- Self Portrait by J.R. Blackwell
It’s Portfolio week! This week I’ll be posting the 12 images that I feel, right now, best tell the story of who I am as a photographer.
This first image is called Teiresias, and it’s from my 365 Days project. The title, Teiresias, is taken from a character I played in middle school. The play, Antigone, is all about murder and suicide and terrible guilt. I think it should say something about my middle school that this was the play they chose to tackle with their pre-teen set.
Teiresias is a blind seer, famous for delivering the words from the gods. Seers are the vehicle for a message, and thus I think it is appropriate for a photo in which the body is invisible.
Perhaps it’s also my philosophy of photography that draws me to this image. I’m not about showing a subjects true nature, I’m about creating characters. I don’t care if you understand me, I don’t care if you recognize me. What I care about is creating interesting characters, vignettes, stories.
I want the image to speak to you. It doesn’t have to tell the truth.