Nice passport photo. The soft underlighting may suggest a hint of lawlessness (ex kgb ) to a passport inspector unnaccustomed in photo lighting techniques. This may lead to more strip searches. Keep them on their toes. Good luck!
Hello Neil, thanks for the chat this morning and for following. I know Laura! Through dance but haven't seen her for years. Look forward to your stuff.
It seems to me that Hertzog is the classic case of someone running from the disaster of the Second World War. Joseph Beuys myth built his way out from the same situation. Polka, Richter, Baselitz, Anselm Kiefer, large scale works a long distance from the German romantic tradition. Noticed Hertzog portrait was not cropped otherwise we might have missed the lightning bolt.
I don’t take self portraits and I hate seeing myself in photos. It’s like seeing someone I don’t know. I guess I should just suck it up and get over it. Maybe one day.
There is probably a good balance. I wonder if not looking at myself in the mirror is like not looking at an invoice you can in the mail. It can become avoidant.
The quote from Werner Herzog is good. As a society, perhaps we have reached 'peak therapy' (which is not to dismiss its value to individuals). The vocabulary of the psychologist has replaced the language of theologians that was bound up in common speech a few generations ago, and is as easily misunderstood or misused. On the value of mystery, here's a quote from GK Chesterton I found yesterday: 'Everywhere we see that men do not go mad by dreaming. Critics are much madder than poets.'
After several failed attempts, and with the help of a student, I managed to get my passport photo by the AI shadow Nazis. So for the next decade, in my stupid black Brexit passport, I'm frozen in the moment of fake seriousness as one wiling teenager did his best and his chums shit talked him from behind the camera.
I took my own passport photo 12 years ago, using a digital camera & tripod. It took quite a while to get a suitable photo. I did like the photo though!
When I renewed my passport, 2 years ago, I got my photo done at Asda, to save time. I didn't like the photo at all, even allowing for the ageing factor!
Coincidentally, after writing this post, I read a 2022 article The Personal Brand is Dead by Kaitlyn Tiffany (https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-personal-brand-is-dead), suggesting that anonymity is the way forward. Sadly, that ship has saild.
.... when you start to look like your passport photograph, it is time to go see a surgeon! They are the worst! Always....
Great post.
Haha thank you. Photomat machines have suddenly become a fashionable thing in Scotland, though mainly as a group activity.
Nice passport photo. The soft underlighting may suggest a hint of lawlessness (ex kgb ) to a passport inspector unnaccustomed in photo lighting techniques. This may lead to more strip searches. Keep them on their toes. Good luck!
Well that’s something to look forward to on my hols. I assume you speak from personal experience.
Hello Neil, thanks for the chat this morning and for following. I know Laura! Through dance but haven't seen her for years. Look forward to your stuff.
Hello Tamsin, yes I asked Laura if she knew you and she mentioned you also did contact improv. Also a big Indian art fan! See you soon!
It seems to me that Hertzog is the classic case of someone running from the disaster of the Second World War. Joseph Beuys myth built his way out from the same situation. Polka, Richter, Baselitz, Anselm Kiefer, large scale works a long distance from the German romantic tradition. Noticed Hertzog portrait was not cropped otherwise we might have missed the lightning bolt.
Very good point and makes sense to me. Although David Lynch said a similar thing - what was he running from?
David Lynch
I don’t take self portraits and I hate seeing myself in photos. It’s like seeing someone I don’t know. I guess I should just suck it up and get over it. Maybe one day.
There is probably a good balance. I wonder if not looking at myself in the mirror is like not looking at an invoice you can in the mail. It can become avoidant.
Great(shadow) photo of you 💙! Very handsome!
I showed it to a friend at my gym…. asked her to guess your age …:: she said 25 ! How good is that !
That’s what I like to hear hahaha
The quote from Werner Herzog is good. As a society, perhaps we have reached 'peak therapy' (which is not to dismiss its value to individuals). The vocabulary of the psychologist has replaced the language of theologians that was bound up in common speech a few generations ago, and is as easily misunderstood or misused. On the value of mystery, here's a quote from GK Chesterton I found yesterday: 'Everywhere we see that men do not go mad by dreaming. Critics are much madder than poets.'
Yes, therapy feels like something that should work in theory, and sometimes does, but often leads to more confusion.
After several failed attempts, and with the help of a student, I managed to get my passport photo by the AI shadow Nazis. So for the next decade, in my stupid black Brexit passport, I'm frozen in the moment of fake seriousness as one wiling teenager did his best and his chums shit talked him from behind the camera.
A lovely memory
I took my own passport photo 12 years ago, using a digital camera & tripod. It took quite a while to get a suitable photo. I did like the photo though!
When I renewed my passport, 2 years ago, I got my photo done at Asda, to save time. I didn't like the photo at all, even allowing for the ageing factor!
Great article, once more!
Thanks. It was a faff but glad to have thought about the topic.
Coincidentally, after writing this post, I read a 2022 article The Personal Brand is Dead by Kaitlyn Tiffany (https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-personal-brand-is-dead), suggesting that anonymity is the way forward. Sadly, that ship has saild.