Taking a truly magnetic self-portrait is no simple matter; five creative shooters break down how they do it
GALLERY PREVIEW
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We can all point a camera at ourselves. But to make a truly thought-provoking, beautiful, and magnetic self-portrait is another matter. Read on to see how some top photographers are lifting self-portraiture to new heights, and let their stunning work inspire you to make your own.
The current rage for selfies among shooters of all ages and backgrounds comes as no surprise. Self-portraiture has exerted an irresistible appeal to photographers from the medium’s earliest years, and, with smartphones, it’s easier than ever to shoot one. And today talented photographers continue to focus on themselves with amazing results that far surpass most of what slides through your Instagram feed. The five interviewed here have collectively spent decades using themselves as models. Here’s how they do it, and why they are their own best subjects.
Why Self-Portraits?
Liu Bolin of Beijing, China, whom you can (just barely) make out in the image above, uses the self-portrait for unusually elevated ends: as a political tool in the struggle for human rights. In 2005, Liu explains, Beijing city management forcibly demolished Suo Jia Cun, at the time Asia’s largest artist community. As one of the creative people who resided there, Liu started Hiding in the City, a series of photographic self-portraits meant to spotlight the effort to make Liu and his fellow artists “disappear.”
Liu’s Hiding in the City portraits are no ordinary photographs; they require a team of painters and photo assistants who spend upwards of four hours for a typical portrait, applying paint to his body and clothing. Each project takes weeks of research, including background scouting, paint matching, and preliminary test shoots. (See more of his work at kleinsungallery.com.)
In our group, though, he’s atypical. For most of the photographers described here, self-portraits make a personal—not political—statement. Many got their starts in self-portraiture as insecure art students who were curious about how they looked to the outside world. Sara Lando (saralando.com), an Italian fashion and advertising photographer, is typical. “For me, self-portraits were a form of therapy,” she explains. “I started taking [them] as a way to find out things about myself. I wasn’t the most confident girl growing up, and [I was fascinated by] how I could trick the camera into making me appear beautiful.”
Ironically, she ultimately discovered that flattering pictures of herself didn’t capture her authentic self. Learning the difference between images made to gratify her vanity and those that expressed her inner life, she says, was a catalyst that helped her become a better photographer of herself and others. Now, multifaceted images of herself reveal an emotionally complex persona that she feels is truer.
Photo:Sara Lando
The current rage for selfies among shooters of all ages and backgrounds comes as no surprise. Self-portraiture has exerted an irresistible appeal to photographers from the medium’s earliest years, and, with smartphones, it’s easier than ever to shoot one. And today talented photographers continue to focus on themselves with amazing results that far surpass most of what slides through your Instagram feed. The five interviewed here have collectively spent decades using themselves as models. Here’s how they do it, and why they are their own best subjects.
Why Self-Portraits?
Liu Bolin of Beijing, China, whom you can (just barely) make out in the image above, uses the self-portrait for unusually elevated ends: as a political tool in the struggle for human rights. In 2005, Liu explains, Beijing city management forcibly demolished Suo Jia Cun, at the time Asia’s largest artist community. As one of the creative people who resided there, Liu started Hiding in the City, a series of photographic self-portraits meant to spotlight the effort to make Liu and his fellow artists “disappear.”
Liu’s Hiding in the City portraits are no ordinary photographs; they require a team of painters and photo assistants who spend upwards of four hours for a typical portrait, applying paint to his body and clothing. Each project takes weeks of research, including background scouting, paint matching, and preliminary test shoots. (See more of his work at kleinsungallery.com.)
In our group, though, he’s atypical. For most of the photographers described here, self-portraits make a personal—not political—statement. Many got their starts in self-portraiture as insecure art students who were curious about how they looked to the outside world. Sara Lando (saralando.com), an Italian fashion and advertising photographer, is typical. “For me, self-portraits were a form of therapy,” she explains. “I started taking [them] as a way to find out things about myself. I wasn’t the most confident girl growing up, and [I was fascinated by] how I could trick the camera into making me appear beautiful.”
Ironically, she ultimately discovered that flattering pictures of herself didn’t capture her authentic self. Learning the difference between images made to gratify her vanity and those that expressed her inner life, she says, was a catalyst that helped her become a better photographer of herself and others. Now, multifaceted images of herself reveal an emotionally complex persona that she feels is truer.
Photo:Sara Lando
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