Self Portraits

A few weeks ago I took some self portraits for the first time ever. Let me just tell you, that was the most embarrassing thing I've done in a log time--in all facets.

First, I had to go find a place outside that was pretty, yet within walking distance of my apartment. That pretty much narrowed it down to a couple grassy areas by the main road. So I set up my tripod, set my camera on a timer, and smiled to no one while tons of cars drove by staring. The sun was pretty though.

Self portraits are hard! Normally, if I was going to take your photo, I'd have you stand where I want you, and then focus on you with my lens, making minor adjustments as necessary. But when I'm not behind the lens, I can't focus on myself! So I had to pretend, and use sticks to simulate where my face was going to be so I had something to focus on. Then I'd set the timer, run around the the other side, and pose for 10 shots. Repeat.

Kind of a crazy hour.

8 out of 10 shots didn't turn out because they were blurry; 1 out of 10 I was pulling a weird face or blinking; and the final 10th looked possibly usable. It was REALLY weird to edit pictures of myself, removing blemishes, fixing lighting, that kind of thing.

I'm excited that I get to use them on my new website. That's the main reason I took them. I needed and updated picture for my bio section anyways, and I also thought it'd be nice to have pictures that reflect my own editing style rather than another photographer's. It was a lot of effort though, so I definitely won't be doing it again anytime soon!

It kind of made me realize though, that everyone is so lucky they don't have to look at any of the "bad" photos of themselves that get taken during their shoot. Even I felt embarrassed looking at pictures of myself where I looked like a goober, and I KNOW to expect it. I feel like I should let all my clients know I don't laugh at your blinky pictures or anything :) I just delete them, I promise!

There's me.

Just some stuff that's going on.

Okay, so I think it's probably time to post again. I've been busy making my new website the last couple months, and I've been trying to spend less unnecessary time online since I've spent so much time doing that. Not that I really succeed, but I still try.

Right now I have a ... sickness. It's a cold/sinus infection of some sort. Who really knows? Not me, since I don't go to the doctor. Maybe I will if it doesn't get better.

We're going to see The Avengers today--and I'm hoping that will make me forget about my runny nose and itchy throat for a few hours. That, or I'll annoy everyone in the theater with my sniffling.

This month, I have loved 4% milk fat cottage cheese. Seriously. If you're like me, you probably always get the low fat or fat free kind... but do yourself a favor, and just once, get the regular kind. Your mind will explode.

And I also have to say that this month, I think spaghetti has finally outstayed its welcome at our house. It needs to take a vacation. We've consistently had spaghetti once a week for ... years. And we always eat all our leftovers; we love spaghetti. This week... yeah, I think we need a break. We'll see you in a few weeks, spaghetti.

Trevor finished his semester with a 4.0; and now he's writing for the summer. I'm genuinely excited to see where his two novels end up by the end of August. We're going to CONduit again at the end of May, and I'm also excited for that. We were so new to the whole writing industry last year; I'm hoping we'll be able to absorb a lot more and meet a lot more people.

We're also taking our annual stay-cation a bit early this year. We're taking it the last week of May. Usually we take it in October over our anniversary, but we thought it might be easier in the summer when Trevor doesn't have school. Plus, I REALLY need a break. It's hard sometimes to keep working when Trevor gets breaks from school, like for spring break or winter break, and now summer. He's still working his regular part time job, but it feels like he's the luckiest ducky in the pond. Ten days off should set me straight again.

Before that, though, is Trevor's 25th birthday, coming up on the 14th! I love birthdays :) I like that we get to lavish each other with attention.

Over the next month or two I'll be working on some more engagement photos, some bridals, some weddings. It's going to be kind of intense. I'm saving up to upgrade my camera body--that, or get a few new lenses. I haven't decided yet. They always say its better to get better lenses, but is that still the case when your camera body REALLY needs an upgrade? Luckily I have 6 months to figure it out :) I've already invested quite a bit of the money I initially intended to save into my new website and marketing stuff. I'm actually SO happy I made that decision. I have a new logo, a new look, and new business cards are on the way. I feel like I've taken a huge step in the direction of professionalism that I've been lacking so far. I finally made the decision to purchase a domain name, so I now have my very own website: www.beckygreenphotos.com! So instead of wix.com/photosbybecky or whatever, it's actually mine. And on top of it all, facebook FINALLY allowed me to change my business page name! I made the horrible decision when I first started to name my business "photos.by.becky" and within a year, I regretted it. Facebook finally changed their policy and let me change it to Becky Green Photography. It seems like a little thing, but it's SUCH a relief. Now, going forward, I'm focusing on things I offer my clients. I'm working on "the whole package" of what my clients receive, and I like the direction its going.

Anyways, I realize my blog and life have turned into all photograpy business and helping Trevor with his writing. That's pretty much all we do. I mean, yeah, we still work, and hang out with family, and still watch copious amounts of TV, and I still absolutely find time for cooking and baking. But basically, our worlds have been consumed.