This is a new course for me so I have begun a new blog to go with it. The Level 2 course I have completed previously mainly dealt with the technique side of photography but as this course is Art and Design based, I am hopeful that I will unlock my creative potential.
Self-Portraiture
Self-portraiture is an area of photography that I haven't explored previously but I do find very interesting and feel it is a subject that is indeed important to explore. A self portrait can either be an honest and simple representation of the person taking the photograph or can be a manipulated image we wish to portray. I haven't tried to manipulate my images but tried to keep them honest. I personally prefer a natural setting for a self portrait as opposed to a studio setting as there is more variation and I am naturally more of an outdoor person. Although only asked to take 1 self portrait that featured myself I found myself wanting to investigate different ways and concepts within that area.
In class we explored different photographers self portraiture work including:
Robert Mapplethorpe - Portrait photographer who produced many self portraits some of which were sexually explicit.
Nan Goldin - Life photographer who also had a fascination with sexually explicit photography which was captured in her own self portraits.
Cindy Sherman - Self-Portrait photographer, who featured herself in a series of 'stills' mimicking screen idols and many other self-portraits using different guises with props.
Jo Spence - Self-Portrait photographer who portrayed her own battle with cancer.
Vivian Maier - Street Photographer who captured her own image in many different settings including shadows and reflections.
Self-portraiture - Still Life
This is quite a busy and varied collection of my personal belongings but I do feel it represents me in an honest way as I am quite a 'busy' person with varied interests.
f/14 1/250sec ISO-560 70mm (M flash used)
My first attempt at direct self-portrait mirror image.
Out in the car traveling from one place to another is also an honest portrait of myself. I am subtly smiling in this portrait and I actually remember being happy because I had just picked up a new camera.
f/5.6 1/100s ISO-100 50mm
Self-Portraiture (Shadow/projected image)
The following images were made possible due to a beautiful sunny evening and after researching Vivian Maier's photography, I wanted to try this.
f/8 1/200s ISO-100 27mm
f/9 1/200s ISO-100 27mm
In this image, my daughter told me I looked like I was scratching my head so followed it up with my camera lowered in front of me.
f/6.3 1/200s ISO-100 27mm
I had to agree that the camera lowered did look better but to me it also looked less like a self portrait.
f/6.3 1/200s ISO-100 27mm
f/6.3 1/200s ISO-100 52mm
Further Exploration of Mirror Image Self Portrait
I enjoyed taking the following images using my reflection in either random shop mirrors or my reflection in the glass window. It makes for a busy image but I think also interesting as the scene behind me as well as the scene in front of me is also captured.
f/6.3 1/125s ISO-100 70mm
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f/6.3 1/50s ISO-100 32mm
f/8 1/125s ISO-100 62mm
Direct Self Portrait
This depicts me on a Sunday afternoon as it features me with both of my adult children and is an example of a simple honest portrait without any reflection or projection. I included them as they are very much a part of me.
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f/5 1/40s ISO-1600 46mm (taken using IR remote)
Evaluation
This was an enjoyable area of photography for me and found myself wanting to explore it further. There are several other photographers that have produced projects on self-portraiture which, I am planning to research. I felt my outdoor images were far better than my indoor images and I think that experimenting with controlled lighting would have resulted in an improved result with the indoor shots.
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