I have not done this every single year but I think it's important that a picture be taken of your person, your person being YOU! Yes, each year on your birthday take a self portrait or ask someone to take a picture of you. I'm finding this very interesting with the older I become. My birthday's didn't phase me too much in my 20's but I must say I did begin to notice some changes in the 30's and oh my word the 40's and especially after that mid way mark. DANG, I certainly don't get carded any more and even with my sweet freckles and red Pippi-esk hair, I look lake a MAM. A straight up "yes mam" That's o.k. though because I'm pretty excited about getting older with each birthday. It has it's perks that's for sure. I become more wise with each added year and I do like that perk. I mean yes, I notice the creases in my face are also multiplying. I have some wicked awesome laugh lines around my eyes, that just means I had plenty of laughs in my life and lots of smiles that have created these creases in my cheeks. The straw sucking drinking wrinkles around my upper lip is not my most favorite crease but I have to take some bad with the good. Oh heavens and the gray hairs start to spring up, where do they come from, it's like over night...spring, pop, hello here I am! I'm super excited to fully embrace a more distinguished look of an older gal. I have a Pinterest board completely dedicated to "When I'm an Old Woman" I've got it all planned out. It's going to be the best.
I took a few snapshots with my camera, in the bathroom of course where the best lighting happens mid day in-between getting off work and picking up my high schooler. I had about 10 minutes to get my self portrait in. I couldn't find my remote and I used my 50mm and my arms are just not long enough and I shot on manual for goodness sake. Big deep breath. This also means none of them really turned out. I got super crazy too because not only did I take a picture with my DSLR, I took one polaroid, one iPhone photo and one shot with my film camera. Remember, it's my month to shoot film! That image will be very interesting. The film camera only has manual focus. Did I mention my eyesight is changing? I think I might need glasses and I'm nervous about the manual focus on my film camera. I'm going to share the pictures I took with the DSLR here for my 48 year old portrait.
That opening portrait of me, that's not what that image really looked like. It really looked like this one below! Super dark in color and way under exposed. Yet, this is the best image I got. I had to lighten it up and switch it to black and white and that seemed to make it more acceptable. Plus I didn't even mean to take it, I touched the camera screen which engaged the timer and so I stayed where I was right up close to the camera lens. This is me at 48!
Below are the ones I tried to "pose" for and get my feather crown in the frame but without a remote and super freakishly long arms...they are completely out of focus and by this time I changed the exposure and yeah, they are now overexposed and blurry. I'm laughing about it, really I am. I think it's hilarious and so typical of myself. Then I had to leave and pick up Abbie and now my birthday is over so this is my DSLR best attempt. Perhaps next year I'll better be prepared. Besides I'm a big fan of IMPERFECTION. I must say, I NAILED THE IMPERFECTION PART.
