Self Portrait

 November 16th, 2022

Self Portrait

By: Connor Albaugh

Blog requirement: Take a self portrait and comment on it. 

        When I was brainstorming ideas on behalf of the self portrait I would take, I didn’t have many. There are a lot of things that embody my self image and fitting them all in one would be quite cumbersome and difficult in a self portrait. However, as I walked into my room after lifting, I looked around my room for some inspiration concerning an accurate self portrait that would represent me well as a person. Then, I looked at the various flags on the wall and that gave me a great idea. I have 5 flags/banners that hang on my wall, but two were very perfect for taking a self portrait and represent my personality and morals quite well. I decided to take my self portrait in the middle of my room in between the flags that say “No one cares, work harder” and “Academic Weapon” as they proved to be vital in this self portrait I chose. 

        On behalf of my self portrait, I set up my iPhone on my roommate Joseph Bamfo’s bed and tried to find the right angle for this portrait. For these shots, I used a 10 second timer on the “camera app” and then sat down in the wooden chair until the phone took my picture and then I repeated this process until I obtained the self portrait picture I wanted to use for this blog. I took self portrait pictures three times and on the fourth try, I had obtained the perfect image for my self portrait. I captured myself in the corner of the wall which divides the two black flags that inspired my self portrait. I decided to photograph myself in between these two flags because they are indicative of my self image which is a “student athlete”. The LED lights in the background of this image creates a soft lighting in my dorm room and highlights my yellow “Lycoming soccer” shirt that I am wearing. This soft lighting works wonders as it illuminates the two blog flags very well as well as makes the yellow in my shirt pop. This yellow color, being such a string color in the self portrait, attracts the viewers eyes to me, which is the subject in this case. The leading lines of my roommate’s bed do an excellent job leading the viewer to me, the subject in this photo.  The LED light strips also lead the viewer to the two black flags which are the main focus of this photograph other than myself. The focus in this image is well executed, which allows the viewer to see physical details of my body as well as details and lettering concerning the flags in the background of the image. The background is well lit as the foreground, all thanks to the presence of the LED light overhead which project light not only to the background, but to the foreground being they circulate the entire room. The positioning of these lights in the corner where my body is positioning to be in between the two black flags acts as a spotlight projecting onto my yellow shirt and I. I am smiling in this self portrait because they two black flags that I will mention make me happy and complete as a human being. 

        The first black flag that I chose to include in my self portrait is a mentality flag. “Mentality” is a business as well as a page on instagram that has quotes and other merchandise that are inspirational and helps one to be motivated or gain motivation. The flag that I purchased from mentality reads “NO ONE CARES, WORK HARDER” and has a white symbol below the quote which is a white m for mentality and its brand. To me, this quote was very motivational and speaks to me in different ways. While you are working your butt off and striving to become a better person on your own, people aren’t there to cheer you on or push you beyond your limits. Your ability to reach the next level is all on you and what you are made off, hence “people not caring” because the only person that will encourage your success is yourself. This is essentially meant to motivate one to go harder and harder until people begin to notice and support you. However, although this may happen, this is merely a milestone for you to get back to work under the radar where no one is there to make you better or push you to be come more and more successful as you always have in your mind that “no one cares” which means you will always strive to get to the next level. This relates to me academically and athletically. In the classroom, if I am struggling with something, the only reason that can help me understand something is myself. No one cares you are struggling or are in need of help. Not only is this motivating, but it pushes me to get over obstacles I may have on a test or on homework I may not understand because I’ll work as hard as I can until I figure it out and gain the success I deserve. Additionally, in terms of athletically, this applies to lifting and to soccer. The gym is a place where I can work out my emotions and is a place of therapy for me. When the weight gets heavy or you feel unmotivated to go to the gym, no one cares that something gets heavy or that you feel un-obligated to fulfill a workout. This right here is grounds for motivation, because it pushes me to work harder with a heavy weight until I can get it even if it takes me a couple of weeks. The mere discipline of going to the gym 5 days a week even when there is times I don’t want to go is so important for me because anyone can take a day off, but that means you’ll be one step behind someone who chose to work. The only person who can control my accountability and responsibility is myself and no one cares if you are doing it or not. This gets me into a zone where I grind and grind until people know my name and praise my work and dedication although they may not be there or have cared when you were doing it all alone. On the soccer field, practice gets hard or you get tired. No one cares. There are replacements on the sideline waiting for you to be tired or pick up an injury. When it gets tough, this is where your have to dig deep. Despite tired legs or a lack of discipline, this pushes me to work harder and harder each and every minute and rep that I am on the field because the only person who can see progress and a good effort is myself. No one knows that you are tired or that you may not feel empowered to do the next drill. You are the only person who can continue to work harder and harder until all that work pays off and the care you showed through tough times is what matters the most. The goal is to win a championship in most cases, but also prove to yourself that you have what it takes to take on any challenges thrown at you at any point in life. 

        The second black flag that I chose to include in my self portrait is the “Academic Weapon” flag. The trend of becoming an “Academic Weapon” was started by a man named Bradley Kraut. He is a student at Penn State University and I first saw this on the app Tiktok. It went super viral to the point where I bought his flag because it resonates with me as a student as well. An “academic weapon” is a lot of different things. It means that you show up to class in a timely manner and are early before the allotted class is set to begin. Also, it means you sit first row and sitting first row gives you the opportunity to apply yourself as a student in the best possible way. Additionally, this first row forces you to participate in the classes that you are in and the more you invest yourself and become an integral part of the learning process in each and every single class, the more successful you will be. Doing well and participating shows the professor in the classes you are in that you care and it builds a good relationship with them as time goes on. They will see how locked in and motivated you are to learn and be as successful as you can in that class. These are all signs of a true “academic weapon” and is what a student should strive to be. Showing up to class late, sitting in the back row, not doing your homework, and being lazy overall is not an example of an academic weapon and leads to wasted potential. I am an athlete, but I am also a student. I really relate to this idea of an “academic weapon” because I feel that I am an “academic weapon”. I do my very best in each and every class, try to sit front row in each and every occasion that I can, I get to class early, and participate a good amount as well as develop good relationships with my teachers. This has helped me in the past because it has improved my grades as a student and has its benefits when you are struggling because the teacher you have are willing to help you when they know you are dedicated to the class. I get the help I need, I always do my homework, study when the time comes, buy in to being the best student I possibly can. The more you invest in yourself, the more successful you’ll be, the more you will learn, and the higher GPA you will be able to achieve. My grades have been good all throughout college because I do my work and put in the time to get the best grades as possible while also learning a lot about things in my classes as well as myself and the level I can push myself towards. The second part of the flag which says “Kick the sheets, win the day” is very motivating. This means that when your alarm goes off, don’t be lazy and hit the snooze button. This means its time to get up, “kick the sheets” or get out of your sheets immediately, and “win the day” which means that you are out of bed and are doing everything in your power to make the most of the day. I am guilty of hitting the snooze button because everyone loves a little more sleep. However, I have done a better job of “kicking the sheets” and getting myself up so I can complete as much as I can and get to class on time while following all the guidelines of an “academic weapon” to be a successful student and a successful learner while I am at Lycoming College. An “academic weapon” gets out of bed and refuses to be lazy and let the day go by without being productive at all. Instead, they get up with a smile on their face whether they feel like it or not and grind and work hard until the sun goes down and its time to go to bed. Each and every single day, this is something that I am inspired and motivated by which pushes me to reach my potential and above each and every day I get out of bed to win the day. 

        With all being said and done, I am really happy with the final product of my self portrait. It showcases my ability to be a hard working athlete as well as a dedicated student who is an “academic weapon” and shows signs of an academic weapon when he gets out of bed to make the best of each and every day. The composition of the photograph is well done, from the colors of the photo to the lighting of the photo. All the elements come together to make a great photo, and as a student-athlete, this is the perfect picture for those in need of inspiration and a reason to wake up every day and push themselves beyond limits they thought they couldn’t achieve to begin with. 

I CAN PROUDLY SAY I AM AN ATHLETIC AND ACADEMIC WEAPON!!!!!