Self-image and identity have always held an interest for me, and I find that a visual exploration often offers some answers, albeit ones that are hard to define in words. When I took a large format film photography class, I started a project that was meant to illustrate perceptions of woman. I asked several women to do a set of two portraits. In the first shot they were asked to portray themselves in the way that they thought others viewed them. In the second, they were asked to represent how they see themselves. I gave them very little direction and asked them to choose their own locations, wardrobe, etc. If they could not come up with certain aspects themselves, I asked them to describe what they wanted to convey, and then attempted to select fitting scene and wardrobe considerations. I also created a list of questions on a discussion board in an attempt to delve more into the concept. While I was happy with the results, I believe I confined myself by predetermining that what I would come up with would be some sort of clear-cut illustration of the objectification of women. I also failed to include a broad demographic as all of my subjects save one were young, twenty-somethings. This spring I decided to revisit the idea.
