The collected XII/XII
I set out at the beginning of the year to take twelve months worth of self portraits. I said back at the beginning of the project that I wanted to up the quality of my self-portrait photography as I felt it lagged somewhat behind what I am able to achieve when I pointed the lens at landscapes. I also wanted to see if I could actually complete a creative project - I've explained before that I'm a great one for starting things and then never finishing them.
So I did feel a great deal of satisfaction that I actually managed to complete this project and I think some of the photos below are really amongst the best of my modest efforts. There were a couple of months where the enthusiasm did wane a bit. June - August were poor ones - limp efforts really, though in my defence I was pretty ill all June and July.
It'll be interesting to look back on these in the future as, I'll be frank, 2010 has not been a brilliant year for me. I've been dogged with bad luck, ill health and financial and business related problems all year and to be honest I'm glad to see the back of it. 2011 is to be a clean break for me and I look forward to some exciting changes ahead with optimism - though I'll need a rest first!
Still I can at least hold up this project as some sort of worthwhile product of a poor year. I hope you enjoyed it. I can honestly say that I did too, especially as I bloody finished it, fuckers! And furthermore, it never became another rod for my back. Just a welcome diversion from other problems.
Yay for me.
Happy new year. I do hope you all move forward, as I intend to.
Anyway, enough of my blah. Here's all twelve months worth of shots, with liner notes and links. You can click the thumbnails to open up enlargements to view or keep on flickr.
Enjoy and please have a great New Year.
"unadorned" - December 19, 2010
on "unadorned"
Only two shots, minimal makeup and outfit, hair tied back. An attempt to close the project on a note of simplicity and grace. Two attributes that can't normally be applied to my self-portraits...
- 'unadorned' on this blog
- The set on flickr
- All my photos from 19th December 2010, on flickr
Shot on Nikon D70
"boy / girl" - November 20, 2010
on "boy / girl"
This was inspired by the similar concept below that I executed the previous month in Second Life. It's also something of a cliche of trans-selfportraiture that I've never personally tried before. Finally, it's probably my best ever use of the red wall which has appeared in a lot of my self portraiture over the years. Enough now probably, so I will have to look for other backdrops and other forms of self-expression.
- 'boy / girl' on this blog
- The set on flickr
- All my photos from 20th November 2010, on flickr
Shot on Nikon D70
"second gender" - October 24, 2010
on "second gender"
An attempt to prove that my transgendered nature was as appliable to the plastic realm of virtual worlds as to reality.
- 'second gender' on this blog
- The set on flickr
- All my photos from 24th October 2010, on flickr
Shot on Second Life viewer 2 snapshot / Photosphere
"von bondage" - September 19, 2010
on "von bondage"
This homage to a classic fashion shoot of Milla Jovovich by Ellen Von Unwerth is probably my favourite of the twelve shoots, both from a "creative" perspective - choosing angles, lighting, props and costume to match the original shots, and as the model and subject, posing in such sexually charged scenarios. I just think this came out well all round. The shots are a bit risqué in parts and I actually got into trouble with flickr for not rating some correctly at the time!
- 'von bondage' on this blog
- See some of the original shots from The Face for comparison, kindly scanned by 'homicidal insomniac'
- The set on flickr
- All my photos from 19th September 2010, on flickr
Shot on Nikon E5700
"work in progress" - August 22, 2010
"work in progress"
- 'work in progress' on this blog
- The set on flickr
- All my photos from 22nd August 2010, on flickr
Shot on Nikon D70
"quick change" - July 24, 2010
on "quick change"
Some of these images were chosen to be retouched by flickr based transwoman admirer, PK_OK, much to my surprise.
- 'quick change' on this blog
- The self-portrait project explained on this blog
- The set on flickr
- All my photos from 24th July 2010, on flickr
Shot on Nikon D70
"le fag dans le gob" - June 4, 2010
"le fag dans le gob"
- 'le fag dans le gob' on this blog
- The set on flickr
- All my photos from 4th June 2010, on flickr
Shot on Apple iSight webcam / Photo Booth, chat software screengrab
"diastrophisms" - May 15, 2010
"diastrophisms"
- 'diastrophisms' on this blog
- The set on flickr
- All my photos from 15th May 2010, on flickr
Shot on Nikon D70, Apple iPhone 3GS / Hipstamatic, Apple iSight / Photo Booth
"the loneliness of the business traveller" - April 1, 2010
on "the loneliness of the business traveller"
Jury's Inn, Deansgate, Manchester
- 'the loneliness of the business traveller' on this blog
- The set on flickr
- All my photos from 1st April 2010, on flickr
Shot on Nikon D70
"wintermute" / "dangerous days" - March 20, 2010
on "wintermute" / "Dangerous days"
Amazing what you can find in the bathtub, really
- 'wintermute' on this blog
- 'dangerous days' on this blog
- Wintermute - set on flickr
- Dangerous Days - set on flickr
- All my photos from 20th March 2010, on flickr
Shot on Nikon D70
"hiro(re)mix" - February 13, 2010
"hiro(re)mix"
- 'hiro(re)mix' on this blog
- The set on flickr
- All my photos from 13th February 2010, on flickr
Shot on Nikon E5700, Apple iSight webcam / Photo Booth
"wheels turn" - January 28, 2010
on "wheels turn"
The blog post that introduces these photographs outlines the motives that infuse this year's worth of work. It also highlights the inspiration I gain from other self-portrait photographers such as Yulia Gorodinski, who provided me the initial impetus for this work.
- 'autoerotica' on this blog
- The set on flickr
- All my photos from 28th January 2010, on flickr
Shot on Nikon E5700 / Apple iPhone
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