200. April 15

An Incomplete List of Methods of the Self Portrait

1. The hold the camera out at arm's length shot--particularly effective if a fleshy amount of arm is included in the shot.
2. The Myspace-esque mirror shot captured with a camera phone, usually involving scant amounts of clothing and awkward attempts at seductive facial expressions.
3. The photographer and his or her (though usually her) camera in the mirror shot, done in an artistic and creative manner, of course.
4. The up the nostril shot.Yeah.
5. The self-timer shot, the only technique not used enough.
6. The shot of portraying the self vicariously through inanimate objects, often misunderstood by all but the artist.
7. The use of body parts, such as the feet, as a synecdoche for the self.

In my case, I went with option one, avoiding the addition of a large chunk of arm. I inadvertently wound up with a mugshot, albeit a very chipper mugshot, like in the case of a criminal whose still too giddy high to know the night might not be winding up as they hoped. Sorry it's a rather poor shot of the after...

And today's quote comes from a hilariously sweet little novel by the actor Steve Martin. Did you know he wrote novels? I certainly did not, at least not prior to the pleasant discovery of this novel.

"Wouldn't we all like to know the extent of our own magnetism?"

~ Steve Martin, The Pleasure of My Company