Galería Madismad, Calle Pelayo 48, Madrid. 3.3.2018 - 5.4.2018
"This is me, outside the palace of me" (Kate Tempest)
Why on earth would anyone be interested in photos of a bunch of people taking selfies you might wonder, and why take them in 3d? The democratization of smartphones, and especially of zero cost photography, has changed the face of photography forever as well as reshaping the relationship we have with the images we take and the use we make of them. One such phenomenon is the obsessive need that some people have developed to compulsively take photos of themselves, as if it somehow helped reinforce their sense of self. It is almost as if they can't visit a place or enjoy an activity without posting a self-portrait on social media to prove how much fun they're having, how interesting their life is and to remind the outside world that they exist. Another phenomenon is a new kind of narcissism: entire instagram pages of selfies without ever questioning whether one's ego should be allowed go unchecked. I'm here therefore I am.
There's something fascinating about watching people looking into the black mirror of their reflection. They're looking at themselves yet the photo they're taking is for others to see, so they're carefully gauging the image they project. On the surface this image may appear to be completely artificial and devoid of any truth, but portraiture is far more complex than that. There is always a tension between the way somebody wishes to be perceived and what they are willing to reveal about themselves, and in this space between projection and sincerity, if we look closely we can discover some truth about the person we are looking at.
Finally why shoot stereography? The reason is simple, because with three-dimensional photography you can't fake it. You can't shoot from far away using a telephoto lens; you need to be right next to your subject. If you look carefully at the images you'll be blown away by how close I can get to my subject without being seen, because they are mesmerized by their own reflection. In some cases I manage to shoot a candid image, in others I ask people to hold their pose while I shoot, adding my own lie to this reality and making the images a little harder to read.
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Why on earth would anyone be interested in photos of a bunch of people taking selfies you might wonder, and why take them in 3d? The democratization of smartphones, and especially of zero cost photography, has changed the face of photography forever as well as reshaping the relationship we have with the images we take and the use we make of them. One such phenomenon is the obsessive need that some people have developed to compulsively take photos of themselves, as if it somehow helped reinforce their sense of self. It is almost as if they can't visit a place or enjoy an activity without posting a self-portrait on social media to prove how much fun they're having, how interesting their life is and to remind the outside world that they exist. Another phenomenon is a new kind of narcissism: entire instagram pages of selfies without ever questioning whether one's ego should be allowed go unchecked. I'm here therefore I am.
There's something fascinating about watching people looking into the black mirror of their reflection. They're looking at themselves yet the photo they're taking is for others to see, so they're carefully gauging the image they project. On the surface this image may appear to be completely artificial and devoid of any truth, but portraiture is far more complex than that. There is always a tension between the way somebody wishes to be perceived and what they are willing to reveal about themselves, and in this space between projection and sincerity, if we look closely we can discover some truth about the person we are looking at.
Finally why shoot stereography? The reason is simple, because with three-dimensional photography you can't fake it. You can't shoot from far away using a telephoto lens; you need to be right next to your subject. If you look carefully at the images you'll be blown away by how close I can get to my subject without being seen, because they are mesmerized by their own reflection. In some cases I manage to shoot a candid image, in others I ask people to hold their pose while I shoot, adding my own lie to this reality and making the images a little harder to read.
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Os preguntaréis ¿que interés pueden tener unas fotos de gente haciendo selfies, y porque tirarlas en 3d? La democratización de los smartphones, y sobre todo de la fotografía de coste cero, han cambiado para siempre la cara de la fotografía, la relación que tenemos con las imágenes que tomamos, y el uso que hacemos de ellas. Un fenómeno que ha surgido es la necesidad obsesiva que algunas personas han desarrollado de hacerse fotos compulsivamente, como si de alguna forma reforzara su sentido de identidad. Parecen incapaces de visitar un sitio o participar en alguna actividad sin subir una foto a las redes sociales para demostrar lo bien que lo están pasando, lo interesante que es su vida y recordarle así al mundo que existen. Otro fenómeno es un nuevo narcisismo: páginas enteras de selfies en instagram sin jamás plantearse si el ego debería reinar así sin ningún control. Estoy luego existo.
Hay algo fascinante de observar a la gente mientras mira en el espejo negro de su propio reflejo. Se miran a si mismos pero la foto que hacen es para terceros, entonces están midiendo cuidadosamente la imagen que quieren proyectar. A primera vista esta imagen podría parecer completamente artificial y exenta de verdad alguna, sin embargo el retrato es algo mucho más complejo. Siempre existe una tensión entre como alguien quiere que se les perciba y lo que están dispuestos a desvelar; y entre la proyección y la sinceridad, si miramos atentamente quizás vislumbremos alguna verdad sobre la persona que estamos viendo.
Y para terminar porque trabajar en estereoscopía? La razón es sencilla, porque en 3d no se puede hacer trampa. No puedes disparar desde lejos usando un teleobjetivo; te tienes que acercar al sujeto. Si te fijas atentamente en las imágenes te sorprenderá lo cerca que puedo estar sin que me vean porque están obnubilados por su propio reflejo. Pero aunque algunas veces logre disparar imágenes espontáneas, otras veces me ven y les pido que mantengan la pose mientras disparo, añadiendo así otra capa de mentira a esta realidad y complicando así la lectura de estas imágenes.
