Self Portrait #2

Like the other self portrait I posted a while back, this one was done using the camera embedded in my computer and filters in Photoshop. I don’t know what it is about the self portrait and why so many artists choose to try their hand at it. As with any art form, I suppose the self portrait gives the artist yet another vehicle with which to portray their vision, controlling how much to reveal or how little, and in this case, how they see themselves or want to be seen – and not necessarily in the same way others view them. I always learn something new about myself in photographs whether taken by me or someone else. Like, why is it that I always look so wistful? Or my eyes so sad? Sometimes I see the residual effect my (past?) illness has had upon me. Those pictures captured back then, I have trouble looking at, even now. Maybe someday I’ll be brave enough to post a self portrait that hasn’t been retouched or the light diffused as in this one where part of my facial features, namely my mouth, are gone. I didn’t intend it to be that way – it sort of happened on its own. I found what Sperlygirl wrote in her post about self portraits and the discovery of oneself intriguing. The ones of her belly and baby to come are simply breathtaking – their impact so great, I’ve been thinking about the process ever since.