{SP4} Self-portraits and perfectionism

Sony Cybershot right after my Zumba class

and this is my top half - I also put a "warmify" filter on it (Picasa) - I like this pic because this is exactly how I was feeling about this exercise at this point :)

If you don't already have a nice cup of tea, you may want to get one.

I want to write about this self-portrait thing as I've experienced it over the last couple of weeks.

my mirror pics are terrible but I discovered if I crop in a "weird" way, I quite like them

that glass ring on my right hand is from Thailand - recently discovered and I'm loving it

I've always loved self-portraits that tell a story, not just a typical pic. And I've also always loved the self-portraits Andrea's put on her blog for years and years.

I had limited experience with taking these except for when I've been alone somewhere and wanted a quick pic.

This series of self-portraits was taken before we got to the self-portrait lessons and bonus! I actually liked them.

So I thought when I had to do the homework that it wouldn't be too big a deal.

this is me in my comfort zone :)

this is the one from a few weeks back where I was laying on the grass outside!

Well.

I can honestly say it has been a Big Deal.

I'm sure I've taken 100s of pics only to have about 5 I really like. Which is not fun!

One lady on the course said something like when she sees all her flaws, she just wants to hide and I commented and said I get it because I feel the same. I've never been shy in front of the camera (provided I have my lipstick on!) but I also like people to have an "eye" and most people, let's face it, don't care about getting a good pic of you so they take 1 horrible shot and that's that.

I did this treasure hunt like I did all the others, a little bit here and a little bit there, as opportunities presented themselves but then one night I got so darn annoyed with I wasn't getting the same good results as I had been on the course up to then and so I decided to be silly.

Me - silly!

I like laughing but I'm not someone you'd naturally call silly.

But... I'd also seen a series of pics from another lady on the course where she totally embraced silliness and her pics were gorgeous!

And so surprisingly (or not), I actually liked most of the set. There may be something to being a bit silly :)

Anyway, here they are - for your viewing pleasure.

So I think something clicked in me (just a little bit - I'm still going to take 20 to get 1 or 2 I like, although I know the angle for the silly pics quite well :)) because look at me here.

If this is not imperfection at its finest, I don't know what is.

me, without my lipstick, yesterday afternoon

so much so, I even tried to jump with the self-timer but my reflexes are still shocking

taking pics of body parts is so much more comfortable...

This weekend I had to take a pic of me and my book (for the other blog next week) and I started in my usual serious style, hated them all, and then I tried to be "lighter" and voila, these are the ones I'm going to use :)

yes, that's my book. It's only the proof for now but tomorrow I will complete the process to make it available to the PUBLIC! And this is how I felt when I saw it on my Kindle.

I dare you to put a silly pic on your blog! Or any pic of you :)

This week since it's timely, I'm linking to the lovely Kristin Duke (who shares a birthday with my twins :))'s Capturing the Joy linky party.

So, do any of you have issues taking a proper self-portrait? What do you think of  my "journey"?
 
PS I'm still going to keep trying to take a jumping self-timer pic