self portrait

rdalland

bdcolen

Nice place to take one, but if you seriously intend this to be a 'self-portrait,' don't you want us to see you? Or am I missing a joke?

rdalland

I am not the first to post a self portrait in silhouette. I like the framing and the effect of the squeaky clean glass. No joke.

sara505

Which one is you?

Bendr

I like the effect, I love how the street behind you shows up clear as day!

saltydog

Sorry, doesn't work for me. A self portrait should be portraying you and the way you see yourself. Not about effects, framing or squeaky clean glass. I like the shot, it's composition and processing though, so maybe for me it's just mistitled... Unless you're trying to make the point that you feel overpowered by the vividness of your environment, and cigar store Indians in particular .

rdalland

Thank you all for taking the time to comment, your comments are appreciated!

saltydog wrote: »

Sorry, doesn't work for me. A self portrait should be portraying you and the way you see yourself. Not about effects, framing or squeaky clean glass. I like the shot, it's composition and processing though, so maybe for me it's just mistitled...

How about this image, it is titled "self portrait";
http://media.fresnobee.com/smedia/2011/02/10/17/Self-Portrait__1971__3660_.standalone.prod_affiliate.8.JPG
For me, it is a beautifully constructed image that tells me little about how the photographer sees himself. If this information is there, I am not able see it.

I appreciate the opportunity to inquire into my own ideas about what constitutes a self portrait.

schmoo

I love this effect, your silhouette and all the little details in the foreground and in the reflection. Nice job!

michswiss

The shot is nicely constructed and executed, but I'm having a hard time understanding what you might be expressing about your self image in this.

Bendr

I'll admit, I don't view it as much as a self portrait, But that's ok, I still like the shot... Nice job!

rdalland

I took a bit of artistic license when choosing the title for this photo. It is obviously not the portrait many of you are looking for. I hope you can enjoy it in the spirit in which it was presented.


From Wikipedia:

"A self-portrait may be a portrait of the artist, or a portrait included in a larger work, including a group portrait. Many painters are said to have included depictions of specific individuals, including themselves, in painting figures in religious or other types of composition. Such paintings were not intended publicly to depict the actual persons as themselves, but the facts would have been known at the time to artist and patron, creating a talking point as well as a public test of the artist's skill."


From Dictionary.com

artistic license - the freedom to create an artwork, musical work, or piece of writing based on the artist's interpretation and mainly for effect; also called poetic license, etc.

bdcolen

rdalland wrote: »

Thank you all for taking the time to comment, your comments are appreciated!



How about this image, it is titled "self portrait";
http://media.fresnobee.com/smedia/2011/02/10/17/Self-Portrait__1971__3660_.standalone.prod_affiliate.8.JPG
For me, it is a beautifully constructed image that tells me little about how the photographer sees himself. If this information is there, I am not able see it.

I appreciate the opportunity to inquire into my own ideas about what constitutes a self portrait.

Okay, allow me to be Brutally Frank - which is my real name:
First, I agree with everything Salty Dog said, and said quite well. Second, I looked at that example you linked to, and could respond two ways - the first might be, the fact that someone else does something odd doesn't make it 'right.' But actually, I find the example you gave intriguing - and MUCH closer to a self-portrait than the photo you posted. In the example, I see something of the photographer's facial outline, I see the hat, and I see him having incorporated himself right into the environment. In yours, I see you shooting a window and getting a totally underexposed reflection. Period. I think you got a great spot to do a reflected self portrait, especially if you felt some 'kinship' with the figure on the left. But as it stands, there's simply nothing there. Sorry.

B. D.

rdalland

bdcolen wrote: »

Okay, allow me to be Brutally Frank - which is my real name:
First, I agree with everything Salty Dog said, and said quite well. Second, I looked at that example you linked to, and could respond two ways - the first might be, the fact that someone else does something odd doesn't make it 'right.' But actually, I find the example you gave intriguing - and MUCH closer to a self-portrait than the photo you posted. In the example, I see something of the photographer's facial outline, I see the hat, and I see him having incorporated himself right into the environment. In yours, I see you shooting a window and getting a totally underexposed reflection. Period. I think you got a great spot to do a reflected self portrait, especially if you felt some 'kinship' with the figure on the left. But as it stands, there's simply nothing there. Sorry.

B. D.

Thanks for following up. Wynn Bullock's self portrait is definitely better than mine. It's OK with me if there is "simply nothing there" for you, I get it.