Recently, inspired by a variety of things that led me down the path of thoughts about the passage of time, I asked our members if they wanted to participate in a self-portrait project that would portray who they are, right now. Life is an ever changing journey, as we all know, and I believe both the the sorrowful / difficult times and the joyful / easy ones are worth honoring. Even the boring times, when everything seems static, stagnant, are worth noting, because who knows what is actually in the works behind the scenes. We only see through a glass darkly right now, after all.
Anyhow, my proposal was met with a resounding yes, so I present to you below the resulting photographs and accompanying words from the members who were able to participate. May this be a challenge to you to create your own!
Anda Marcu
Colin Poellot
Shot March 9, 2019 at night in Riverside Park, New York, NY with a Rolleiflex Automat on Fuji Provia 100 film. Bulb time 60s exposure.
The last few years of my life have seen tremendous change, both good and bad. I’ve lost a few good friends to addiction and disease, moved 3 times, strengthened some relationships and severed others, adopted a rescue dog, and traveled to some new places. I’m constantly reminded of how transitory life is, so my favorite style of self portrait somewhat reflects that. Stepping in and out of the frame of a long exposure to create an impression, but not a strong one, shows how we fade in and out of our environments.This shot is in front of a stone enclosure that houses lighting to illuminate Riverside Church at night. I walk by it every day with my dog and it took me a month to figure out what it was for!
Chris Tennyson
Colton Allen
Showering with ALS
Since getting into photography, and since I was diagnosed with ALS around that same time, I have made a point of not making my photography be about my ALS. Despite that, ALS has been a major factor in how I approach photography, and has placed huge limitations on what I can do, as well as forced me to adapt on a weekly basis. I don't want my photography to be about my health condition, but I think that it is important for people seeing my photos to have some idea of what it takes to make them, and that doesn't often come through in our modern online world. To that end, I have tried on a few occasions to show the extents of what ALS causes. This self portrait is an attempt to show just how weak my body has become, but even this fails to truly convey the devastation caused by this terrible disease.
Efrain Bojórquez
Often times my photographic efforts suffer from being taken a step back because of the day job, or family obligations, or even my other hobbies. There are seasons in which this seems to overwhelm us, when it feels like a ball and chain from which one can only be freed by completing all that takes one spots in our schedules. I feel fortunate enough to be able to hold all of my interests very near to me, both figuratively and physically. My wife complains that my office is quite the mess, but in reality is all just designed with a purpose: to not go crazy and to remind myself that there are always other things to look at when you've had it up to your forehead in whatever the hassle of the moment might be.
Gavin Chapman
Gina Gorsek
Greg Williamson
Jen Brimmage
Jen Zehner March 2019
This self portrait project has come at a pivotal time in my life. Iʼve had so many things begin this year… a new career, a new business, new photographic adventures. Iʼve been feeling open and expansive, yet this excitement is colored by an ever present doubt: am I good enough? It hangs in the background picking away at self confidence and progress. This is my attempt to stifle that nagging voice. I used an Instax camera to capture a disjointed portrait… representing all these different facets to my current life which Iʼm still trying to weave together. I then created transparency negatives to create a cyanotype triptych of outstretched arms and a bare body, as I am probably at my most vulnerable right now, even though I try to remain optimistic and embrace life as it comes.
Jesús Joglar
Jocelyn Mathewes
Katt Janson Merilo
“Becoming Mom”
My past 10 months have been about the transformation from an independent childless 20-something to a 30-year-old new mom. I now know that I can function on 2 hours of sleep a night for months at a time, and that the amount of work one can get done in a 24 hour period is more than double what I’d previously believed possible. In addition to the new 25-pound weight I’ve been tossing around and bouncing on my knee, I’ve started an adventure in learning roller derby, and picked up skating at about 2 months postpartum. It’s been a nonstop adventure, and juggling it all and my full time job – with increased responsibilities this year – has been a lesson in making use of every minute.
Lilly Schwartz
Mark Hillyer
Michael Rennie
Rajmohan
I’m a little shy and dislike being the center of attention, hence the hat*. This self-portrait was made using Tri-X in a Canon EOS 500 (my first film camera, purchased 20 years ago); the background is a canvas print of one of my photographs.
*As an aside, this is the only hat I’ve tried which doesn’t make me look entirely ridiculous, and so it will probably reside on my head through most of the coming summer.
www.rajmohanart.com
Ralph Whitehead
Shaun La
Tracey Bos
Hernando Conwi
Lucy Wainwright
Amy Jasek
Sitting on the edge of more change than I really know how to handle. Trying not to overthink things. Taking life one day at a time. Taking nothing for granted; giving all that I can.
Submit
Inspired? Want to join in the self portrait party? Send me your self portraits - new ones, not more than two please, of who you are now, and some words if you are so inclined - submit them here by August 15 for a special article to run at the end of summer.
Connect
Most (probably all) of the members who participated in this project are on Instagram - you should look them up, connect with them there, check out their websites! If you want to know more about me, I’m on there too.
