Self-portraits.

[intheflow]

After I'd been shooting pictures for about 5 years, I realized I had all these pictures of my travels but no proof I was ever there because I was behind the camera lens. So I started taking self-portraits.

This one is my favorite, taken on vacation on an island in Maine about 10 years ago.

[RagingInMiami]

1. That's a pretty creative self portrait, the sunglasses and the book

really define your personality. Is that a scarf as well?

[intheflow]

2. It was a blanket.

More like a comforter, really. Found in a closet at the house I renting, it made a very comfy reading space in the grassy, shaded yard. I was going through an uber-hippie phase, so it's psychedelic pattern seemed to fit my personality. (Like you couldn't tell that from the Lennon sun glasses. LOL!)

You can't tell, but behind me in the reflection is the ocean. It was a great vacation!

[RagingInMiami]

3. I'm like you that I've traveled extensively, but had no proof that I was

actually there. So I started taking self-portraits as well.
Here is my favorite, taken last July, when I had embarked on a cross country road trip from Tempe, Az., back to Miami. I drove up to the Grand Canyon, and entered through the west rim, which requires driving through a 25-mile unpaved road. I ended up with two flat tires, but it was worth it cause hardly anybody visits that end of the canyon. They don't even have a railing like they do in other parts of the GC.
I drove my car to the very edge of the canyon and walked halfway down. Then I set up my camera on a tripod, set it on a 10 second timer and used a remote switch to snap the photo.

[intheflow]

4. That's a great shot!

You have great depth of field and you're in focus! I'm sure I'd be blurry if I tried that. Most of my self-portraits are reflections or shadows.

Also looks like you had a nice day at the Canyon. When I was there, it was pretty chilly and storms kept rolling through.

[Kolesar]

7. Vulcan on his throne at Toroweap!

I tried that hike a decade ago. The ranger told us: "I wish they would take that trail off the map!". It decends about a mile in three miles of trail length. My night-shift-working and caffeine-corrected hiking buddy and I got a late start and we were just roasting on the hike down. We got about half way and turned back.

[Be Brave]

15. Oh what a photographer will do for a good photo op.

:) So, did you have two spare tires with you? :)

[RagingInMiami]

17. I only had one spare tire

Fortunately, I blew one tire on the way back about 10 miles outside of Kingman. After riding into town on a spare, the second rear tire fell apart, less than a block from the tire place. The gods were with me on that road trip.

[Pert_UK]

5. That's nice composition...but mine's scarier!

Taken in Perth, Western Australia just after watching England beat South Africa in the Rugby World Cup 2003.

I'm afraid I used MS Paint to just increase the flash impact a little to completely hide the camera.....please don't hate me!

[intheflow]

8. Scarier is right!

Must have been a hell of a soccer riot that they had to paint your face so the Red Cross could find your mangled body. It's amazing you had the presence of mind to take a self-portrait!

Of course I'm just joshin' you. :silly:

And personally, I forgive all doctored photos as long as the doctoring is owned up to. Go and be unafraid of future MS Paint manipulations.

[TahitiNut]

6. Wow! That's really creative!

I'm really impressed with the art (right-brained composition) in your photos. I'm no expert (for sure), but that's really an evocative photo.

The best "self portrait" I've ever been able to compose is below. I remember that I thought this photo was really lousy when I took it ... too much shadow (my large nose blacked out my face) and too much "leakage" of my mood at the time. Immersed in the "Vietnam experience," I guess I didn't want it to show, so I thought the photo was crummy.

But a few years ago, I scanned the photo (a slide) in and saw something - that same "mood" that I was originally rejecting. After a little playing around with the photo, I think I got it to that evocative point where it hit me in the gut. Now ... it takes me back when I look at it. I don't know if that's a "good thing" or a "bad thing." I do know that my cousin (dear to me) who's a BA in Graphic Arts said to me that it was 'art' ... that she not only saw me in Vietnam, but she could see Vietnam in me. (I wish I'd said it so succinctly.)

[intheflow]

9. This is incredible!

Incredibly evocative, and all the more so with your commentary. That phase, "seeing you in Vietnam and seeing Vietnam in you" is very apt--and very haunting. Thanks for sharing so intimate a self-portrait, TahitiNut.

[TahitiNut]

12. Thank you. You're very generous.

I guess I figured it came across to me and people who know me. There've been times I've looked at that picture and come near to tears - wanting dearly to talk to that younger version of me. I was lucky being 25 when I was sent to Vietnam, but even so it sure set up some complex stresses. Facing that bizarre kind of "reality" is an emotional conundrum - how much 'brave' to mix with 'scared' and 'laissez faire' and 'manly' is a tough inner recipe to get right. It's sure existential! I can see it in my mouth and eye(s) in that photo and it reaches across time and pulls at me. It's strange how little we change inside where it counts - except maybe for "tuning" the recipe and gathering spices along the way.

Your generous reply lets me be glad others can see the same kinds of things in it - it helps confirm my belief that we're all close relatives. Photography can be a very special kind of expression, conveying things I (at least) have a really tough time wrapping words around.

[Longgrain]

10. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Everyone knows I can't resist these...Thanks a lot Flow!

Anyways my main one's already been planted here, the seed that lead to the explosion of Longgrain all over DU...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=280x233

My latest one has been inconspicuously posted around the Lounge a couple times, so I doubt I should worry too much about posting it here...

[intheflow]

11. You're right!

I knew you couldn't resist! :P

[TahitiNut]

13. Remarkable.

You come across as a "safe" person to be around in those photos, direct without being threatening and patient without being lazy. I can imagine you keep good friends for a long time.

[Longgrain]

14. Most people around these boards seem to sense that about me.

You wouldn't know it from how many times I've posted my picture around here, that I'm really a very reflective and withdrawn person. But I'm happy to be friends with anyone...

Thanks!

[alfredo]

16. Your picture made me think of this website.

http://mirrorproject.com/

[intheflow]

18. What an cool website!

Thanks for posting! I may go over and post some of my stuff, too. :hi:

[alfredo]

19. It's an interesting project.

You know they get some pretty "odd" pictures from time to time.

[Samurai_Writer]

20. Using my remote for my camera for the first time

I got this great remote for my camera so I can do photo shoots for my website by myself. This is my 'test' shot. No makeup and right after working 9 hours, so forgive my appearance. The remote is hidden in my hand.

[Be Brave]

22. Good to see you RadFemFL!

:)

That remote is quite inconspicuous. I never would have known.

[NashVegas]

21. I Found an Interesting Way to Take One

A couple of weeks ago, I switched out my shower head to one of those pseudo-Euro flatting ones. Looked up when I was finishing, into the uber-polished head and went, 'ooh, cool.'



Still trying to get it just right.

[intheflow]

23. Great picture!

I like the distortion effect combined with the geometic shapes (the shower head framed by rectangular photo) and your face being out of focus and partialy shown. The composition is a nice balance, although it kind of looks like there's a giant golf ball floating behind your head.



Metal is a fun reflective surface. This photo is my favorite self-portait in metal. This is from the jazz funeral in DC on inauguration day. See me in the bright blue coat, center tuba?

[NashVegas]

24. Very Nice

I love that tuba shot.

I'm going to try to get the shower pic just right this weekend, if I can. What's posted was done on the fly with a digital. I thought about having a dinner party and asked friends to get in it for me, but they all gave me funny looks.

[RagingInMiami]

25. Here is my latest self-portrait

[Longgrain]

26. Now That's a good one!

No more please, lest I be tempted to go out and take another one of me...:P

[RagingInMiami]

27. Just do it, I know you want to

[Longgrain]

28. Seriously, maybe I will one of these day

I like the one you posted above too...tho I can't look at it without experiencing a tremendous surge of vertigo...

[intheflow]

29. This is awesome, Raging!

You put my feeble self-portraits to shame!