Self-Portriat as an Insomniac, 4:45 AM, no sleep

Self Portrait of an insomniac at 4:45 AM with no sleep. (Eeyore, in the bathroom mirror at ISO 800) [Eeyore is my Canon EOS 10D)

Self portrait with Keith at Green Lakes, 11/20/03 

Self portrait at pond, 11/18/03 

Self portrait with headlamp and telephone, talking to Keith, 12/1/2003 

Self portrait with hair and flowers, 3/31/04 

A Self Portrait for Mother's Day, taken today, May 6, 2004 to give my mother on May 8. Our front yard in early morning light! 

New policy

It has just occurred to me that when someone goes back to view older posts using the links in the sidebar, they cannot see the picture and text TOGETHER, the way I intend them. I don't have time to fix that now, but from now on, I will try to post the comments and pictures they go with together. Maybe someday, if I'm bored, ha ha (that's almost likely to happen!), I will go back and combine the comments and pictures. I'm sure you are waiting with bated breath for this improvement, right? Right, black hole? Yes, you!

Self Portrait in Rear-View Mirror at Belle Isle

I edited the picture slightly. This is what I did: I cranked up the saturation slightly and added a warming filter at a low percentage. I also darkened the irises of my eyes because they didn't show up. I was going to delete the original, but decided to leave them both.

Of the recent posts, I like the Mayday portrait best. I like looking happier and younger. Do I have to be honest and show the real me? Who IS the real me? Is it this aging person or the younger one inside, younger, or ageless? People recognize me (or don't) by my face. Is my face who I am? Is it more that a graphic element to play with on photoshop? How much does the image of my face correlate with the me inside? How much does the inherited elements of the face affect who am I inside and how much does who I am affect my face?

In the background of these rearview mirror shots, spicebush in flower is visible as little yellow dots. The blue at the top is the tinted glass of the windsheild which I rarely even notice.

This picture was taken at Belle Isle on May 2. If you would like to read my journal from that outing, click here. To see other photos from that day, click here, here, and here. To read the day's serial story entry, click here.

Self Portrait in Rear-View Mirror at Belle Isle 

Self Portrait with Olli at Belle Isle in Rear View Mirror. I have poison ivy on my eyelids. Too much crawling around in the bushes. I also have a fear that younger people looking at my face will think that because I am "old," I have nothing to say to them. Tell me I'm wrong! I think all humans have something to say to each other. We can care, dialogue and learn from each other no matter what age we are. 

Self-portraits

A photographer doesn't always have cooperative subjects nearby, so I often use myself as a model. On the one hand, this seems a little conceited. On the other hand, it is very practical, as I am more cooperative and handy that other people. I don't have to get signed releases from anyone. I also have the enjoyment of continuously redefining who I am. Fun! :-)

Self-portrait with rue anemone and robins eggs, May 1, 2005.

Who I am on May Day

The self portrait of me on May Day was taken (by me) at the trash heap behind a rural cemetery in Michigan. I had been out walking, talking pictures of wildflowers, and avoiding places where I felt unwelcome. You can read about my adventures on May Day at The Invisible Trail. The pictures for this portrait were taken with an Olympus point and shoot digital camera (Olly). [Camera model C7000Z, focal length 7.9 mm, 1/250 @f/4 ISO 80.] The blue flower in my hair was scavenged from the trash heap and made of cloth--the rue anemones were real. The pictures were combined to make a postcard for my mother who is in a nursing home. View my mother on a nature hike at the same link above. Postcards for my mother are a meaningful excuse for making self-portraits.

Shaman Lady's Car

Shaman Lady's Car, Self-portrait 3/30/2004 Click on image to see larger.

I collect skulls and bones and had just found a deer jaw. I loved the reflections of the trees on the surface of the car and windshield, so I made this self-portrait.

Self-portrait in a planter at Burger King (family)

In a Planter at Burger King (US!). This is a self-portrait of all three of us on Graham's tenth birthday.

On the Trail, Self-Portrait at Three Rivers

On the Trail, Self Portrait 1/7/2004

Sometimes I use pictures of myself to play on Photoshop or experiment with other photo-editing programs in order to see what they do. This picture was made in Irfanview with a terrible picture of me that I had taken with my webcam indoors in the winter. I was dressed very warmly because it was uncomfortably cold in the house. I pasted that picture into a picture I had taken of the back part of the Rock Pond Berm Trail at Three Rivers. I love the trail and the picture of the trail because of the multiple layers and "gateways" and the lighting. I also found a hawk skull near that spot, in perfect shape. This picture was treated with a oil painting filter which softens the focus and resolution. I generally prefer a sharper focus, but this was an enlightening experiment for me.

Self Portrait of Mary as "Geraldine"

Mary Self-portrait as "Geraldine," 9/29/03

Poem about "Geraldine."

Failed Self-portrait, June 30, 2002. Lake Bled, Slovenia. Not all self-portraits work. Sometimes, when I attempt a photo of myself, I cut my head off.

Self-Portrait with Erwin, Sara, and Margaret on Easter Sunday 2001

Self-Portrait with Erwin, Sara, and Margaret on Easter Sunday 2001, by Mary Stebbins (Camera set on Car). Click on picture to see larger.