Pink Lipstick and Green Duct Tape- a lesson on inner beauty

Day 346
"Pink Lipstick"

(A flash back to my 365 project done in 2010/2011)

   That's where this whole thing started- with pink lipstick. As I was getting ready I grabbed the tube full of waxy beautification and thought once I applied it, "Does this make me look cheap?" Which lead me to my next thought of what my mom always use to tell me, "It's all in how you present yourself."
   As I grew up I understood this and really tried to live by it. I tried to present myself as what I really was. I didn't act like a stupid blonde girl, bc I wasn't stupid. I didn't drink to fit in, because maybe I didn't want to fit in there. Then as I got older that phrase started to slightly bother me, bc I started to look at it a different way.
   If I tried to act classy, did that automatically make me a 'better' person? Or what if one day I decided to take everything completely unserious? Would that make people think I was immature and unfocused? Bc if that's what they thought- it wasn't true. So if they thought that, too bad for them, which, in my moms defense, was another thing she also lived by, "It doesn't matter what people think." 
   Some days I think, who cares how I present myself!? I am who I am inside. I know who I am! "It's all in how I present myself." What- am I like a package? A Christmas gift? Do you pick the one with the beautiful flowing ribbon, or do you settle for the one shoved in the plastic grocery bag? You have no idea what's inside!
   Yet- other days, I do realize, my packaging does count. At quick glance people get a sense of me, who I am, and where I fit into in this life. I express myself through my clothes, my hair, the music I listen to, and the art I create. 
   I think there's a fine line between caring what people think of you and caring what people assume of you- and that's probably what my mom meant all along. 
   So, at the end of the day, if they assume I'm cheap bc of my pink lipstick, let them, bc they are of no use to me then. And if they think I'm weird for packaging myself up in green tape to prove a point, then even better, bc I would never want to be labeled as normal anyways!

Port Huron, Michigan Artistic Body Photographer

365

365.

To some of you those are pointless numbers.

To some, it's a full calendar year.

And to me, for the second time, it's a year long project to push, test, and challenge me.

For those of you who didn't follow me the first time I did this insane project- a 365 is a photographer's fun way of saying- I'm nuts!

A 365 is where I vow to take an image, 1 photo each day, non stop, no cheating, for 1 full year, for 365 days.

I did my first self portrait 365 back in 2010 with my DSLR. It helped me gain a TON of knowledge about portrait work and off camera flash.

I'm revisiting the 365 this year with.... it's true... my iphone.

WAIT! Before you judge me, hear me out!

What does an iphone offer that a DSLR doesn't!?

Ok, so quality is NOT on that list, nor is options- but that's the point for me!

I no longer can rely on crisp details to captivate my audience, I can't edit out mistakes, I can't enhance anything blah. All I can do is take a picture.

Wow. Talk about going back to the basics. My phone (3GS) doesn't even have a flash. All I have is a crappy camera, natural light, and my arm. No timer. No tripod. No tricks. Just me and the camera.

So why a phone and not a camera?

2 reasons. I needed to go back to the basics. I needed to push my creativity and realize what can be done when you don't over think things. Sometimes reverting back to where you started can help you grow and see things. Reason number 2- I am busy. Ridiculously busy. I knew if I had to set aside time each day to set up, pose, photograph, edit, post, I would fail, and.... I've been there, done that. I needed something quick and to the point.

I also wanted to prove- with the right light, the right creativity, you can accomplish great things, even with a phone. Is this a push for people to substitute professional portraits for iphone images? NEVER. I'll be the first to tell you I am SO over the 1 click retro edits that push people to think they are the next big artistic statement, but there's no denying- this is a digital age. People LOVE their camera phones. Why not embrace that. Why not have some fun!

So, here we go. 364 days left to go. Are you with me?

Follow me on Instagram-

ajbcphotography

http://instagram.com/ajbcphotography