Home › #Photography › THE SELFISH ART OF SELF-PORTRAIT

THE SELFISH ART OF SELF-PORTRAIT

By Marilyn Armstrong on 02/08/2014 • ( 48 )

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE: SELFIES

I have a few words I’d like to say about this. The first — and most important — is it ain’t as easy as it looks. Unless you have very long arms … and are young enough so that shooting very close to your skin doesn’t make you look like the Wicked Witch of the West … you’re going to need a mirror.

Good mirrors with decent lighting are always in the bathroom. Never, in my experience, will you find a good mirror in a well-lighted room that has a nice backdrop.

If you are shooting into a mirror, forget flash. And if you are Of A Certain Age, be kind. The point of the exercise is not to reveal to the world every wrinkle, liver spot and scar on your skin. The idea is to produce a portrait of someone you know very well. Yourself. Perhaps to capture a certain mood, a particular look.

It’s okay to try and capture the person you know is inside you … not just the bag of flesh in which your soul resides.

Every great artist, from DaVinci, through Van Gogh, to every modern artist, has done self-portraits.It’s not merely that this is one model who will always be available without notice. It’s the particular challenge of making a picture which exposes more than a lens or an eye can see.

Include what your brain knows and your heart feels.

Technical Information:

Olympus PEN E-PM2
Aperture F1.7
Shutter speed: 1/60 second
ISO 320
No flash
Lens: Panasonic F1.7 20mm Prime Lens
Focal Length: 20mm (35mm equivalent: 40mm)
Spot metering
Post processed with Photoshop CS6 and NIK filters.

Other Entries:

‹ MARILYN MEETS MOSES AND MR. ROBERTS – GARRY ARMSTRONG

CHICKENS, COOPS, CRAZY TURKEYS AND ONE OLD FARMER ›

Categories: #Photography

Tags: #Photography, self-portrait, Selfie, Weekly Photo Challenge

48 replies

psychologistmimi
03/19/2014 • 15:09

great selfie!

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Bette A. Stevens
02/23/2014 • 16:46

Love it! Needless to say, I learned a few more things from you. 🙂

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- Marilyn Armstrong
  02/23/2014 • 16:58
  
  I try to pass along what I learn by making mistakes. I can’t convince my own kids and grandkids to listen, so maybe I can help someone “out there” 😀
  
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  - Bette A. Stevens
    02/23/2014 • 17:01
    
    Go girl!. I can sure relate… and, yes, we’re ‘out here’ listening. 🙂
    
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Hot Rod Cowgirl
02/10/2014 • 04:26

You are beautiful in heart and in spirit…in calling you my friend, I am blessed! God has you covered…8 years today I learned I had cancer in one breast…well all i can say is, “cancer, you met your match”…now get the heck of my body! Marilyn, you will be ok and you will get through this…hang on gf!

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- Marilyn Armstrong
  02/10/2014 • 08:46
  
  You are very kind. Brought tears to my eyes. I’m feeling pretty optimistic that it will work out. I’m not exactly looking forward to it … but I’m ready to deal with it . I needed time me to work my head around to the right place.I will get through .. With friends like you, how could I not?
  
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Tina Schell
02/08/2014 • 16:16

Well done – and cudos for REALLY showing yourself in your selfie 🙂

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- Marilyn Armstrong
  02/08/2014 • 16:17
  
  Thanks. It’s the first time the magic has worked 🙂 I also figured out the right lens to use (40mm, F1.7). That made a HUGE difference.
  
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Rose
02/08/2014 • 14:56

Marilyn! This is a great picture of you! But, why aren’t you smiling? 😀 I can only imagine what kind of fancy photowork I would have to do before I would be able to post a “selfie.” Just don’t have that kind of positive body image within me!

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- Marilyn Armstrong
  02/08/2014 • 14:59
  
  It’s difficult to smile naturally there’s no one around but you. A fake smile — no matter how you do it — looks fake. Not smiling beats the fake smile hands down!
  
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  - Rose
    02/08/2014 • 15:02
    
    I’m sure Garry would have come to the bathroom and tickled you or thrown out crazy jokes until you laughed!
    
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- Marilyn Armstrong
  02/08/2014 • 15:04
  
  This can help with the body image. Most of us have an inflated idea of how terrible we look. Reality can sometimes help. Or not.
  
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Raewyn's Photos
02/08/2014 • 13:30

You look great. 😀

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- Marilyn Armstrong
  02/08/2014 • 13:58
  
  Thanks. Honestly I took the pictures partly because I know in a few weeks, I will look like hell and feel worse. At least I have photographic evidence that I didn’t look so bad before the surgery!
  
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vastlycurious.com
02/08/2014 • 12:58

You look MARVELOUS !

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- Marilyn Armstrong
  02/08/2014 • 13:05
  
  Hey, the way you say that is (ahem) “You look MAHVELOUS dahling. Just MAHVELOUS.” 🙂
  
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  - vastlycurious.com
    02/09/2014 • 00:36
    
    Thank you my lovely woman!
    
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Miss Lou
02/08/2014 • 11:58

#Love It Great idea! It’s been a little while since I’ve taken a selfie. I usually take them with my webcam. (Easier than the arm reach. Lol)

Great post.

ML
X

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- Marilyn Armstrong
  02/08/2014 • 12:07
  
  I just hate the quality of webcam photos. Yes, easier … but definitely uglier.
  
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  - Miss Lou
    02/08/2014 • 12:16
    
    Lol, all of the pictures in my header, including the one of me making a puffer fish impression were taken with my webcam…
    
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    - Marilyn Armstrong
      02/08/2014 • 12:17
      
      The first time I saw myself on the webcam, I literally screamed in horror and swore I’d NEVER turn it on again. OMG I was hideous!
      
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      - Miss Lou
        02/08/2014 • 12:28
        
        LOL, I certainly can relate to that! Though try not take myself too seriously…
        Great post.
        
        ML
        X
        
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        Marilyn Armstrong
        02/08/2014 • 12:53
        
        You don’t have to take yourself seriously as a personality or as “important” … but it’s perfectly legit to take yourself seriously as a photographic subject and approach yourself with the same vision you would give to any other person you were shooting. I think we sell ourselves short … especially women.
        
        Sometimes, when Garry and I are sitting watching TV in the evening, complaining about our aches and pains, one of us looks at the other and says “But we look GOOD.” We can’t make the aches go away … but we can keep that exterior looking spiffy!!
        
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        Miss Lou
        02/08/2014 • 13:17
        
        Perhaps. I have many beautiful pictures of myself that I love, though I also really enjoy the play involved with having a bit of fun.
        
        Although I would honestly like say that appearances don’t hold any value in the grand scheme of things, they do on some level and it’s nice to reflect on lovely pictures of ourselves at times. I’ve got a collection of both… Lol #HealthySelfAdmiration.. *snorks*
        
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Richard Bramer
02/08/2014 • 11:49

First time through your blog here. I like it! You have such a pleasant tone. Good advice on selfies.

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- Marilyn Armstrong
  02/08/2014 • 12:07
  
  Thank you 🙂 Nice to meet you!
  
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Ruth
02/08/2014 • 10:05

Love it! You look great, Marilyn.
And your tip about the mirror is a good one. I put up one that I should take down after reading about the witch. YIKES>

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- Marilyn Armstrong
  02/08/2014 • 12:11
  
  I stopped trying to just take a picture and graduated to trying to take a GOOD picture … so a whole different game plan ensued. I started taking it as a challenge. I’m not easy to photograph … really not. Too close, at the wrong angle and I look fat, old, and even just a bit sinister.
  
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Words We Women Write
02/08/2014 • 09:19

for me, less is more 🙂

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- Marilyn Armstrong
  02/08/2014 • 09:57
  
  If you have good shooting conditions and a good little camera … you don’t need more.
  
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  - Garry Armstrong
    02/08/2014 • 11:18
    
    Didja notice I cleaned the mirror?? Nice selfie, Mrs. A. You’re cute. Very cute.
    
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    - Marilyn Armstrong
      02/08/2014 • 11:33
      
      I did indeed notice and me and my camera thank you kindly, sir 🙂
      
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litadoolan
02/08/2014 • 05:09

Lovely photo. Thoughtful and ageless. Looking directly forward but also into the space ahead (the future maybe or to the viewer?). Self portraits fascinate. I think it’s something that takes a lot of confidence. Brilliant execution.

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- Marilyn Armstrong
  02/08/2014 • 09:32
  
  I don’t know about confidence… more like applying to my self the same principles I use when I shoot someone else. It’s hard to look at oneself dispassionately for angles and lighting, etc.
  
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getfitnowhere
02/08/2014 • 03:40

yes I agree.

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viveka
02/08/2014 • 01:38

Excellent selfie – I try to avoid ending up in my own photos .. not at all comfortable in front of a camera. Thanks for the plingback and I wish you a pleasant weekend.

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- Marilyn Armstrong
  02/08/2014 • 01:55
  
  Thank you!!
  
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Behind the Story
02/08/2014 • 00:39

I think your photo turned out really good! I’ve tried a couple of selfies. The worst one can be seen on my blog. I decided I needed a photo of myself brushing my teeth. As you might imagine, the result was both ugly and unrealistic.
You did a great job explaining the problems of one encounters when taking a selfy and the intention behind self-portraiture.

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- Marilyn Armstrong
  02/08/2014 • 00:46
  
  Thank you. I do some touching up too — using native tools from Photoshop. We touch up pictures of our dogs and landscapes. We use special effect taking pictures of Christmas lights, cars and sunrises … so why should complete honesty be required for a self-portrait? I use a “glamor glow” effect to soften everything, a bit fixing on deep shadows on my neck (I am not young and I only wish I could do it “for real” as easily and painlessly!) … and I don’t over sharpen. Plus the usual lightening, contrast adjusting and cropping that are so automatic I don’t think about them at all. But I have to admit it took me a LOT of tries to come up with a formula that works. It’s a good formula for portraits of any older person. No one needs to look ugly in a portrait. And cameras can be very cruel … ironically a lot more cruel than human eyes will be 🙂
  
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  - Behind the Story
    02/08/2014 • 01:13
    
    How nice to have all that camera skill! I bought my first digital camera last week. I don’t know whether I’ll ever attempt to get fancy.
    
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    - Marilyn Armstrong
      02/08/2014 • 01:56
      
      Simple is good too 😊
      
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Mike
02/08/2014 • 00:26

Nice photo Marilyn!

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- Marilyn Armstrong
  02/08/2014 • 00:29
  
  Thank you. I’ve been practicing. It IS harder than it looks, especially the lighting and figuring out which lens you can use that’s fast enough, but won’t make you look like a blimp 🙂
  
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  - Mike
    02/08/2014 • 00:36
    
    You look good.
    
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    - Marilyn Armstrong
      02/08/2014 • 00:49
      
      Ironic, eh?
      
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