Monday, February 13, 2012

Self-Portrait

I wanted to create an image of myself that shows who I am inside.  That displays what I see when I look at myself in my mind's eye.

It's sometimes difficult to reconcile our inner vision with physical reality.  Mirrors show us signs of aging, crooked smiles (I have one) and various flaws.  No matter...

I took a recent photo and played with it a little.  Softening the focus, smoothing out the background.  Of course I'm not this good-looking in person; this is an idealized view of myself, not a literal one.  I'm striving to capture my spirit.



What would a portrait of you look like if it showed your true spirit?

23 comments:

  1. Beautiful picture! I am too tired to answer your question about what my portrait would look like. This is something I would have to think about.

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  2. Good question. I love editing pictures, so I try to create my "ideal" portrait all the time. I think it would show me the way I see myself in the mirror, which has NOT ONCE translated correctly to a camera.

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    1. Ok. I did a vintage/yearbook-like adaptation of this picture because I thought it would be neat. I don't know if you'll like it or not, but here you go. http://t.co/69T21RRU

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    2. Thank you, Kat! It has a nice feel to it. It's sort of the alternate-reality I *wished* I could have had. Thank you.

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  3. nice pics ..i love it...

    hope you could visit my blog too...

    kissses!!!

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  4. You are beautiful dear. I have a few pictures in my zillions of myself that sorta reflect the 'me' I see. When I look at photos of myself, and since I take so many now with the blog, I don't see the me I know on the inside.

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  5. I take so many pictures of myself, and most of them are super different from the beauty headshots that you usually think of when you hear "self-portrait." I like them because they capture who I really am -- cute but borderline insane, goofy beyond words, and totally fun.
    I like this picture of you. I think you look beautiful because you look happy.

    http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
    Twitter: @GlamKitten88

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  6. Great shot!!! I think it delivers what you set out for! love the necklace, btw!

    ♡ from © tanvii.com

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  7. hi ya.. love it.. I think my photos mostly capture my spirit.. other than maybe one of me covered in dirt splatters from riding my bike in the rain!! I am so much more comfortable having my photo taken since I have been photographing myself on my blog.. its been a great sense of freedom!!

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  8. It's a beautiful picture and you have got me thinking and I have absolutely no idea how I would want to be portrayed - to capture my inner self.
    I think it would be in sepia color or just black and white.

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  9. Ally, You are absolutely beautiful and this self-portrait does your spirit justice.

    I have one photo that is exactly how I see myself even though it was taken nearly 25 years ago. I will share it on my blog when I manage to take a photo of it as it is in a frame and it was pre-digital era!

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  10. You look gorgeous in your portrait. It's so hard to capture a full person in a self portrait. I painted one several years ago of myself with pink hair as the 'Queen of Cups' that I was really happy with. Since then I haven't given much thought to how I would portray my ideal self. If you have ever taken an art class they really give you some great insight into these things. But I'm not sure what I would want in my own self portrait anymore.

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  11. Cool picture, what a fun picture. But I do think its important for women to value themselves as we age and not be too wistful about youth. We are lovely wrinkles and all! Aging gracefully its called.

    However, I empathize with your situation and how its important to you to relive some of your younger years as a woman now that you have more freedom of expression, so play away!

    Editing photos is fun, playing with computer fashion avatars is fun. I totally adore taking say my yahoo avatar and dressing her up with fun cloths. She looks a little like me with the same kind of hair and skin tone, but is obviously more idealized since its an animated doll.

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  12. I think you show your spirit with both your photos and your words. I think you look very lovely in your selfie. I love the colors you're wearing, and think you look very vibrant.

    I don't think cameras ever capture who I am. I am confused with my camera and mirror self. But probably because I feel like a snobby Englishman, a young wizard, a super vamp, or any number of fantastical things on any given day. My brain is often taken over by book characters. I tend to think through filters of them. It's hard to connect my plain outer self with my inner-self that is filled with so many stories.


    (Btw, I got your invitation today. I wish I had the gas to make the drive, because I would so be there. I'll definitely have an Ally Party Day on the blog though!)

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  13. This is a very intriguing idea.
    I believe that the soul is ageless, so it's hard to think about what mine would look like as a physical body. I feel like the clothing I put on my body and the art I create are the best ways I can express my inner self.

    www.thequirkypoet.com

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  14. I edit my photos too, usually by brightening the whites of my eyes. What does that say about me? That my ideal self is sparkly-eyed like a Disney princess? I guess I want to appear happy, but sometimes I look tired in my pictures so I tweak them. I don't consider photo editing to be false or "lying."

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  15. i would have perfect features and no wrinkles!
    and a twinkle in my eye.

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  16. I love this pic! It's pretty like a high school senior pic :) I like taking self-portraits, haven't done it in awhile.

    I think you look great, I love your eyes in this pic and you always smile!

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  17. Ok I will answer now. My self portrait would be my feet with some smokin hot heels! lol. I am a little shoe and foot obsessed lol.

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  18. Lovely portrait, you look gorgeous! That's a difficult question...I'm not sure if any of my pictures capture my true spirit...or what exactly that would look like. Interesting thing to think about though...

    Principessa Gabriella

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  19. It looks great. But you really are beautiful in person.

    xo,
    Tracy

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  20. very interesting....what i see myself in my mind's eye is a rock chic/goth girl....and though like you , im in a very profession which makes me dress conservatively at work..still im one of the most funky girl(or woman) in my office!!

    you look beautiful..i think i like your smile best...its very charming!!

    http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.in/

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  21. I love this self portrait. Art is a funny thing- it lies, if I may paraphrase Picasso, to tell the truth. You softened the lines in your face (I do that all the time in my pics!) and dressed up- but you are showing your true self. This is the glory of an artistic statement. Sure the image doesn't have the real life bad angles but it does capture your spirit, your character that I'm sure is shown loud and clear in real life, regardless on topical appearances. xo. Bella Q

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