A useful thing for any working creative is to look back on your work and evaluate it. This is especially fun when a particular project is long-term or complicated.
My self-portraits in colors have been a long-term project that I kept on the back-burner in order to always have something to work on, even in my down times.
It started with a pair of portraits I took way back in 2004, when I was newly married, and still worked primarily in film. Looking at this pair makes me nostalgic for my Nikon FM10 and Pentax SP1000 (my first cameras). Because these photos were taken close together, in the same format, and with similar ends in mind, that set in motion what I feel to be the "planned pairings" of colors in this series.
RED and BLUE couldn't be more different from each other, though processed similarly. BLUE is forlorn, alone, self-concealed and vulnerable, while RED is hot and dancer-like and confrontational. These portraits didn't really start out with the intention of going further than themselves. But that's the beauty of it, I think. Looking back at these two images, I think these are two poses that are most alien and at the same time most intimate and real to me. They're a little more honest, perhaps. But that's my reading; others may disagree.
GREEN and PURPLE are tertiary colors, much like RED and BLUE. The poses are similar; both look away from the camera. In one, arms are clutched tight at the sides, carrying a burden, with lush shadows. In the other, they are free and outstretched, fanning the light. I think they have a similar energy. It helps that I'm barefoot in each one. I love these images because of their compositions and use of light, but I'm not sure they succeed, and I can't quite pinpoint why. They feel out of touch.
ORANGE and YELLOW are analogous colors, and I think these are the odd ones of the bunch. They have a zany, fantasy-like flavor. Less grounded in reality, less "real," partly achieved by the illustrative approach to object placement, and partly by the use of flash to modify existing light. In both portraits, my body is cut off, with just my face showing. No eyes, just gestures to communicate. I feel these are very successful, especially ORANGE.
Another pair of analogous colors, BLACK and BROWN are brooding and menacing--quite the opposite of the previous playful pair. I am looking directly into the camera. You can see my whole body, although I am quite far away. I think this contributes to the feeling of estrangement. BROWN is my favorite of the two, and I think captures a little more of the "self" part of "portrait" than some of the others.
RAINBOW originated because poor WHITE was left without a companion, at the end of my shooting. The series felt lopsided to me, and so I decided that since all colors of light are contained within white, I might as well use my camera as a prism to bring them out. These two were by far the most fun to do--one involved donning my old wedding dress, and the other a bit of shopping to make sure I had enough material to create a real-life rainbow. One is more subdued than the other, but they're two of a kind; the silly and the serious sisters, side by side.