Would You Take A Selfie Every Time You Cried? This Photographer Did

It's no secret that everyone presents the best versions of themselves on social media. In fact, "best version" may even be an understatement — most people are guilty of a bit of exaggeration, to say the least. But, Los Angeles-based photographer Emily Knecht decided it was time to buck that tradition. Knecht took the decidedly un-Kim Kardashian route and took a selfie every time she cried — for three years, in fact.

"I started taking these photos as a way to deal," she tells us. "It started out as a documentation. As therapy. It changed as soon as the photos became public," she adds, referring to the accumulation of these shots in a recent solo show titled Feelings at Innocnts Gallery in Los Angeles. "With 21 photos of myself in a tiny room [presented to] the audience, it became almost like performance art."

Ahead, we asked Knecht to give us a little context for her sad selfies, many of which were spurred by fights with her boyfriend (yes, they're still together). Knecht obliged, but clarified that she would never want to give away the full story. "I feel like adding any more will take away the mystery I think is so important in my art," she explains. Click through to peek at eight pictures of the photographer at her most vulnerable.