letting myself be seen
i am not so good about sharing pictures of me anywhere. i have been trying to be better about it this year, at least on facebook.
it’s partly because people pictures are not my forte. it’s partly because i don’t take pictures of myself. it’s partly because – as is probably true of many people – i am too hard on myself and do not really like pictures of me. happily, i notice that as i grow older and wiser and kinder, i am less and less critical of myself in all ways, including in pictures.
just for fun, i thought i would share some today. i do know that it’s nice to see more of the person behind the blog and offerings. both photos were taken by my sister helen. (you can click on them to see the larger size.)
i picked these ones because the stories behind them made me laugh.
in the first photo, we were playing at being models. my sisters margaret and helen and i went to walk along a lake superior beach one afternoon because it was too chilly to swim. while we were walking, we passed my camera back and forth. at one point, we decided to play the model game. first, helen took pictures while margaret and i modeled. then, margaret took pictures while helen and i modeled. poor helen was getting very frustrated because she wanted us to keep a straight face – unsmiling – but margaret couldn’t do it without either laughing or looking strange. finally, helen gave in and let margaret smile. i liked those ones the best.
in the second photo, helen was trying to prove a point. i have tried to take a few photos of her from that same angle. i think i read somewhere that it’s a good one. whenever she could tell that that was the angle i was aiming for, she’d complain and make me stop. this was her attempt to show me why it didn’t work. unfortunately for her, i didn’t mind the photo so her plan was foiled.
(as a side note, modeling is hard work. the second photo was from another set where helen was making me model for her. she’d take a picture and then holler, “change your pose!” after maybe two poses, i had run out of ideas and could only do something random and awkward. it was pretty funny.)
(as another side note, this post was inspired by liz lamoreux’s latest adventures in creative self-care newsletter. are you signed up?)
You should totally check out Vivienne McMaster’s self portrait online courses. It completely transformed the way I feel about photos of myself. Check out her blog-she just posted about her own feelings about her self portraits. Take a chance, take a class and thank me later. 🙂
I did take one 🙂
It is so wonderful to see you, Elizabeth… and love seeing your BIG smile! :o) I have often felt the same way about pictures of myself, but as I grow older too, I’ve been trying to relax about all that–as I’ve tended to be hard on myself about my own appearance. But I’ve tried to share the occasional image of me at my place, as photo does make a nice way to connect. A big leap has been sharing videos via my blog this year…wow, I still can’t believe I’m doing that! Let’s be bold! ;o) Happy Days ((HUGS))
i see you + thank you for your being.
(+ i too have a heart for lake superior).
xox
in pictures of me now, at my age …
i look like bob newhart.
now i’ve always liked bob newhart.
but he’s a guy. and i’m not.
when did i go from looking like his wife
suzanne pleshette to him? not fair!!!
so i’d rather look at your pictures.
they are great!!!
helen sure sounds like a demanding photographer;) and the reason that second one didn’t work is because you weren’t looking at the camera:)
hello elizabeth,
thanks for popping in to my blog! how cool that i get to see you on the day you posted you photo. you look so happy! and wow! i love your photos!
happy days to you 🙂
I agree with Helen – that 2nd angle is usually not my favorite, because really, who wants to see a picture of my nostrils. 🙂 But you look cute, as usual. 🙂 I like the model photos too. 🙂 Looks like a lot of fun, and I’m jealous. 🙂
amy: i want to see a picture of your nostrils! hehehe. actually, i noticed that when i posted it, and i decided that was the one downfall of the angle. it was fun. wish you could have been there. i should send you the funniest outtake/pose.
alison: that was good timing! thank you 🙂
helen: she sure does. 😉 wait, by work, do you mean “not work”?
tammy: i like bob newhart and i know what you mean. though i must confess that you did not look at all like bob newhart to me! 🙂
rachel: it is easy to love.
tracy: your video blogs inspire me!
I meant the reason the second one didn’t work for proving my argument. When you take those pics of me, I’m not gazing up into the sky, I’m looking at you or downwards so I get about 3 chins:)