In this assignment, your tasks are related to the meaning of images in your own life. You will create a self-portrait (photo or otherwise) and write about its meaning.
Please note that photos and other visual media you submit for your assignments may be shared with the class as examples. (Grades and other assignment information will never be shared.)
Self-Portraits
Long before the proliferation of selfies, self-portraits were an important form of expression in art and photography. The challenge is partially technical, since it’s difficult to be both subject and artist. But it’s also a creative challenge to represent yourself in a single image.
Self-portraits existed before photography and often represent an artist’s style. In photography, self-portraits often make use of shadow, reflection and illusions.
For one modern example, Julia Corbett, a photographer and WSU alumna, created a self-portrait series using nature imagery and composite images (combining multiple exposures) to evoke a particular mood and meaning.
It may also be helpful to search for self-portrait exhibits such as this one or this one as part of your creative process for generating ideas.
Creating and Explaining your Self-Portrait
1. Create a self-portrait (photography or another medium) that visually says something about you. To count as a self-portrait:
- you need to be depicted in it and
- you need to make it (you can’t ask someone else to take a picture of you).
It needs to be newly created for the purpose of this assignment and should be entirely your own work, but otherwise there are no limitations. All forms of visual media are allowed, including photography, illustration, sketching, etc.
2. In a text document such as Microsoft Word, write a brief artist’s statement of 150-250 words explaining:
- How you created the self-portrait
- What you want viewers to see or interpret from it
- How you generally feel about photographs of yourself and how they represent you
Your writing will not be harshly evaluated for spelling and punctuation as long as the ideas are clear, but eloquence is always appreciated. Double-check your work for typos and errors that may obscure what you’re trying to say.
Submitting Your Work
Submit the following to Canvas by going to “Assignments” and uploading the files with your submission:
- Self-portrait image, preferably as a JPG file
- Written response as text or a text document
For this course, always upload images separately as photo files (JPG or PNG) rather than embedded into your text document. This is important so your visual work can be viewed and evaluated at full quality.
Demonstrated Skills:
- Reflect on the meaning of visual identity in your own life
- Successfully make a creative image that meets specified criteria
- Share or transfer digital files of various formats