About a year ago, I went looking for a photo of me. Just a simple, nice photo of me. And do you know what? I couldn’t find one. There were the occasional photos of me standing in front of some national monument, but that was it. I take ten of thousands of photos a year, yet a good photo of me is not to be seen. So I made it a resolution to get in front of the camera a little more often. And I do. So we now have more photos of me in front of national landmarks, and sitting on the occasional park bench.
Like most women, I’m not keen on having my photo taken. And like most women, when my photo is taken I never like it. And like most women, I’m too cheap to have professional photos taken. However, I’ve vowed to do something about this. Now, every couple of months I do a photo shoot with myself. I set up the camera on my tripod, plug in my remote (or use the built-in self-timer), find a nearby window with some nice light, and take a few hundred photos of myself in the space of about 30 to 40 minutes. Most of them get trashed immediately because I’m not in the frame, or I’ve chopped my head off, but there are always some nice shots to be had.
The best trick I’ve found is to do this before I head out for an evening do. For special dinners, and the like, I will usually take a fair amount of care in my appearance, which includes spending time styling my hair and applying make-up. By simply getting ready an hour earlier than I need to, I can have a play doing my own photo shoot, and because I’ve taken the time to fancy myself up a bit, I generally like the outcome.
I really believe that we as scrappers should get in front of the camera more. It’s all well and good for us to scrap our travels, and our families, but wouldn’t it be nice to be included in that family once in a while? Wouldn’t your children or your husband love to see photo of YOU? I really believe that we need to be included in our own scrapbooks, and I even went as far to challenge the members of Scrap That Moment to get themselves in front of the camera. This is where today’s photo comes in. No, it’s not a traditional portrait, but I love how this shot turned out, and I can’t wait to scrap this photo. And I probably wouldn’t have taken this shot if I hadn’t challenged myself to do so.
So take a few minutes of me time once in a while, and get yourself in front of the camera. Whether your photo be a full-body shot, a portrait, or just a detail, document yourself. In the years to come, you will be thankful you did.