Take a Picture of Yourself! - September 2020

"Take a Picture of Yourself!" is a project inspired by the Teju Cole article "When the Camera Was a Weapon of Imperialism. (And When It Still Is.)" which examines the ways the bias of a photographer can impact a photograph. By setting my camera on a tripod with instructions on how to operate, the subjects can choose whether or not they want to participate and how they want to be seen by the camera. This year, hand sanitizer was provided to stay as safe as possible and subjects were instructed to keep their masks on and social distancing was encouraged. The first photo in the series was taken at a different location than the rest. This was an attempt to capture the project off my college's campus but after three hours, only one group decided to participate, regardless of dozens stopping, reading the instructions, and some even taking pictures of my camera before walking away. What does this interaction with a camera say about those aged 18-25 compared to those aged 25+? Why do we so many different poses, reactions, and relationships through this lens? On the surface this project is so simple: I put a camera in a busy area and let people use it. On a deeper level, this is more of a social experiment that examines countless different aspects of society.