{in the picture} an interview with patty maher

I am thrilled to bring you our first {In The Picture} interview today with Patty Maher, or as some of you may recognize her, Picture This / Patty on flickr. Patty's work is evocative, emotional, and always inspiring. I hope you will read on about her self-portrait work and then go visit her to check out more of her amazing images...you will not be disappointed.

1.  Was there ever a time when you couldn't imagine taking self-portraits or have you always been comfortable in front of the camera? Do you remember when the self-portrait "bug" bit you? 

It’s funny because when I was a kid I was always the one jumping in front of the camera.  But as I grew older I became quite a bit less comfortable having my picture taken. Even now I’m usually the person with my eyes closed and some weird camera smile going on.  However as a photographer, it’s kind of inevitable that at some point you’ll want to turn the camera on yourself to see what will happen.  But for a long time I felt self conscious to say the least.

I started the group Me Again Monday to help myself move past this stage because I really saw the potential of what you could do with self-portraits and I wanted to challenge myself to keep working on it at least once a week. I would say the self-portrait bug really bit me when I finally started treating myself simply as a prop, in service to the photo and its mood or story.  After breaking that barrier, self-portraits became 1000 times more interesting and fun.

2.  Many of your self-portraits really tell the viewer a story. How much planning goes in to your shots--the setting, your clothing, your hair, etc? Where does your inspiration come from?

I’m definitely not a detailed planner when it comes to my shots.  For me what seems to work best is getting a shot’s basic idea, but nothing too concrete.  Usually one piece of it gets in my head – a prop, a dress, a location, a title – and while I’ll think about it for a little while, I usually just jump in, and work the rest on the fly – and it either works or it doesn’t. For example, with this shot below I was driving home from the grocery store, under an amazingly foreboding sky.  I knew I had to get out there for a shot, so I got home, threw the groceries at my husband, put on that dress and drove around until I found those train tracks.

Or another time I wanted to do some shots depicting “Ophelia" as you can find in pre-Raphaelite paintings. One day I was at a thrift store and found the perfect dress for it. The great thing about photography is that the dress I’m wearing in this shot below is about 2 sizes two small, so it doesn’t actually zip up in the back…so I had to be facing the camera in some way. 

And for this next shot I didn’t have an idea but decided to just throw a bunch of props in the back of the car and drive around until a location struck me. Then I noticed there was this wind….

3.  Do you have a favorite self-portrait or series of self-portraits?

Honestly I get “favorites of the moment”, but I can’t seem to stay with one for long.  If I had to choose a favorite today, it would be one of the photos featuring this $6 red wig I found last Halloween. There’s just something about red hair that looks great in a photo…and if you saw what that wig actually looks like in real life you’d realize how magic the camera really is.

4.  Do you feel that you have discovered anything new about yourself through your self-portraiture?

I think the best thing I’ve discovered through self-portraiture is that my inner 5 year old is alive and well and still loves dressing up in costumes!  However the most rewarding discovery has been the process itself – spending time with myself creating something. It’s very quiet and almost meditative, and I find no matter what kind of day I’ve had I emerge feeling calm and centered.

5. What advice do you have for someone who is just beginning their journey into self-portraiture?

Start with what you are comfortable with--whether it's just using a part of you in a photo (your feet, your hands, etc.). Remember that there are so many ways to include yourself in a photo, so have a look at what other self-portrait artists do and you will find a whole universe of ways to do this. Above all don't be too self critical--photography can be magic, but it can also be unforgiving, especially when you can't see what you are taking while you are taking it, as is the case in self-portraiture. I have deleted hundreds and hundreds of shots of myself while doing this (which is absolutely the beauty of digital photography)! The key is to enjoy the process, and with some practice you will start to get the results you want.

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Patty Maher lives near Toronto, Canada, not far from the forest which provides the magical backdrop to many of her exquisite self-portraits. You can see more of Patty and her work in her flickr stream and on facebook.

Thank you Patty for agreeing to be the subject of my first interview at {In The Picture}! I have been enamored by your work since the first time I stumbled across one of your self-portraits on flickr. It was great to learn a little more about you and your artistic process.

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Hey all ~ don't forget to stop back here next Friday, January 27 for our first self-portrait linky party of the year! Come ready to link back to your self-portrait blog posts and flickr images. 

I can't wait to see you {In The Picture}.

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