Pixiq

It’s difficult not to think of Narcissus when we see a book on self portraiture. But Anna Gay soon makes you forget the idea, in a book that can help you to find your best model: YOU!

“When I first picked up a camera, I never intended to take a self-portrait – I was fascinated by the world around me and wanted to capture my tiny corner of that world through the lens.”

That’s how Anna Gay starts her book just launched in the Digital Photography School Collection. The photographer says that “my first self-portrait was taken months after I developed a love for photography. And at first, photographing myself felt a bit unnatural, but I quickly and easily overcame any feeling of awkwardness."

It’s not difficult, for someone opening this eBook, to think that the Narcissus myth is somehow present. When I started reading the book a déjà vu sound and picture came to my mind: suddenly the words “We watch in reverence, as Narcissus is turned to a flower. / A flower?” came to my mind, from Genesis classic album Supper’s Ready (1972), an epic 23 minutes song from Peter Gabriel days.

It’d hard not to think of the myth when the title of this book shows up: The Art of Self Portraiture – Anna Gay’s 365 days, but once we start reading, the landscape changes. Anna Gay says “the art of self-portraiture has been alive as long as there have been artists. Since the Early Renaissance, masters such as Rembrandt, all the way through the centuries to Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo, have painted themselves by referencing either a reflection in a mirror, or a photograph. These great artists instinctively knew that they could find inspiration in self-portraiture.”

Besides, one discovers reading through the book, using one self as a model is an easy way to try out things that you sometimes can not convince others to do. And you can spend all the time exploring your projects, aware that you and the model agree to take it to the very end. It’s somehow a relief… That’s, I guess, a good reason to keep following Anna Gay along the 52 pages of this eBook. Did I mention that it is an eBook?

Back to the photographer, Anna Gay says that “When I look at my very first self-portrait, I am reminded of how far I have come. I had no idea how to go about photographing myself, but thought it might be fun to try. So I stood in my bathroom and photographed myself in the mirror – camera and all in the frame – because I didn’t know how to use a tripod at the time! Now with no knowledge of how to use a tripod, imagine how little I knew about shutter speed, white balance, or the rule of thirds. I had never even given a second thought to the difference between the Auto and Manual modes on my camera.”

After going through the funny and nicely built images in the book and reading through it’s seven chapters (there’s for a couple of hours but this is a book you will get back to, now and then…) I get the feeling that this can be an eye-opener for many photographers, new and seasoned, that need some new suggestions and even a way to SEE the world around them. Besides being packed with fresh ideas and little things that you would never dream of… but now want to try, it gives you all the technical background needed to stand in front of the mirror and say: I can do it. In fact, the more you read The Art of Self Portraiture the more the Narcissus myth seems to fade away. And you become aware of the opportunities that using yourself as a model open, and also the challenge it can be.

“The moment you become even remotely comfortable in front of the camera, says Anna Gay, “your individual personality begins to shine through. Before you know it, aspects of your character begin to emerge that, had it not been for self-portraiture, you may never have known existed.

“Everyone experiences this catharsis on a different level. I know people who have used self-portraiture to cope with grief, loneliness, and disappointment. I know of many others who attempt self-portraiture strictly to become better photographers.

But whether they fall into the former or the latter category, there’s a certain amount of personal discovery and self-expression that draws them to keep exploring self-portraiture.”

The Art of Self-Portraiture is on sale now, with a special launch price of just $14.99 – 25% off the normal retail price. There is also the chance to win a brand new 16GB iPad (your choice of color) – the ideal device to view this eBook (the eBook is a PDF and can be viewed in iBooks).

To be in the running for the iPad and to take advantage of the 25% discount you simply need to purchase The Art of Self-Portraiture before the end of the month. We’ll draw the winner and put the price up at midnight on 31st May – Eastern US time.

If you’re not satisfied that The Art of Self Portraiture is helping your photography within 60 days, just tell that to the editor and they’ll refund your money in full.