1. How can I get a perspective on myself without being bias in the process? (I am not the most honest and perfect of people, I shall admit)
 
2. I originally had ideas for people in my portrait that affected my life, e.g. loved ones. However now I am inspired to really create an image that shows my deepest truest form of self, are there any tips you can give me to express this?
 
3. In many celebrated photographers work, self-portraiture does include, or feature on their own, loved ones. Is it a little cheesy or in fact silly, if at my age I choose to express part of my self, with images of a girl?
 
4. Are there any tips you can give me to express properties of my personality, through a camera, for example, an easily tripped temper, wear my heart on my sleeve and my imperfection as a person?

I await your reply with anticipation.
Yours Sincerely, Tom

A good first exercise in self-portraiture is to figure out what it is that you like to photograph the most. Why? Because that will tell you a lot about yourself.

For example, scenic photographers as a collective tend to be more insular, more emotionally distant from others, less engaged with others generally, more introspective and thoughtful, and their 'subjects' project LIFE in the form of flora and fauna in often pristine and relatively remote locations. They tend to feel more uncomfortable around people, and only rarely do their lovely scenic portraits include impassioned people. They also have the patience of Job and will wait for days or even weeks if necessary to 'get the shot.'

The photographer has found a match with their personality in their choice of subject.

Or, take the photographer who specializes in macro photography where extreme close-ups are the norm. Their 'subjects' are equally distant from them, albeit at the other extreme. So in that respect they, as personalities, are perhaps not that far afield from the scenic group.

Other photographers strive to 'capture the moment' -- to show the life passion of the sentient being that they are focusing on -- the look in their eyes, the emotion expressed in body posture or stance, inherent tension. These kinds of photographers reside generally closer in to the stream of life and their images reflect this.

People photographers are, in this respect, remarkably different from wildlife photographers. So, too, are wide-angle shooters remarkably different from telephoto shooters. I am talking, of course, about shooters who gravitate to a particular type of photographic style and subject over all others.

We can learn a lot from them, and about them, by watching them.

Indeed, people do the same thing when selecting professions or careers in general. Does the Type A personality gravitate to hectic and high-pressure work places for no good reason? Or do they know, at some level, that they will thrive in that environment because it fits well with who they are as as a person? What drives a first born male or female into leadership positions in the work place, if not to continue to exert the kind of control and guidance of others that they became used to growing up?

We see the things we see because of who we are.
This is another interesting and related concept to explore. If we put a large African Elephant in the middle of a crowd of people, each person in that crowd will view the Elephant quite differently, depending upon where their focus normally resides in life.

For example, a behaviorist will stand back and observe the interactions between the Elephant and the crowd of admirers. They will feel that they can't know the Elephant until a certain amount of interaction data has been obtained. A psychologist in the crowd, however, shall be far more engrossed in observing the Elephant for symptoms of distress, anger, annoyance, excessive obedience, docility, or other such things, and they will smile knowingly when they see them.

A Cardiologist, on the other hand, will surely be thinking about the weight of the Elephant in relation to the size of its heart and its overall health. Just as a Dermatologist will spend little time examining the Elephant's behavior and will focus, instead, on the animal's skin and its remarkable assets and functions.

Many marriage counselors can be heard bemoaning the fact that 'there are no more healthy couples' out there, but you have to remember that that is who they spend their time with day in and day out -- couples in chaos who are seeking help or divorce. These marriage counselors have so learned to train their focus in the direction of a failing marriage that it blinds them to other kinds of couples.

So we do bring ourselves and our past enlightenments with us to any endeavor in the present, and we see the world around through those filters.

In strictly photographic terms, I am often amused by the extreme focus on equipment amongst photo practitioners. I think you will find that this fairly characterizes their LIFE in general, not just themselves as photographers. Their general life focus tends to be external, away from self, critical always, and often highly competitive in nature.

But there is a very large difference between the camera being used to make an image and the person who is pressing the shutter button. A master can achieve a masterpiece no matter what camera he or she uses, because the master sees the world in a very special way. The master has learned to hone in on dynamics in their subjects that are important to them, as well. They feel inside a certain way and that becomes translated and expressed to others via their images.

Someone technically proficient in all aspects of today's digital world may lack a certain compositional flair. And if they do, it is because artistry and a technical knowledge base do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. Their images will not have 'soul' if they are not themselves soulful. Their images will not engage the observer if the photographer him or herself is not an engaging person.

On Knowing the Self
We never really get to see ourselves as others see us. Even if we look at ourselves in a mirror, the mirror distorts. The best we can manage is to strive to know ourselves as best we can, and to try to live in harmony with that sense of self that we have.

Sometimes, perhaps too often in life, we are dumbfounded by the visions that others have of us -- visions that to us seem to be so off-track.

Most often that results from an inconsistency that we ourselves project. If we say one thing and mean another, that is confusing to others. If we say 'yes' to please someone else when we really want to say 'no' -- then our communications will be hopelessly muddled. But if we try to live every minute in accordance with our basic precepts about the world, then others will begin to see us in a way that is closer to how we see ourselves.

The Art of Constructing a Self-Portrait
A self-portrait, then, necessarily comes from within. Injecting 'those we love' into the portrait steers one away from the harder task to trying to reveal self without adornment.

If you eat, sleep, and live for speed then your self-portrait should reflect motion and movement as one of its cornerstones.

If you are a reflective type, then reflections and patterns and their intersections should occupy a primary space.

If overall you feel more flawed then whole, then you wouldn't want to go about photographing the most pristine parts of yourself; you would want, instead, to capture your essence in a manner that describes and defines you without complaining. I say that because the essence of self-discovery requires you to be a benign observer of self so as not to hone in too closely on this or that part.

A sense of 'wholeness' is difficult to capture at best. Indeed, wholeness is almost impossible for some people to even understand -- let alone capture in themselves -- because their persons and their lives are so fragmented, so disorganized in general.

But that is what self-portraiture is all about, capturing the whole -- the whole of who you are as a person.

Try to be unforgiving in a benign and neutral way. Study yourself in the mirror and paint what you see there. Then go inside yourself and paint what you see there.

Dr. Ellen photographs her shadow in the Australian Outback

Two Questions
How can I get a perspective on myself without being biased in the process?

By looking closely at what you do. Let your actions speak louder than words. Let your lifestyle tell you who you are. Look to what your gaze rests for answers about yourself. If you do that the photograph will tell the real story.

Are there any tips you can give me to express properties of my personality, through a camera, for example, an easily tripped temper, wear my heart on my sleeve and my imperfection as a person?

Any focus on parts will fail to reveal the whole self.

So look at your whole self without trying to zero in on various parts. A living whole is always MORE than the mere sum of its parts.

What metaphors in life can you think of that best describes 'tripped temper, heart on the sleeve, and social imperfections' all rolled into one?

It often helps to look through your image collection and see what patterns you find in there. Make a list of your favorite photographic haunts and see what that tells you about yourself. Look closely at the important people in your life and see what they reveal about you. You are what you eat, so look there, too.

Happy Shooting!