Diane Arbus, Self Portrait, from Revelations

I just picked up Diane Arbus’ photobook Revelations. Only thirty pages in, and I’m already seeing something I really like: a self-portrait of Diane, in vulnerable and intimate pose.

It seems that any book that is retrospective, or even a body of work, could benefit from this approach.  My initial reaction was one of wonder: there’s a melancholy, but calm strength to her look.  Unlike many self portraits, this one immediately invoked a connection with her.

It made her human.

So thinking about my own work, or my own projects: I’m starting to see a real value in self portraits, and I’m somewhat saddened that I don’t have any from my past.  There’s a value, I think, to seeing the wear and tear on the person behind the work: what happened as they went through their creative process.

It’s like documenting your life, in a way that I can immediately identify with.

So far, highly recommending this book:

Revelations

It’s not for everyone, though. If you aren’t into street photography, or images that let out the inner beast in us (and the beauty therein), then you might want to stay away.