This month we are in 10:00 a.m. This means we must take our image anywhere between 10:00 a.m. and 10:59 a.m. I was in the desert when inspiration struck. We had this trip planned and I knew without a doubt I would take my camera along. The morning we were getting ready to leave I thought, perfect the desert is blooming and it’s in the 10:00 a.m. hour, time to shoot. Finding the beauty in the landscape wasn’t that hard. It was all around me, blue, blue vibrant sky, dusty desert ground and desert flowers bursting with color. Had I planned ahead, I mean really thought it out this self portrait would have been much more interesting. Perhaps a colorful skirt blowing with the wind, an interesting hat, a twirl? None of that happened because it was a spur of the moment thought. The thought to include myself in the desert landscape. I bought a remote (I think it needs a better or new battery because it doesn’t work like it should) So I forget that dumb thing and go to my OLD WAYS.
This means, finding a rock to set my camera on, guessing where the focus will be, setting the 10 second timer and jogging to my spot where I’m then suppose to look like I was just standing there waiting to have my picture taken. First take! In focus. So I was good with it. This method sometimes takes a dozen or more tries. I decided not to pose. To just be. I was wearing what I typically might be seen in on a lazy weekend day. comfy pants, a t-shirt, flip flops. It’s so unassuming really, nothing fancy about it. But you see that’s what I like. I like that it’s the real me, the regular run of the day mill me. Under those glasses even there wasn’t a stitch of make up. My hair wasn’t even combed just pulled back with a band. I also might normally criticize my shape, or lack of being in shape but again, my favorite part is how real of a moment it was. That was when I decided this would be the photo for hours and I could still include the desert flowers if I layered them atop my self portrait.
This is my backstory behind 10:00 a.m. in the California desert.