I’ve been sorta kinda planning out a photoshoot for this here blog for a while now. But I often don’t get serious enough about deadlines I set for myself, so I just got around to doing it at the beginning of this month.
I’m sure I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: Give me a deadline for work and I will most likely make it, give me one for myself and I seem to miss the mark every time (sigh).
I don’t really have photo shoot money, like to hire a professional photographer and all. Since my mother has taken some really nice pictures of me before, I thought I’d go with her.
I was going for the natural look – no makeup, my own un-straightened hair with grays and all, a simple dress. You know, nothing fancy – just me.
I did some location scouting online, and while initially I wanted to go to Balboa Park in San Diego, I resolved that it was just too far, so I went with Palisades Village in Pacific Palisades instead. I’d been following them on Instagram for a while now. It was developed by the same people who did The Grove. And have you seen this place? It looks so idyllic – bright and airy, with pretty flowers (real and fake) and nice architecture — just my aesthetic.
So we got there, and everything was so expensive. Of course, I already knew that, because I did my research, so I was prepared, but still. The only places I could afford to buy something at were the coffee shop, See’s candy, the Amazon bookstore (but I make a point of not shopping at Amazon), and the ice cream parlor (who says ice cream parlor?). And if you know anything about me, you know I chose the ice cream.
I guess technically I could afford the restaurants as well, but they were on the pricier side, and I wasn’t trying to squeeze my budget to drop $25 on a sandwich. However, no amount of stretching would allow me to afford the jewelry or clothing stores—so I steered clear.
When we got there, I was surprised at how small it was, a very quaint place indeed. So anyways, I got my ice cream (with a cookie), found a nice little table to sit at, and commenced the shoot.
My mom showed me a couple of photos on location, but for the most part, I waited ‘til I got home to see the results. And well, let’s just say I wasn’t too keen on what I saw.
Critical Mass
First of all, I gained the quarantine fifteen on top of the 15 I’d already gained around the holidays. So I’m looking at a 30lbs-heavier me. Make no mistake, these 30 extra pounds didn’t make me fat, I was already fat. They’ve just made me more dangerously fat (another topic for another post). Since that’s the case, you may be saying, “Why are you eating ice cream and a cookie?” I get it, but I will never completely deprive myself of treats. I’m cutting back, not eliminating.
It’s amazing how weight can just sneak up on you. Especially when you’re sitting (or lying) around the house all day in oversized dresses and stretchy pants. Oh, and feeding your face indiscriminately – that’ll do it too.
At 240-something, I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been, and I can really feel the difference. Now, I get tired really easily. If I go for a walk, or run errands, when I get home, my energy is depleted and I just fall asleep.
They say a picture’s worth a thousand words. Seeing myself in these photos just confirmed how I’ve been feeling ever since I put on the extra weight.
Too Posey
When it comes to photoshoots, I think some of the best shots are candid shots. Like obviously you know the photographer is there, so in some sense it’s all a pose, but I like the shots that look like they just happened to happen rather than ones where you’re holding still, which was exactly what I was doing in all these photos – way too posey.
Shot Quality
The lighting was horrible.
The camera was old and on the inexpensive side (Canon SX510 HS) – it costed no more than $300. That’s not to say you can’t get good shots from cheap cameras (nor is that to say that $300 isn’t a lot of money). It’s just you have to, I don’t know, maybe work a little harder for it, or be very intentional about it — know what you’re going for. You can’t just point and shoot, pun intended. Not blaming my mom at all, this was totally my fault. I should have planned this thing better.
The Conditions
I purposely scheduled the photoshoot on a Wednesday as opposed to say a Saturday, thinking there would be less people. While there may have been less people than a Saturday, there were still A LOT of people. You have to have some nerve to just start taking a bunch of pictures – you know, the number of pictures you need to take to get it right – in public. And, well, I just don’t have that…yet.
On the Bright Side, Lessons Learned
If seeing is believing, I saw enough in those photos to know I’ve gotta get serious about loosing weight, not simply for looks, but most importantly for health and vitality. Also I love my gap-toothed smile!
I’ve also learned that when location scouting, I have to take into consideration how many people are going to be there and how that will affect my ability to take photos. Not only that, but I’ve just acquired a new challenge to push myself to get the shots I want regardless of who’s around.
Planning a vibe is also key. For this shoot, I picked my outfit, I did my hair, knew where I wanted to go with the makeup –none—planned the location, but that was about it. Then when I got there, it was just like, ok, now what? I was just like, I’ll sit here, I’ll stand there, but I didn’t have an overall mood, or vibe I was going for. Next time, I’ll try and up that – give it a story.
Regarding the camera, well, it is what it is. Since it’s not some fancy DSLR, I just have to have patience and do the best with what I got.
Speaking of patience, that’s exactly what I need to have with this whole photoshoot thing. So, not so bad for the first shot.
Leave a Reply