Nowadays, most people are surrounded by dozens, hundreds, sometimes even thousands of pictures. That´s pretty common to see a photographic representation of yourself. You don´t pay much attention to it anymore. Just another picture among the others…
Imagine now being back to a time and place where being photographed would be something really special. How would it be if having a photographic portrait of yourself would be a once in a lifetime opportunity, something out of the ordinary?
Back when photography was a new breakthough invention, being photographed was a pretty big event. You would get dressed and prepared, try to show the best of yourself, go to the photography studio and be so proud getting out of it with this little piece of paper between your hands.
This Series is inspired by the appoach of portrait from the early days of photography. I asked my models to dive into this mindset and wonder how would their portrait be if they would have a single opportunity to pass down a picture of themselves to the next generations. This image could be something pretty realistic or a fantasized version of themselves.
To complete the portrait, I´m asking my models to bring as many significant objects from their surroundings as they could. These objects could have some symbolic significations. They could also simply be something they like or are used to be surrounded by.
The photo series was hand-colored afterwards to emphasize the reference to the beginnings of portrait photography.
Work in progress
Mamiya 645
Hand-colored with oil painting