I chose this self portrait of Irving Penn because it shows distinct personality. Though he is considered to be the father of fashion photography, Penn first aspired to be a painter. After studying in Mexico for a year, he quit and destroyed all of his paintings. He photographed for years for Vogue and was very successful. However, when his wife passed away in 1992, he produced two self portraits. This is the second and contains more emotion than the first. To me, the portrait cries to the heavens, saying, "Why did you take her and when will I see her again?" I can also see him seeing himself slowly dying, as only the top left of his head is portrayed as life-like and the rest is melting away.