Day 86

I'm often asked why, if I describe myself as a fairly happy person, do I portray myself with a frown in most of my self-portraits. The answer is actually very simple.

Photography became a workable process in the mid-1800s. During those early years, however, the exposure process was quite extended, usually taking approximately 45 minutes. To put this into perspective, today we're used to the exposure period lasting only as long as the "click" of the camera.

When being photographed, the sitter would have to remain absolutely still, lest the final image would be very blurry. Quite frankly, it is much easier to sit with a frown on your face as opposed to holding and forcing a smile for that long!

The same thing goes with creating drawn or painted self-portraits. It's very difficult to hold a smile for an hour or so without it looking very fake. And this is why most of my portraits do not show me smiling.

Oh, and sometimes I'm just in a really bad mood...

#86 January 14, 2011,  Pen
Sounds:  Simon and Garfunkel, Simon & Garfunkel - Greatest Hits