Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Self






















I don't often think about shooting my own image.  First of all it comes with technical challenges, but to an even larger degree is understanding the motivating factors and what one try to say with the image.  Here are two images I took in 2007.  2007 was a difficult year for me, the loss of my mother began to make me think about my own mortality, what I wanted to accomplish with my work in the time I had left.

Self-portraits have been a method of self-exploration since humans first gazed at their own reflection in a pool of water. With the invention of the mirror came an even stronger fascination to capture one's likeness.   Self-portraits,  can show the audience only what the artist wishes to project, or deeply revealing, inadvertently displaying feelings of anguish and pain. Self-portraits have been used to test new techniques, make a signature mark, launch into self-study, remember the past, and as a way to release emotion. Whichever way photographers choose to construct their images, they are each forced to study their own personas both physically and emotionally.  For some the self-portrait is cathartic experience, a letting go of pent-up emotions. For others, the process reveals new insights about themselves and their work. For all artists, the self-portrait is an exploration, an opportunity to see beyond the image in the mirror and begin to search into the soul.


Note: All images and text (not specified) is copyrighted by Christopher Cushman. This site does not specify or denote the sexual orientation of any model and as such please post your comments accordingly.

1 comment:

kanhak said...

ITs much more nice to see the photographer ,
than the model posing .
another interesting aspect is the first pose is brutal and staring and the second pose is warm and affectionate two faces of all men.

you must take more snaps of yours not in closeups but like your models in pristine clarity and whole image shots.