3.01.2013

how to get the librarian look on a dime and other awkward things

i'm doin' it, oh yes i am! 

finally going to attempt to follow along with the daily prompts {for taking daily pictures} over on project life 365. i've always wanted to do a 365 project, but i'm usually too undisciplined in my personal, just-for-fun picture-taking pursuits. with me, it's either feast or famine. and lately, it's just a whole lot of pictures of isaac, because he changes daily and i want to freeze each and every minute stage in time so as not to forget a single detail.

but i'm hoping to stretch more outside that comfort zone and get back to looking for a photo in every corner and pocket of life on a daily basis. daily prompts from others who are coming up with the ideas so that you don't have to can be a big help when you're burnt out or when you find yourself too busy to be intentional about it.

enter, PL365!
{middle.of.week.9.oops.better.late.than.never}

i finally perused the daily challenges page on their site yesterday, after having discovered PL365 a couple weeks ago. i saw that the prompt word {or challenge} for the day before was "blue". totally bummed that i missed that one, because i would have had some fun taking pictures of something blue for my initiation into the project. the first thing that came to mind was my vintage, faded robin's-egg-blue desk fan... a most photogenic inanimate object if i ever saw one!

"nook" was yesterday's prompt, which also had me wishing i had stopped by the site a little earlier {not that i can't still find a nook to photograph or break out that fan just for fun}. but when i saw the prompt for today, i knew today would also be a good day to start. the photo challenge for this first day of march was "you_today". 

challenge indeed!

you see, i don't like doing self-portraits {and it would have to be a self-portrait, as one of the rules for submitting to this project is that you have to be the one to take the photos}. i used to like making self-portraits. and i genuinely love when other photographers do self-portrature. but i've found i have a tough time with them when it comes to my own these past few years. in 2012, i even tried to join a self-portrait community of other women photographers doing a year of monthly self-portraits and sharing them in a flickr group. it was called in the picture... a collaboration to encourage those of us who are not too comfortable with self-portrature to get past that fear of switching to the opposite side of the camera.

but i quit after month-one or -two, i think. i did not at all like being in front of the camera anymore. it feels way, way, way more safe behind it. and i never found i could be quite as artistic and expressive with it the way others could {probably because they took the time to do something more creative with it than just holding the camera up to a mirror. snooze}. so i gave up. {see my last post, and you'll know i love to be expressive and artistic with other people in photography. just not with myself.}

so the idea of doing one today had me almost ill. but i made myself do it anyway, because today was a good day to start. 

you see, i just got new glasses, and there are some people {ehem... stacey, just to name one}  who have asked to see a photo of me wearing them. {this is the first time in my life i've ever owned and needed glasses, and i think they're curious about what it would look like.}

so i thought it was perfect timing... i would do a "you_today" self-portrait of glasses-wearing me.

here's what i came up with...

went the blurry route, first. less flaws and more mood. right?
#YOU_TODAY #projectlife365
thought bubble: "okay. it's all well and good, but people won't be able to see the glasses, and that was the whole reason for doing this."

take two...

i'll try the serious look.
#YOU_TODAY #projectlife365
thought bubble: "nahhh. i feel goofy... anything but serious. i feel like laughing. or crying. i feel uncomfortable! and i certainly don't do serious."

take three...

okay, how' bout artsy-fartsy?
#YOU_TODAY #projectlife365
thought bubble: "ooooor... how 'bout you just give this whole thing up, because you know you look nothing like the fresh-faced, young blonde in the photo-advertisement you saw at the doctor's office where you picked out your frames. you look a lot more like {insert the names of every stereotypical nerdy librarian character you've ever seen in the movies... except rachel weisz in the mummy, because you only wish you looked like her, nerdy or not!}."

tip:
if you ever want to go to a costume party and don't have money to spend on a fancy costume, just wash your hair, don't do a thing to it, throw it up in a messy bun {which is the mom-do i sport ehhhhverrry siiiiiingle day}, and borrow my glasses. you're set!
#YOU_TODAY #projectlife365
i think i may even have a few librarian-esque dress suits you could wear from my collection of vintage pieces.

it's safe to say that i gave up on trying to be artistic or aesthetic at this point. by now, this was all just an opportunity to poke fun at myself and my thinking that i could do something effective with this.

and when those thoughts came across in my facial expressions too, i clicked away... 'cause this, friends, is the real me. and i think this just might have been the best shot of them all!...
#YOU_TODAY #projectlife365

or maybe this one...
#YOU_TODAY #projectlife365
=)

12 comments:

Jean said...

Georgia,
Last night, I went to wearing my glasses early b/c of my allergies (I had dusted earlier in the day). And then I put my hair in a bun... =) I'm usually a pony tail or quick braid girl.. Very plain kind of gal.

I love the librarian look... and your many silly faces :D

I'm no longer good w/ those photography group project things... You really do get caught up w/ other things... but they seem so fun! But Everyday can be overwhelming... even though it's just ONE photo.

I'm back & forth about self portraits. :/ I used to love it, back.in.the.day. :p

Hi Kooky said...

I love your glasses! On you! You sport the librarian look very well. I have to chime in - whenever I do self-portraits, I almost ALWAYS make faces because I'm so afraid of looking ridiculous if I try to be serious. So. Most of my shots are wackadoodle. I happen to like all of your shots. :)

georgia b. said...

haha. thanks, jen. wackadoodle. that's a great word!! the first pic i ever saw of you was your profile pic in the those wackadoodle glasses. =) it's fun to be wackadoodle. it seems the only way i can take a serious s.p. is to not look at the camera or not have my face in it at all. =)

thanks, jean. i know what you mean about the daily photo thing. but project life 365 is really laid back from what i understand. no one is really keeping track. that could be a bad thing, 'cause then i'm less accountable. gonna try to hold myself accountable. already today, it's slipping by, 'cause i'm running around getting my house clean for company, and i could easily see forgetting to stop and take a picture. plus, today's challenge is a challenge indeed... "process". still haven't figured out what i'll photograph for that... me cleaning, i guess. =)

Kmcblackburn said...

Haha..these are ALL great! You are a very CUTE "librarian" :)

Amanda said...

You did a great job. I don't like taking self-portraits either. I am always jealous of those girls/women/whathaveyou who can do the "serious" look. I feel like I just look upset. The processing is nice as well, and I like your glasses. Although as someone who's needed them since the 4th grade, I have to say I'm sorry you finally need them. They're a pain! ha. Good luck with your project!

georgia b. said...

thanks, kathy! =)

lol, amanda. you hit the nail on the head... my serious looks look like upset, too. case in point, photo #2 of my post. =)

there are so many phenomenal s.p. photographers out there that do such creative things. merideth winn and christy from urban muser are two of my favorites, but there are so many more. i love the shots where it almost seems like someone else took the photo... which i guess is why i don't like the camera-held-up-to-mirror shots as much... seems so literal.

i've wanted glasses since i was 8 years old. i remember being tested in grade school and told that i have perfect eye sight. i was disappointed because i wanted glasses like the others in my class who needed them. fast forward 22 years when i was 30 years old, and i went to the eye doctor for a test for the very same reason. i wanted to wear them as an accessory, 'cause there were so many cute styles out that i thought looked cute on women. the doctor told me "come back when you're 40." arghhh!! i wanted them then! and in retrospect, still do, 'cause i think i would have liked them on me better then than i do now. now i feel too old for them to look hip. i think they just make me look even older than 41. =(

but the important thing is that i can see better now, right? =)

thanks for the boost of encouragement on my project. i'll need it!!

stacey said...

Yay!!!! I love them!!!! I read your comment last night on my phone and finally had a chance to visit your blog to see your new specs. They are so cute and fit you perfectly. I love the last two pics especially. :)

And yay for you and a 365. You will rock it, I know you will. 28 days was enough for me...I think it might be a two or three times a year thing for me, otherwise it would lose it's appeal and I know I would tire of it quickly. For some reason a month is much more manageable for me! Can't wait to see you pics!!

xoxo

georgia b. said...

thank you, stace. maybe once i get a hair cut, i'll like them more. new glasses call for a makeover. an eyebrow wax wouldn't hurt, either. =)

Tracey said...

Um, I LOVE these! You are beautiful with your hair up in a bun and your cute glasses and long legs. Super fun!

georgia b. said...

awww. thanks, T. you know how to make a gal feel good. smoke and mirrors, my friend. what you can't see is all the fat dimples. strategically hid those. but i love your compliment anyway!! made my day!

Jaime said...

Sweet Georgia,

The cutest (un)librarian I have ever seen!
Just stopped by to admire your beautiful photos and see how life is treating you...I've been away a long while... in that time, your beautiful little guy has gotten SO BIG!!!!

I hope all is going well with you and yours.
I think I will wander a little deeper here, absorb the beauty that you share.

Much love xo

georgia b. said...

awwwww... thanks, jaime! it was so nice to see your name here. i, too, have not been to visit your blog in a while. i'm glad you stopped by... it has reminded me that i should do the same!