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“Self-Portrait” by Vincent Moro

This is a self-portrait. It has been captured through a glass door, on Christmas 2021.

That room, at my parents’ house, used to be my bedroom when I was a child. Later on, it became the studio of my father, and today it serves as a deposit of various stuff and boxes.

When I was a child, and I got sent to bed, that door cut me out from the life going on in the house and I often used to look through it, sleepless, observing a world made of colored shadows and lights, moving around. It was quite fascinating to let the imagination flow, pretending to be behind a window of a spaceship, roving around some mysterious planet in a galaxy far, far away.

When I got the idea to replicate the pose for this picture, some sweet memories vividly emerged back from my childhood. Despite my flourishing imagination, I doubt I could have figured me in 40 years standing there, looking at the blurry, uncertain era we are living in today. After two very long years, we are still living under the menace of contagion, forced to limit our physical contact with our loved ones. Distrust of others, doubt and fear have grown with the passing of time. We are tired, bewildered, and scared but we keep on going forward cause. Even if the Pandemic has not done with us yet (and many are still fighting the infection while many others are locked down in quarantine hoping for the best), COVID-19 will not last forever. I hope this image of mine well represents the sense of fear, anxiety, and captivity I am experiencing today.

What do you think are the TWO most impactful features that make your image a good photograph? Don’t be shy!

I don’t know… Maybe the fact that it is a portrait (a self-portrait to be precise) where facial expression gets hidden and distorted by the glass door, yet the feelings of the subject emerge even stronger, nevertheless leaving room for interpretation to the viewer, and – perhaps – the need to look further and spend more time with it.

If you would be able to make this photo once again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or different?

Indeed, it was very hard to manage the outcome of this shooting environment, as reflections of the intricate floral patterns on the face of the subject were very hard to control. There are other versions of this picture, none of them I consider to be perfect, including this one. But I guess the acceptance of unpredictability makes it what it is and so I embrace the impossibility to have a better outcome.

Vincent Moro shared this photograph in the FRAMES Facebook Group.

Photographer

Vincent Moro, Italy

WEBSITE
INSTAGRAM

Equipment and settings

Fujifilm GFX 100S, GF45mm F2.8 R
ISO 800, 1/40 sec., f/3.2
Available light in the room.

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Comments (2):

  1. Anitra Lavanhar

    January 21, 2022 at 03:21

    I love this for many reasons! Really speaks to the past and present!

    Reply
  2. TUNA ANGEL

    February 2, 2022 at 11:01

    Nice connection to your childhood and back to nowadays… Congratulations.

    Reply

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