At some point in our lives, each of us is given an identity document, which bears a photograph of our face – a small portrait. So, in fact, many of us carry a portrait of ourselves almost everywhere we go. Such pictures of ourselves are used by officials to identify, label, permit or limit our access, and keep track of us. 

These small photographs that appear in passports and identity documents need to conform to certain official rules. They always show you looking straight ahead, in bland light, with little or no expression. You do not usually have much control over the way this photograph looks, and you may not like the way you appear to the world in it. 

On the other hand, think about how carefully you chose your profile picture for social media. What made you choose that specific one? You do have control over that image; you may even change it often. This is the image with which you want to represent yourself to the world. What do you want these images to say about you?