The Self-Fixation

I believe in the art of the self portrait.

It is as solitary a pursuit as I find in photography. Just the camera, and a man. I have found it to be a cleansing process, an inspiring process.

Maybe it is an exercise in narcissism, yes. But time almost ceases to exist, creativity is boundless; and perfection is that much closer with every shot. When you're having that much fun, why stop?

Artists the world over spend considerable time and effort creating what they hope will express their being as they see it; yet it is also interesting to see that practiced self-portraiture is about the thin line between what people really are and how they want others to see them. Either way, the appeal is the same: a medium to amplify our artistic expression by becoming our own muse for a change; spending serious alone time and establishing another level of intimate connection with our own abilities, and limits. Or maybe it is just a guilty thrill of seeing our tired faces in our images.

So this is an addictive and challenging exercise to come up regularly with creative images, and I put my hat off to those who start and complete "365-day" picture projects... although I wouldn't ever commit to one. For me, self photography is where I take occasional refuge when everything else is in a rut, or when I just have nothing to do, or just too little time to shoot something else. A good image always helps me regain creative focus and is sort of like 'chicken soup' for my soul.

These are my best efforts. Arranged in reverse chronological order.