Photography Movement where we're providing a range of supporting content as well as £20,000 in grants to projects within mental health and photography. To find out more about Mind The Lens, visit our blog post or application page.

"Bronte (Bee) is known for her creative storytelling selfies. She believes self-expression is the road to personal freedom, increased confidence, and a happy, fulfilled life. To this end Bronte encourages others to express themselves in every aspect of their lives, to think more creatively, and accept themselves as they are."

Are you a photographer full time or do you have a day job that you'd like to share?

"Yes, I'm a photographer and Creator full time and have been since I left University."

How has photography helped your mental health and self esteem?

"In terms of self esteem, I definitely wasn't confident growing up, but diving into photography and creative self portraits has really helped me gain more confidence in myself - I think it's the staring at my face for hours on end!

I don't think selfies are a narcissistic pursuit. I think they are a form of self-expression that can allow us to see ourselves differently. Manipulating images of ourselves can allow us to gain confidence, be braver, and ultimately grow into the person we want to be."

"It's helped me endlessly. I started getting interested in photography when I was going through a really tough time in my life, and photography gave me something to focus on and something to look forward to, somewhere to channel my energy."

Any tips on how to take a selfie for increased confidence?

"For me, I built up my confidence by doing it gradually. 

First, I would only include body parts like my hands and my legs until the 'freezing in front of the camera' feeling went away, then I moved on to the back of my head, etc: One step at a time!"

Which of your photos means the most to your mental health?

"Probably my earliest photos. Whilst they definitely are not the best at all, they mean the most as they are the ones that got me through a bad situation and started out my love for photography.  

Also, the photos where I have talked about important issues and things I am going through. I have put on weight during lock down and creating a picture around that and talking to others has really helped me."

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