Self Portraits-My Kinda Selfie!
 | ||||||
| National Museum Of Scotland Last year I did a project on reflection photography. This came about due to a reflection in a puddle I saw every time it rained in the street I work in. This is the kind of stuff that fascinates me, and the way that water or glass can distort an image became a complete obsession. More about those pictures at a later date-the self portraits in today's blog came about as I hunted Edinburgh for reflections for my project. In 2013 the word 'selfie' officially entered the Oxford Dictionary, but photographic self portraits-the act of taking a photo of ones self-have been around for many years. Photographers have been posing for their own cameras since the invention of the photographic process in 1839. Early Self Portraits
Man Ray was a prominent figure in the Dada and Surrealist movement and worked in many media including photography. The picture below was created through a technique called solarization where the print was exposed to a quick flash of light in the darkroom creating the eerie halo effect on the finished image.
Vivian Maier Self Portrait
Maier made use of whatever she had in front of her-windows, mirrors, hubcaps, bowling balls, and would often capture something else in her picture-not just her own image. By day she was a nanny and would trail the streets of Chicago with the children she cared for, taking pictures with her Rolleiflex camera.
A deeply secretive person, most of her work was produced in the 50's where Maier recorded her own urban history. She had an affiliation toward the poor and destitute and struggled to get by herself towards the end of her life. Not able to pay for processing costs, the vast majority of her work was never processed during her lifetime. Vivian passed away still unknown, in a nursing home after having a fall. Back to my own self-portraits.... When looking for a reflection to take a picture in, I try to look at what's going on around me, what other subjects might be included in the photograph, and if I want to make my self obvious in it or not-is the main subject me, or am I just taking a reflected scene that I'm accidentally in.   Self portraits don't always have to be a reflection. A shadow can also work depending on what direction the sun is facing, and what other 'props' you may have at your disposal-see Maier's shadow portrait above. Shadow Self Portrait
Shooting self portraits can pose endless opportunities, ranging from ideas you may encounter everyday to those that present themselves when you least expect it
Thinking outside the box is vital-what else do you want to include-is there something else in the frame that should be the main feature? Can you still draw attention to it in a more subtle way such as this Nastia Sokolova shot below.
 Self Portrait
Taking your self portrait with a self-timer can also lead to a great shot and allows you to plan, set up and execute the shot in your own time scale and environment. However, the candid shots are still my favourite. Even if you don't have your camera on you, a camera phone pic will still capture a moment that you may not have again.
Enjoy those selfies!
Tube Self Portrait
Metallic Self Portrait
Find more self portrait inspiration here-http://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2014/03/beyond-selfie-how-photographers-take-self-portraits
|
This is so interesting! Think I'm going to have to re-think the way I take my selfie.
ReplyDeleteLittle Katie x x
littlekaatie.blogspot.co.uk
Thanks Katie! Once you start looking at the different ways you can do it, it can become quite addictive!
Delete