Listen very carefully; I shall say this only once

From time to time I get asked if I will repeat one of my earliest blogs, a blog which I certainly enjoyed constructing. It was based on a misunderstanding. I thought I had been asked to produce 6 self portraits and six of my favourite photographs. In fact I had been asked to produce six of my favourite photographs and one selfie!!

This was the result – now updated – some ­nine years later.

This was inspired by an image constructed by Karen Kavett and American graphic designer and video maker.

The second involved placing the camera on a sharp bend in a narrow lane facing the wing mirror of my Land Rover. Passing motorists assumed it was a new form of speed trap and hit the brakes hard. Such a shame my camera doesn’t record sound. One concerned retired doctor thought I was having a heart attack and inevitably a tractor and trailer full of compost requested entry to the field.

 I quite enjoyed doing the mirror picture. Really the only suitable place to take that one was our main bedroom, which catches the sun but which also overlooks the drive. The postman enjoyed it as well and watched most of the proceedings with a puzzled expression. For some time he has thought me eccentric, but now fears he is delivering letters to the dwelling of a loony.

Sunglasses? All done in Photoshop with three images.

One with an exotic pair of sunglasses purchased in Sheringham. A rather puzzled shop assistant let me have them half price. It was raining heavily at the time and once again she felt it was wise to humour such customers on one of the coldest and wettest days of summer. The other two are reflections in the posh tinted glass windows of the family auto.

In common with most people, I always carry a mirror. At first glance you may not be impressed with this offering as a self -portrait. However, look closely and when you count the hands don’t get one of your dizzy spells.

The last one was produced for a local photographic club. My critical project manager said “So what’s clever about doing a selfie on your phone?” In fact none of it was shot on a phone.

The phone was photographed using a DSLR – as were the self -portraits. A template allowed me to align 15 of them. The top and bottom bits of the phone come from a magazine article and the final monochrome was shot in my garden with a Lumix G9 before Photoshop mashed them all together. Be aware of the overlapping elbow!

If truth were known it’s not my hearing that is faulty. It is just the way my brain seems to be in the habit of scrambling consecutive pieces of information into a more interesting and puzzling combination.

Here endeth the fun of six instead of one self-portrait.