One of the things where I wish I had some more inspiration is in the area of photography projects.

I’m constantly in awe of people like David Maisel, whose projects include things like Asylum (all taken in the desolate /defunct Oregon State Hospital) and Library of Dust, also taken at the Oregon State Hospital.  Maisel’s “About the project” page explains

Library of Dust depicts individual copper canisters, each containing the cremated remains of patient from a state-run psychiatric hospital. The patients died at the hospital between 1883 (the year the facility opened, when it was called the Oregon State Insane Asylum) and the 1970’s; their bodies have remained unclaimed by their families.

I find these projects fascinating. There are countless others that have no hold over me at all – but they all have a hold over their photographers, and to me that’s the important thing.

I’ve got a couple of ideas for long-term photography projects, but I still need to find the inspiration, the urge, the project that takes a hold on me, rather than being “just” a project to get involved in.

Maybe that takes time, that as the project goes from “just” a project to something that needs to be completed. I don’t know. I wonder if I’ll ever find out.

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.

As I said in the previous post, I went out on Friday to Bussey’s Loke, near Hempnall in Norfolk, to take some photos of a burned-out Transit Van in a field.

I don’t know why the van was there, whether it was stolen (or not), why it was burned out, how long it’s been there, or anything else about it. But it does make for some interesting photos.

I’ve plonked the ones I’m pleased with in the Norfolk category, but I’m particularly pleased (for no good, or explainable reason) with this one of the engine block and this one of the door and interior of the van.