Self-portraits

I remember sitting around the year 2006 at a gathering of Photopost photographers at a pub in Prague. All the men at the meeting were photographers. And all the girls were models. I sat there and observed the events around me, all the lively conversations and dramatic gestures.

Suddenly, someone approached me and asked, “You’re probably a photographer, right?” I replied yes. He glanced at me once again and left. And suddenly I saw myself through his eyes: as the only woman in this company, I was unpainted, bespectacled, a timid gray mouse sitting in the corner afraid to speak…

All those photographers sometimes photographed those model girls. And those photos were often excellent. I tried it a few times too, photographing someone. But it didn’t work for me too well. I couldn’t establish the connection that would transfer my ideas to the person being photographed. And so it was much easier for me to photograph myself. I didn’t have to deal with any connection. Just me, my emotions, my vision… and the camera.