shutter sisters : self portrait, yuck!

todays shutter sisters post is about self portraits. for the photographer, this is a rarity. for the mother, it's even more rare... so for the photographing mommy, it's almost unplausable. i shudder even thinking about it.

why? because we are overly critical. because we seldom take the time for ourselves to feel great in front of the camera. we are so often the ones taking the pictures, we are rarely in them. and if the picture captures our daily lives, it’s sometimes less than ravishing. these are my reasons, anyway.

i’m sure there are the mothers out there who always feel fabulous about themselves... but sorry, that's not me. it’s not most of the moms i know either. so, if you are one of those women, you probably need not read on...

when i do a family shoot, i always try to capture a few shots of the mom. images that she would be proud to show. images where she's having a great time with her kids, and looking great doing it! i think it's important to have photographs of ourselves doing what we do everyday, and feeling great about it. it helps on those days when we aren't feeling so great about it!

anyway... i'm getting there. today's shutter sisters post is about self portraits. a lot of the women photographers who post here are moms. i can relate to these women. and i feel like a lot of them: it's really hard to make yourself take a picture of yourself! 

i hate it!

i wish i had the same compassion and love for myself as i do the other mothers i photograph.  but alas, i took several pictures, disgusted with most of them... the crooked nose (which is something i discovered today. how did i miss that all these years?), the pores, the crows feet, the bags under the eyes, the pursed lips (i imagine this is the look i give my husband when i am stressed out, ’cause i was!)... oh, need i go on?

but i decided i had to do it. i had to post, at least, one i could live with. even if i didn't like it. almost because it makes me uncomfortable. it's like i'm not used to seeing myself.
maybe it's exposure therapy (no pun intended)—my friends will just love this!

and just look! i posted TWO! i'm making progress as i type!

so there you have it. here i am. tuesday morning. somewhere in between laundry, snacks, cleaning the bathroom, work...

i'm a work in progress, and i'm working on liking what i see, just like most women.

and now i'm off to buy something with retinol in it.