A few short years ago, you would not have found me in many pictures.
In fact, aside from Christmas card photos or group photos, you'd be hard pressed to find me in any of our family events. I have always been more comfortable behind the camera documenting everyone else's lives. Besides, we People Of The Round Face are not the most photogenic, but that's not important right now.
A few short years ago, I would not even be sharing my life so openly or candidly or so…publicly.
My children's first steps, first teeth, first foods, first bath, first days of school – all photographed and catalogued and annotated in albums. My firsts, or any other part of my own life for that matter (as the youngest of six kids from a Cuban refugee family), not so much.
I don't know when it happened exactly. I think it was after my dad passed away and I was looking fondly at old photos of him. My dad was not particularly handsome, but I remember thinking as I looked at photos of him that he had great skin and a pleasant face and I was sad that I did not know more about the details of his life.
I realized then that I had actually been a bit selfish in my self-consciousness. By not including photos of myself and sharing my own story, I was doing my kids a disservice.
And so, in spite of my un-photogenic-ness (<—that should totally be a word), I go ahead and post my photos on my blog for all the cyber-world to see (sometimes too often? =D) and I tell my own stories with a certain amount of abandon.
So what if I'm not beautiful or particularly photogenic.
Like my dad, I've got great skin and a pleasant face. And that's good enough, don't you think?
As one well versed in the Code of the People of the Round Face (and in my case, double chins), I can understand completely always preferring to stand behind the camera instead of posing in front of one. I also have recently let myself be photographed more frequently (although I always delete the ones I take myself at arms length…there is no way I can take a decent photo that way!). Even worse are the ones from the webcam on my Mac…YUCK! Slowly, I have learned which is my “good” side, and that a well placed tilt of the head works wonders, not to mention dim lighting and having lots of kids standing in front of me. Funny, my kids usually love how I look in pictures (but sometimes even they will tell me “Mom, delete that one!”) and that seems to make it all worth while. I cherish every photo I find of me with my mother, who passed away 3 years ago, and I know I got my aversion to cameras from her. But I also got my wide eyes and dimpled chin from her…funny thing is my kids pointed out how much I look like her. Makes it a bit easier to stand and strike a pose now and then!
And this is why people love you…
Definitely understand. We moms tend to suffer from this the most. I was the same way until someone who had lost her mom also lamented not having more pictures of her no matter what the mom looked like. I then thought of my own mom (still alive, young and kicking) and how I enjoy having pictures of her from all of her life stages and vowed to make my husband get acquainted with my camera.
I too am a member of the round face club….and I just love this post!
I TOO HATE TAKING PICTURES! (OF MYSELF THAT IS!) my sister is the patient phtographer and i (ms. photography minor) also hide behing the camera all too often! and i think Self-Portrait Tues. will help me get out of that! 😀
Marta, you have more than a pleasant face, a warm loving heart and a smile that lights up the planet.Thanks for sharing mi amiguita…
xoxo
Mica
p.s. founding member of round-face club
Yeah, I never used to come out in pictures until my oldest daughter gave me “the guilt trip” that one day I would be gone and my grandkids, great grandkids wouldn’t know who I was…blah, blah, blah. Can’t imagine where she got those “guilt trip” skills from…lalalalaI got the Varadero sign yesterday, Thanks again!
Marta,You are beautiful. I too am “photo-phobic”. My kids pray that I will grow out of this soon. It makes for a more horrid photo don’t you think? It is a lesson we can teach our children: to focus on the best part (heart) :-). Kudos to you and thanks for the encouragement.
Lori
Wow, people. I’m a overwhelmed by your graciousness. Thank you!I hope this makes you think about handing over that camera more often. =D
Besos,
Marta
I love this blog. It made me cry b/c my mom won’t really take photos either… makes me sad b/c of my kids…Going to make her read this! BTW, you ARE beautiful.
I hate photos of myself. I have no children, so can comfortably stay behind the camera instead of in front of it. 🙂
Your face is as good as your thoughts Marta. you are absolutely a beautiful women from my point of view. so don’t concentrate to others.