These scattered things

Last night I had this great idea for a social experiment (I just love experiments, don't you!). I handed my camera to a few people & asked them to take a picture of themselves. It's interesting to observe how people react to anything that challenges traditional social norms (picture-taking is fine, so long as it conforms to certain unspoken rules). And self-portraiture says a lot about a person's self-image.

This is the first set of photos in the series I Am a Self-Portrait of You. Unfortunately it was a rather small group of friends, so there are only four portraits. But there will be more to come.

The results:

the first, & my favourite.

can't you at least make it LOOK as if you're having fun?

like her?

and, I don't even know your name.

It was easy to get the first two to take their own picture; I know them both quite well & they are used to my eccentricities. The third girl thought I wanted her to take a picture of me, & was very hesitant about taking one of herself. It took a lot of coaxing. I had to assure her that if she didn't like the picture, I would delete it.

I don't know the fourth girl. She was curious to know why I wanted her to take a picture of herself with my camera. I told her it was an art project/experiment & she was nice enough to humour me. 

...

Self-Portrait
Rainer Maria Rilke

The steadfastness of generations of nobility
shows in the curving lines that form the eyebrows.
And the blue eyes still show traces of childhood fears
and of humility here and there, not of a servant's,
yet of one who serves obediently, and of a woman.
The mouth formed as a mouth, large and accurate,
not given to long phrases, but to express
persuasively what is right. The forehead without guile
and favoring the shadows of quiet downward gazing.

This, as a coherent whole, only casually observed;
never as yet tried in suffering or succeeding,
held together for an enduring fulfillment,
yet so as if for times to come, out of these scattered things,
something serious and lasting were being planned. 

...