Self-Portrait Without the Self

Note: I came up with this assignment back around 2004(?) or thereabouts. The text and images are from that time period. Some of you were still wetting your diapers at that time. The setting is my former home in Albuquerque.

Self-Portrait without the Self ____________________________________Valdis Garoza

Self-portraits by artists concentrate on the image of the artist, obviously. Mirrors have been utilized in the vast majority of paintings and drawings done by artists where accuracy in the physical likeness is a major concern. Photographers have the added benefit of using self-timers and avoiding mirrors completely if so desired.

A physical likeness of one’s appearance is not the only way to create an image of who we are. We constantly leave a trail of evidence in our lives that also provide clues to our identity. We provide reflections of ourselves in the way we arrange and decorate our homes, in the collections of items that reflect our interests on bookshelves, workshops, and studios. Is music a major interest in your life? How would you show this in a photograph? An obvious indication of one of your interests is your camera. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be taking this class. How can you utilize your photo equipment in a shot to suggest this interest? What mementos have you collected from various places that shed a light on your interests in other locations? How is your clothes closet arranged? What does your kitchen sink generally look like? What does all of this evidence say about you? And how can you set up and take photographs to reveal different things about yourself?

There are two basic approaches you might take: take photographs of things and places as they exist in your world, or select and arrange your clues in still-life arrangements that are meaningful to you. The example sheet will explain this.

The computer desk with all that sits on it (b) has been a major part of my life. The computer is an important link to my friends in different parts of the country as well as the planet. It has also put this course material into print. The objects in this shot were not arranged - this is the way that this particular corner of my life always looked - a bit haphazard, casual, sloppy, cluttered, and seemingly unorganized, although I could find anything I needed (within reason and a few exceptions). The model cars are indicators of my interest in cars, and, since they come complete and finished, to me indicate that I no longer have the energy or desire to assemble my own car kits that have sat for years untouched in boxes in my closet. Other objects in that photo also have a history behind them. The artistic input into this shot is deliberate: I chose a high angle for compositional reasons rather than shoot it as I would normally see it. I may have thus gained an artistic advantage, but at the cost of not reflecting my daily view of the desk as I sat in the chair. Images (a) and (f) are similar in that they were not intentionally arranged settings.

The rest of the images were arrangements of things that I felt reflected something about me. The objects in (d) tell a history. That is my first real digital camera pointing to one of the favorite cars I ever owned, a Volvo PV 544. The car sits on a plastic box filled with some of the tools of my artistic trade, color pencils. My current artwork appears in different places. Again, each arrangement tells a story. The artwork in (g) reveals a collection of different styles I have gone through, giving me a valuable historical perspective and food for thought. The main lesson presented in (i) is one of dreams allowed to slip away. The guitar has 4 strings and a layer of dust, indicating that I never learned to play it as had I wanted to do (or thought that I did). The back of the hand drum behind it has a beautiful pattern of strings that keep the head tight, but the drum is also an indication that it is an instrument that I have learned to play and that I shared the pleasure of doing so in a drum circle group that I started back in Ohio. Drumming came easily, the guitar demanded discipline. What does that say?

So…present a self-portrait without your physical image. Look at the clues that you have been spreading about yourself. Select, arrange, and take meaningful shots in their natural condition and appearance. This assignment involves a narrative - a story about who you are.

Requirements for this assignment:

This will be your last assignment.

1. You will submit at least 10 photos
2. I want you to include an actual self-portrait that you should take, or have taken, when you are finished or nearly finished taking your photos. This should be a creative self-portrait that reveals something about you.
3. I also want you to do some writing about your photos, perhaps similar to the way I described my photo example.