Suffering for her art! Photographer creates unique series of self-portraits of her being hit in the face with ball, shoes.. and a pumpkin

By Sara Malm

Published: 07:57 EST, 5 March 2014 | Updated: 12:37 EST, 5 March 2014


Selfies are becoming more daring as the standard ‘look at me at Grand Canyon’-shot simply does not make the cool-cut on our Facebook feeds anymore.

A New York photographer has taken her self-portraits to another level, creating snaps of herself being hit in the face with random objects.

In her Headshots series, Kaija Straumanis can be seen taking blows from the likes of a pumpkin, a dodgeball, a boot and a punnet of strawberries.

The 28-year-old said that she created the composites after being inspired by an old football.

She plays around with seasonal snaps, including a pumpkin, plastic Easter eggs and an ice scraper but mostly ‘it's just because it seems like a good idea at the time’.

We be ballin': Photographer Kaija Straumanis said a majority of her self-portraits 'seemed like a good idea at the time'

We be ballin': Photographer Kaija Straumanis said a majority of her self-portraits 'seemed like a good idea at the time'

Nothing says art like a shoe in the face: The 28-year-old from Rochester, New York hopes to provoke laughter with her light-hearted series of self-portraits called Headshots

Nothing says art like a shoe in the face: The 28-year-old from Rochester, New York hopes to provoke laughter with her light-hearted series of self-portraits called Headshots

Pumpkin p-eye: Headshots is a series of composites in which a young woman, photographer Kaija, has inanimate objects thrown in her face

Pumpkin p-eye: Headshots is a series of composites in which a young woman, photographer Kaija, has inanimate objects thrown in her face

Hard facts: Kaija has her glasses knocked off when she is hit in the face by a flying book - all in the name of art

Hard facts: Kaija has her glasses knocked off when she is hit in the face by a flying book - all in the name of art

Pun-net-tastic: Kaija gets one of her five a day as she takes a punnet of strawberries to the face

Pun-net-tastic: Kaija gets one of her five a day as she takes a punnet of strawberries to the face

When they find your first: This year's Easter egg hunt ended uncomfortably for Kaija when the tables turned

When they find your first: This year's Easter egg hunt ended uncomfortably for Kaija when the tables turned

Scraping the barrel: The artistic photographer sticks with the seasons for a wintery photo as she is hit in the face with an ice scraper

Scraping the barrel: The artistic photographer sticks with the seasons for a wintery photo as she is hit in the face with an ice scraper

A New York toast: Kaija manages something as unusual as glassing herself in the face as she takes a highball to the temple

A New York toast: Kaija manages something as unusual as glassing herself in the face as she takes a highball to the temple

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