Self-Portraits

Self-portraits do hold certain advantages over other types of portraits. You don’t have to feel uneasy about confronting the subject to ask their permission to photograph. I suppose you can still feel uneasy, but in most cases you don’t, or I don’t. You don’t have to get a model release. I mean you could, but what would be the point?  Usually, you’re pretty cooperative. You have a pretty good idea on what you want to look like. There is no fee involved. No one else has to know. All in all it’s not a bad idea. On the other hand, there may be some element of vanity in self-portraits. I mean if you thought you were particularly repulsive looking, and you weren’t too crazy, would you really what to record it? Save it to silver or a digital file?  Of course self-portraits can also render some not so hidden truths…that maybe you are a little nuts.