Thirty Self Portraits – A New Project
As with all projects the Thirty Self Portraits Project came about as the result of several different influences and directions.
Robert Mapplethorpe
The first influence came from watching the HBO documentary on Robert Mapplethorpe (Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures). There were several photos that he took where I really liked his lighting and decided to try to emulate them, I also really liked the very last self-portrait he did of himself.
Howard Schatz Workshop
A few weeks later I went to the Palm Springs Photo Festival (which I have written about here) and took a class with Howard Schatz. The class was all about experimenting with lighting and trying different techniques. I really enjoyed the play and learned a few tricks that I wanted to try myself. One thing I have learned about taking workshops, if I don’t practice what I learned I soon forget it. So I thought taking self-portraits would be a great way to practice what I learned and to continue with the experimentation.
I Need More Head Shots
Finally I need more head shots of myself. For a lot of the gallery shows and publications I have been in over the past couple of years they are often asking for a head shot and I don’t have that many. This works well with the practice I mentioned above. I need a subject and I need more shots of myself so the self-portrait project was born.
Why Thirty?
I just pulled a number out my ass and it happened to be thirty. I don’t know if I will actually shoot 30, maybe I’ll only do 20, or maybe I’ll just keep going and shoot 100. I’ve put a stake in the ground, but am not absolutely committing to it. I currently have 23 ideas for self portraits, so I figure I will at least get that far.
Also this is not a self portrait a day, or a week, or a month. Every time I’ve tried a project like that is just kills the joy for me and makes me stop taking photos. So this is just doing it when I feel like it, some weeks I might do 3 or 4, then I might not do another for a month. No pressure, no commitment, just do it when the mood strikes me.
The One Downside
My subject in these portraits is an ugly son of a bitch.
Self Portrait # 1
Here is the lighting setup for this image.
