Photo Booth Face

The "Photo Booth" grid from my first Monthly Special.

My very first "Monthly Special" was a simple grid project. The example I used was a grid showing the son of a friend of mine. We played the "Photo Booth" game against a simple black backdrop. Most kids today (at least in America) have probably never used an actual photo booth, but Mac users might have played around with the Photo Booth application.

In this particular case, the family had a new iMac and the kids liked to take crazy photos of themselves using the built in camera and the Photo Booth app. Inspired by that game, I had each kid do a series of faces like they would in a photo booth. At first, it was easy to get different expressions, but when their own inspiration was lacking I just had to call of key words or scenarios. You have to practice piano. *click* Your girlfriend just called. *click* Your sister took all of your Halloween candy. *click* etc. Within just a few minutes, you wind up with a wide variety of expressions—theatrical ones, mind you, but ones that represent individual personality nonetheless.

This is a great way to explore the infinite variety of the human face, and not just for kids. Try it with one of your friends or a family member. Once you've collected a few dozen expressions, you can collage them however you like. Do individual prints as a framed series, do a triptych, do a massive grid. Whatever suits your style. The important thing is to use a blank background to keep the focus on the face. And have fun.