Shadow Selfies connect the photographer to our surroundings. Our shadows function as universal symbols and adding it in an image could be for a number of reasons.
Artists such as Michelangelo, da Vinci and Gauguin painted themselves into their art. Perhaps, there’s a performative element, a wish to be a part of the image. In photography, to “paint” one self with light in a poetic way may be a way to say “I was here”.
There could also be a surprising creative ‘serendipitous’ moment of discovering our own profile cast by light and the desire to capture it before we move. There’s also the need to create art and to share with others or it may simply be an act of playfulness why we make shadow selfies.
Could it also be that shadow selfies are an attempt to embrace and understand our whole self? Socrates asked in prayer, “May the outward and inward man be at one.”
All photographs are self-portraits. – Minor White
