Self-Portrait with Mirrors is one of a handful of photographs taken in one session. It shows not only the artist's fascination with the physics of reflected light, but also her relationship to her Leica, the mechanical tool of her visual creativity. The camera appears in this image just as the brush, palette, canvas and easel appear in painters' self-portraits--images made using mirrors, which allow artists to observe and depict themselves making direct eye contact with the viewer, in a tradition that stretches back to the Renaissance. Self-Portrait with Mirrors is a complex image in which the artist has photographed herself and her trademark Leica in one mirror, while the profile of both is reflected in another. The large button on her cuff disturbs the play between full face and profile, while the objects at the bottom of the frame lend a certain informality to an otherwise highly contrived set-up. The soft velvety curtain behind introduces a further element of rich tactility. The play between black, white and shades of gray softens and enriches the overall image. Bing could have activated the shutter remotely, or used the Leica's timer for a self-portrait like that of Bill Brandt...; her use of the mirror must be a commentary on the technique and the concept of self-portraits. On the left of her image Bing has the mirror which reveals the mechanics of the process, fully dispelling any pretense about how this art is created. Our view of her, and her gaze out at us, is obstructed by the camera; she and it become inextricably linked.

from Acton, A History of Photography at the University of Notre Dame: Twentieth Century (Notre Dame, 2019)