Selfie Barber Shop: An Awesome Self-Portrait Project that Puts the 'Terrific' in Hipsterrific

When it came time for Sao Paolo-based photographer and art director Adriano Alarcon to shave the beard he had spent 4 months growing, he didn’t waste the opportunity — he turned it into a portrait project worth laughing at and praising in the same breath.

The project, dubbed Fifty Fifty Selfie Barber Shop, features images of Alarcon with half his beard gone and the other intact; but where there should be just skin, he’s instead recreated the missing half of his beard with odd toys, candy, and sometimes even ‘bugs’ (still candy…).

It’s as if he got halfway through shaving his beard off, realized he’d made a mistake, and began desperately searching for the best possible materials he could use to rebuild it.

We recently sat down (digitally speaking) with Adriano and asked him just a few questions about the project and how it came to be:

500PX: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey as a photographer?

ADRIANO ALARCON: My father was a photographer and I started take photos very young, with 7 years old. But with 20 years I decide to became an art director in advertising market. Now I’m creative director of FCB Brazil, one of the most awarded agencies.

How was this project born?

ADRIANO: The meaningful story behind the project is just a fun way to talk about two recurrent issues on the web: selfies and beards.

Any fun stories from the creation of these shots?

ADRIANO: The photos were taken in two days (Saturday and Sunday), but Sunday morning I had to leave home to vote in the Presidential Elections in Brazil, hahahaha, so you can imagine the reaction of people seeing me walking down the street with half-shaven face.

What about challenges? What was the most difficult thing about this project?

ADRIANO: The hardest part was to make the model work and photographer work at the same time, controlling everything at once. During that two days I only stopped to eat and sleep.

Anything else you’d like to add? Advice for other photographers, closing thoughts, a plug for a future project?

ADRIANO: If you have a idea, do it, don’t wait for the better conditions, usually never comes.

You heard him, get out there and shoot! But before you do check out the rest of the series below:

To see more, or check them out at higher resolution, head over to the project’s blog, follow Adriano on 500px, visit his website, or show him some love on Instagram.