A Photographers Self Portrait
A photographer takes photos just like any other human being can in this world. But then why are some classified as photographers and others not?
My belief is that a photographer is a person who firstly, knows the function of a camera and how to work it, because then what might seem a mistake to some, is done on purpose by the creator for a reason. Secondly, I believe a photographer is someone who can conceptualise their images, because the entire thinking process, the mental creating, is an art form in itself.
Compared to someone who takes a photo on their phone and uploads it to a social media, this is not an artist. Although I have seen the term Phoneographer arise, or Phone-Photographer, which is the act of photographing with your phone device and uploading with or without the use of phone app post production. I personally find this term a funny one. As a photographer myself, I sometimes get bored carrying around my heavy bag of equipment, and result in capturing some pretty nifty snaps on my phone which I put through Photoshop Express and VSCO Cam.
Back to a photographers selfie, looking at photographers like Cindy Sherman and her series Untitled Film Stills, her self portraits from this series show her taking on a different persona to explore a certain theme or topic.
Each image holds a truth, a story behind it. The personas take on a different reality that Sherman wants to portray herself through.
In relation to the Selfie, or Self Portrait, what makes Shermans photographs art, and stand out from the sea of selfies, is the fact that she has been able to put a context behind the photograph, giving it a story, giving it depth. From looking at her images we can read into them rather than a flat selfie of another human being.
