One of the project assignments as part of my NCFE photography course has been to create a self-portrait. Personally, I’m finding this to be a really difficult assignment, so I thought I’d write a bit about my thoughts on self-portraits.

First of all, I’m not a fan of self-portraits at all. I understand that they’re a form that makes use of a cheap model (oneself) who doesn’t charge by the hour, and who can sit for hundreds of photos (paintings, whatever) without complaint. Some self-portraits are fascinating – I’m thinking particularly of the M C Escher “Self Portrait in a Spherical Mirror” or the series done by Robert Mapplethorpe of himself every year as HIV and AIDS affected his body and face – but for the most part I just find them to be self-indulgent.  It’s fair to say they’re far from my favourite genre of artworks.

From a commercial point of view, I also don’t get self-portraits. If you want to sell photos, believe me, they’re not likely to be ones of yourself. Sure, they’re great to hang in a gallery once you’re dead – but they’re not going to sell while you’re still alive. (unless you’re particularly well thought-of and/or pretty)  In fact I’d say that commercially you’re going to be able to sell pretty much anything except self-portraits. Someone out there will like what you’ve done, but only friends and family might be interested in a picture of yourself.

The final problem is more to do with my own self-image – I don’t like being in photos, I don’t like the way I look, never have and likely never will. So for me a self-portrait is pretty much torture incarnate as well – and I’ll likely never find one that I’m happy with. Which makes for a further issue when it comes to the assignment.

So I don’t know, I just have a problem with self-portraits.