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Experimental Digital Self Portraits

Self portraits are enjoying a revival thanks to digital photography. Self portraits have a long tradition in art. Think van Gogh, Francis Bacon, and the greatest of all, Rembrandt. And, as I discovered in my research, just about every painter did a couple during his or her career. A few film photographers did also, but not very many -- mostly shots in mirrors, shots of shadows and a few taken with self timers.

For ideas and inspiration see a detailed list of links for a variety of self portraits including painters, film photographers and digital photographers at the end of this article.

As I have written, digital now lets you do things that were impossible with film. The instant feedback of the LCD monitor can put you in a creative mood and lead you down the garden path, from one shot to the next. When you are done, you will often find that something unexpected has happened and at the same time, because of the review feature of digital cameras, you can be sure of the results. I find that digital self portraits frequently have a spontaneity, a sense of the moment and feeling of fun that I have not see in film.

But What Will Your Friends Say?
Get over the idea your friends will think you're self absorbed. Here's what I wrote over 10 years ago when I embarked on my own series: "And BTW I am not an ego-maniac. I am just the most willing model who will do what he is told, will work for nothing and who is always available even at 4 in the morning. And I never have to worry about whether I can find me."

How To Get Started

Unless you have a camera with a swivel lens, here are some techniques:
== use a tripod and set the self timer so you can move to a predetermined spot that you have already explored with some test shots
== use a mirror or any reflecting surface -- these can include car mirrors that also show the outside world as well as other polished surfaces such as a toaster, chrome and even glass
== put the camera at arms length, take some test shots, so that you get a sense of how to frame the picture
Review each shot, so that you get a feel for the framing, the way you look, the lighting etc. and that will guide you to taking the next self portrait

Tips On Taking Self Portraits

If there ever was a contemporary art form where *play* was called for, this is it. Just have fun: smile, frown, make a face, wave your arms, grab a friend, use different backgrounds, play the field, take shots at night with a flash light, pop a flash while you leave the shutter open -- go for it. And don't just think of your face as a subject: your body, arms, legs, your shadow etc. are fair game as well.
Don't just take one or two pictures -- take a bunch. You'll get much better at it and unexpected things will start to happen. This is where the creative, intuitive side of digital photography can really kick in. But after taking dozens or hundreds, carefully edit your work down to only the very best 2-4 shots

Check out these websites for a wide variety of self portraits that includes paintings, drawings, film photographs and digital photographs.

Digital
Look at other people's work on these Flickr groups
== Self-Portraits! (32k members)
== Arm's Length Self Portrait Experience (12k members)
== Self-Portrait With Camera [Reflected Self-Portraits Only] (10k members)
== Funny Self Portrait (1k members)
Film
== Self portrait photographs
== Reflected photographers
== 20 Famous Photographers’ Self-Portraits

Paintings And Drawings
== Self portraits
And these famous self-portraitists:
== Rembrandt
== van Gogh
== Francis Bacon

Overview Of Self Portraiture
Read a long well illustrated article about the history of self portraits, paintings, drawings and photographs from antiquity to the present day:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-portrait
Rick Doble's Self Portraits
Over the years I put together a number of galleries and you will find over 200 self portraits at this link:
http://www.rickdoble.net/default.htm#self_portraits

For more about my approach to photography see my book: Experimental Digital Photography.

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