I had this whole post written and organized in aesthetically pleasing subtopics with cute photos and memes. It took me a week to write but only a second to accidentally delete. That seems to be the way life works though, doesn't it? So here goes Take 2, and I'm going a completely different direction.
I guess I should (re)start with the "why?". Why self-portraits? Why talk about them, why take them, why appreciate them.
First it's important to understand what a self-portrait is and how different they are from selfies. Above I have included the definition Google first provided me with. Notice that there is no "camera" mentioned. Self-portraits can be created through different mediums and with different tools and they are very different than selfies. One can take a self-portrait using a phone just as one can easily hold a camera yet only manage to capture a selfie. The difference is the "artist" part. In order for it to be a self-portrait it must be art and (though I admit this is my personal opinion) the best art, the real art, has a message, a meaning, and emotion. Raw, fleshy, emotion.
The beauty behind self-portraiture is that it's all your own, every step was bled on by you and you alone. Self-portraits requires a certain discipline and vulnerability that is not usually necessary on the photographer's part. And it can be uncomfortable. I feel safest behind a camera, when forced in front of the lens I feel stripped, bare, naked. This is the rawness mentioned above, this is what makes it art.
I'm not going to sit here and write as if my self-portraits are the best, or even close. If I give the impression of doing so then I am sincerely sorry. I don't know everything about self-portraits, I don't even know half of it, I only know as much as I've learned. But your self-portraits don't have to be good to be art. In fact they won't be at first, they might not be for a while, and they sure as hell will never always turn out right. The worst thing is when you put days, weeks, months even, devoting your time to developing one concept and shoot, just to set up your camera, click away, and not get a single shot right. It sucks but it'll happen. You live, you learn, you try again. And again. And again.
My best advice to anyone who wants to try self-portraits is to first start with a message. It doesn't have to be some huge metaphor relating red wine to the societal pressures put upon woman to be the perfect stereotypical worker while also being perfect cliche mothers. It can be small, maybe at first it should be small. But HAVE a message. At the end of the day, when you're photo is not properly focused, underexposed, and unbalanced, that message might be what saves you. I know it's what saved me. When I first started photography 2/3 of what I shot was conceptual and half of those were self portraits. I barely knew how to use manual mode, had no clue how to use tone curve, but struggling a severe battle, war even, with depression and anxiety, I was desperate to try to capture in photos, the emotions that had my tongue tied, that seemed unable to be explained. (I'll attach these photos below).
and holy shit how self-portraits can save you, they can help you feel sane, they can make your emotions tangible. It's beautiful, it's compelling. This is what captivates viewers and why you should appreciate them. Because chances are, those photos were ripped from the deepest part of the artist. That deserves to be appreciated.
I am not a patient person, I care way too much about what other people think, and (despite my many selfies) I do NOT like the way I look in photos. But I love self-portraits. They are difficult, they require time and they require thought, a lot of thought but the effort is what makes the reward so great.
If you're making excuses as to why you haven't tried taking self portraits yet, stop. Sure a tripod and fancy clicker timer thingy mabob are superrrr helpful but they aren't a necessity. A couple of books and a chair make for a great makeshift tripod and I still bring a prop half my size to stand up, focus, and throw aside just in time to get in the frame. 10 seconds is a surprisingly long amount of time to set up the perfect shot. You will take a hundred only to get one good photo but that's all you need. Yes, it is so very awkward and uncomfortable to stand in front of a camera running back and forth trying to click the timer and get back in time to still arch your back in some weird ass pose but that's okay. I've found that the most complex and successful portraits are the one's that were most awkward to set up. So no, I will not apologize to the random people just trying to walk their dogs who had to see me in the middle of a meadow, without pants, pretending to scream for ten minutes straight, because those photos were dope.
I hope this rant brought you something. I always love to hear feedback so leave a comment, never feel timid to start up a conversation with me (just prepare to hear super awkward jokes), and let me see your self-portraits by tagging @aliviasobeyphoto on Instagram.
Here are some of my recent self-portraits...
Of confusion, pain, closure, and more.
