Some of the blogs that I read regularly do this "thing" called Self-Portrait Friday. At first I thought about it, but ruled it out as it is inherently narcissistic. Then I got bored yesterday and attempted to take some photos of myself.
First off, taking a quality photo of yourself is HARD. Especially if you're me, and still getting acquainted with the functions other than "auto" on your camera. Secondly, taking photos of yourself requires that you be 100% okay with your appearance, your surroundings, and yourself. For me, this has not always been the situation -- for instance, I really really really really really dislike my nose. Granted, I would not look like "me" if I were to ever get it redone...I know that. But that doesn't mean I don't have dreams of rhinoplasty.
Then it occurred to me that it is what it is. Self-portraits are about what you are, not what you want to be, or what you look like under a ton of make-up. I love myself as is, unconditionally, whether I'm looking ugly or looking fabulous. If other people want to tease me for my freckles or the dark circles under my eyes (dude, I've had them my entire life), then let 'em. While unpacking, I got the chance to see photographs of myself from a more made-up, skinnier past, where appearances were everything and then some. And I looked like a whore.
So I went on about my self-portraiting (is that a word?) and tried to capture ME, wide nose, crows feet, freckles and all. I even took a few shots that I designed to make my nose look larger, purely out of curiosity. I might not do SPF every week, but this was definitely an eye opening experience for me.
I even took a photo of me IN MY READING GLASSES, PEOPLE - the ones that double the size of my eyeballs. That's how dedicated I am to near-total, internet self-disclosure.
I'm off to Boston this weekend to spend time with some old friends. Updates from tomorrow to Tuesday are unlikely. See you on Wednesday - have a great weekend!
First off, taking a quality photo of yourself is HARD. Especially if you're me, and still getting acquainted with the functions other than "auto" on your camera. Secondly, taking photos of yourself requires that you be 100% okay with your appearance, your surroundings, and yourself. For me, this has not always been the situation -- for instance, I really really really really really dislike my nose. Granted, I would not look like "me" if I were to ever get it redone...I know that. But that doesn't mean I don't have dreams of rhinoplasty.
Then it occurred to me that it is what it is. Self-portraits are about what you are, not what you want to be, or what you look like under a ton of make-up. I love myself as is, unconditionally, whether I'm looking ugly or looking fabulous. If other people want to tease me for my freckles or the dark circles under my eyes (dude, I've had them my entire life), then let 'em. While unpacking, I got the chance to see photographs of myself from a more made-up, skinnier past, where appearances were everything and then some. And I looked like a whore.
So I went on about my self-portraiting (is that a word?) and tried to capture ME, wide nose, crows feet, freckles and all. I even took a few shots that I designed to make my nose look larger, purely out of curiosity. I might not do SPF every week, but this was definitely an eye opening experience for me.
I even took a photo of me IN MY READING GLASSES, PEOPLE - the ones that double the size of my eyeballs. That's how dedicated I am to near-total, internet self-disclosure.
I'm off to Boston this weekend to spend time with some old friends. Updates from tomorrow to Tuesday are unlikely. See you on Wednesday - have a great weekend!
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