January 2005 Album Blog

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January 2005 Album Blog

Posted by Chris Garner on Saturday, October 22, 2011 Under: Monthly Album Blog

It was lucky that the idea for the self portrait project arrived only a few days before the start of 2005. I think if I'd thought about it too much, the commitment and the scale of the project would have been a little daunting. As it was, I just took each day as it came and tried to keep awake and aware for anything interesting I'd encounter during the day.

It was obvious that I needed to be as inventive as I could and keep the photographs as interesting as possible, for my sake as well as that of the viewer. Luckily, a couple of photos early on worked really well. These made me want to keep the standard up, and to push the extents of what I could achieve with my very basic little £100 Olympus camera.

I began to experiment with blurred images (through the camera's night setting) quite early on and to look for interesting effects with light and shadow.

I also began to experiment with the idea of what a 'self' is; and what a 'self portrait' is. If my image is lost within the swirl and blur of light, is it still a self portrait; and if so, what is it saying? Conversely, if the image is entirely filled with just the T-shirt I am wearing, is this a portrait of my 'self'?

Looking back at the month's photographs I can see certain ideas forming and the beginning of an interesting year. I hope you enjoy the photographs and are inspired to begin your own projects.

C F Garner

In : Monthly Album Blog

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