Gender and self portraiture

[Poco]

Tell me; why did you bother taking a poll at all, if you were so certain of your theory that if the poll didn't come out the way you expected, you would explain it away by saying that the results were skewed because people reacted defensively to the question?

Just to get caught out by you, Katherine. To give you the thrill of being able to spot a person's motives and methods of operation by way of three whole posts. For your fun in having your worst assumptions, so quickly made, be confirmed for you. And simply for your joy of calling me a liar when I said I polled for of the fun of it.

It was all for you, Katherine. Because I'm a giving guy.

 

[Jim Jones]

I'm not a good model, but for testing lighting, film, and processing, I'm cheap and always available. The avatar is a self portrait, testing solarized negatives.

 

[Bandicoot]

I'm male and I've never been great at having other people take my picture: it's not that I dislike it per se, more that I always seem unable to pose well. However, I do end up doing self-portraits sometimes because they are a good way to 'say something'. My personal favourite is a slightly unconventional one:

Dead Link Removed

Yes, obviously the shadow is me, but it's a self-portrait in more ways than that. I used to be an archaeologist and the sign says "Museum"; the table and chair could relate to my love of food; the brick pattern of the floor is very similar to that of the courtyards in my old college; the bicycle represents another part of my life; the piano (you can see the grand piano, right? ) reflects the big part that music plays in my life; and of course, it is a photograph of a photographer taking a photograph. Finally, it is also very typical of my photographic style, which is surely a fundamental part of what makes me 'me'.

Portraits are supposed to reveal more about a person than just what they look like, which is why I always feel rather satisfied by this one: people who know me recognise me in it immediately.

A photographer not mentioned in this thread yet whose self-portraits I like very much is Sam Taylor Wood. I recommend anyone who doesn't know her work having a look.


Peter

PS that picture is online because it's in a competition being run by Channel 4 - you can find the galleries at Dead Link Removed (all votes gratefully recieved!) There's some pictures worth seeing there: some good, some less so, and some unbelievably pretentious...

P.

 

[kaygee]

I used to HATE being in front of a camera a lot more than I do now. Don't get me wrong, I still hate it, but not quite with the passion of a thousand firey suns. Now it's only about 500 firey suns .

Seriously though, being in film school is the thing that made me not hate it quite so much. In my school all film students have to put themselves on the business end of the camera, give up the control of the camera, and be directed on film. This is to help you further down the line to be able to understand actors better. I'm glad I did it, although I just don't like seeing myself in front of a camera. Moving or still. It makes me uncomfortable.

Self-portraits are different - I don't mind them so much and have been toying with the idea of doing more. But it's not so bad because I am the one in control. Not somebody else, and not to get all pop-psychology on you, but I think it's the lack of control that makes me uncomfortable (which surfaces in other areas of my life to tell you the truth - I am most comfortable when in control of my situation).

If you notice my profile picture it is a picture infact NOT taken by me, but I placed the rolleiflex in front of my camera to make up for it.

 

[Ian Leake]

I don't enjoy having my photo taken by someone else, but I do self portraits quite often for various reasons, although I have no intent of sharing 99% of them with anyone.

 

[Troy]

I'm OK being photographed, and I don't mind snapshots in the least. I've done self-portraits every few years since I became seriously interested in photography. I suppose it would be rather hypocritical of me to put up a stink when someone makes a picture of me since I've made a career and living out of shooting other people.

 

[Black Dog]

There was a self portrait show, mostly by painters IIRC, at the NPG in London a year or so back-that did have lots of men, usually intense looking ones with beards (Must be the sign of a true artist...). Here are the young men, the weight on their shoulders...

 

[catem]

I think I voted too quickly without reading the question properly. (Voted the last one on the list).

I dislike (hate) having my photo taken by others, but have occasionally taken self-portraits and I quite enjoy this. It's all about control - setting it up as I want it, choosing the moment when to press the shutter, choosing if I wish that no other living person shall see the result

I think self-portraiture can be really interesting as a way of looking at identity - how we see ourselves/ how others see us. Maybe it is self-obsessed - although it can make more general statements too. As with all art. It's just that sometimes it's less obvious ...

 

[gr82bart]

Well this is a photographer's forum ... I wonder what the poll results would look like in a model's forum? Hmmm ... :confused:

Regards, Art.

 

[Cheryl Jacobs]

I despise being photographed, but force myself to do them on occasion to remind myself to be sympathetic to my subjects.

 

[midlife crisis]

I used to hate having my photo taken because I disliked my image. Now, I still dislike my image, but like Cheryl, I like to remind myself of what the model is going through. I also, of course, am always missing from family photos because I'm too busy taking them.

 

[Ian Leake]

I despise being photographed, but force myself to do them on occasion to remind myself to be sympathetic to my subjects.

Now that's a sensible philosophy

 

[copake_ham]

I used to hate having my photo taken because I disliked my image. Now, I still dislike my image, but like Cheryl, I like to remind myself of what the model is going through. I also, of course, am always missing from family photos because I'm too busy taking them.

I am similarly perplexed - I always wonder why, since I was there, why is there no picture of me? Then I remember - duh - who is that man behind the lens!

I can only hope that with family photos - someone will figure out that the "missing person" was the shooter!

 

[Chris Breitenstein]

The wording of the options has nothing to do with the thread topic. whether you like or dislike being in front of the camera has nothing to do with shooting self-portraits. If you reword the question you should add a question abot view cameras. I think it would be interesting to see how genders correlate according to shooting self portraits and using a view camera.

Yours;

 

[Charles Webb]

I have never been interested enough in myself or image to attempt to make a self portrait. I have never understood the "why" (vanity in my mind) that motivates those who do. Frankly I would have to be more bored than I have ever been in my life to even consider wasting a sheet of perfectly good film to do a self portrait. I also have never been so alone in my life that I couldn't find another photographer to make a picture of me if I needed one. (Passport etc.) It's a personal thing, I have absolutely no problem with any one else doing what they want with their
film and equipment. I have no need or desire what so ever to make a self portrait. My opinion! What any one else chooses to photograph is totally in my mind up to them.

Charlie.................................

 

[Flotsam]

My avatar is from my only self-portrait session. Taken with a L/M CL with 90mm German Rokkor M using a 20' pneumatic release. The pose betrays my sheer delight at being photographed.

 

[Black Dog]

Nice hat........suits you sir!

 

[MattKing]

My avatar is a self portrait - who says you have to be recognizable in your self portrait?

I am uncomfortable when photographed, but not unwilling.

Matt

 

[bjorke]

"I think it hurts, a little, to be photographed." -- Dianne Arbus

 

[arigram]

I don't care, as long as the light is good, the camera operator is a skilled, there is no embarassing pimples on my nose and the camera is not digital.
I photograph other people, so I accept it myself.
I would find hypocritical to refuse a camera pointed at my direction.
At the same time, all my self portraits have been a disaster, because I can't control my facial expression. The only I've kept is the one I have showed you and crop of is my avatar.
Now that I am passed thirty and the decline is showing on me, I am more concious of my posture...
I guess age has something to do with self image...

 

[catem]

I guess age has something to do with self image...

And gender!

 

[c6h6o3]

I have to be very comfortable with someone to let them point a camera at me, clothed or otherwise.

Since I've had the privilege of making your portrait more than once, I'll take that as a compliment. I feel comfortable with you, too. So does my daughter. (Though I must admit that in her case the fact that you own horses really helps.)

 

[wheelygirl]

Hi everybody!
About this poll: i thought oh, boy this will be fun! And it is! I personally love to get my photo taken, even tho in the past they have all showed what lousy posture I've got!! As well as other flaws. I'm basically a 'ham', I love to "goof about' in front of someone's still camera, but not video! I found out my voice sounds horrible!

Just in case someone might be curious, I have done a self-portrait within the APUG Galleries:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

I would like to able to take more self-portraits--any one willing to tell me how or provide a link?

 

[Akki14]

I would like to able to take more self-portraits--any one willing to tell me how or provide a link?

Cable release/bulb release... sometimes cameras have a selftimer too. Depends on what cameras you use too. Sometimes you get lucky and have a camera that can focus about 2ft or so away so all you have to do is hold out your arms

for focus you can try to stop down the lens as far as possible and take a length of string... tape it to the camera and measure out how far to go and set the focus on the camera lens to that length.

 

[Ian Leake]

I would like to able to take more self-portraits--any one willing to tell me how or provide a link?

if your camera doesn't have a remote (most modern SLRs do I think) or a self timer function, then you'd need to use a cable release or a clockwork timer.

Lots of people use long (e.g. 15 foot) cable releases controlled by an air bulb. I prefer to use a little clockwork timer to fire the shutter. They appear regularly on ebay and go for a few dollars, and work with most cameras which take a screw in cable release.

Benefits: you don't get the cable release in the photo

Challenges: you've normally got aout 20 seconds between starting the timer and the shutter going off so you need to take more care about setting things up, knowing your composition is, etc.