That’s what friends are for…

Last Tuesday, I got together with a couple of friends for an afternoon of picture taking, videotaping, (more on that later), and socializing.  For one afternoon, we simply got dressed up and took pictures throughout the house.

A relatively simple activity, but one with far reaching consequences.  For instance, I hadn’t seen my friend Talia in a really long time, so it gave us an opportunity to catch up.  Emma just finished an extreme makeover on her home, (and it’s gorgeous!), and wanted to see what areas worked best for photos.

For me, I got a lot of pictures I’m happy with.  I don’t look bad at all, and that makes me feel good.  Really good.   And positive self-esteem keeps getting harder and harder to come by as the years go by.

What’s the secret to good pictures?  All I know is it helps tremendously to have someone with a good eye behind the camera.  It’s one thing to use the self-timer and take pictures of oneself, but it’s a whole different world with someone else as your photographer.

They can help you with posing, and light, and all the little details that make up a good shot: is your hair looking good?  Is a bra strap showing?  Can you suck in your gut a bit more?  What is the best angle for the head?   Are you standing in front of a plant and it looks like you have leaves growing out of your ears?  All important parts of composition that you just can’t get when you’re taking pictures by yourself.

When I pose, I tend to rely on the same few poses, over and over and over again.  I’m so comfortable with them that it’s second nature to sit a certain way, or smile another way.  But with Talia and Emma holding the camera, they made me try new poses and new expressions, and I’m quite happy I listened.    (What worked for me when I was 27 years old and 180lbs, doesn’t always work now that I’m 35 and 220lbs.)

But even more important than the photos is the camraderie.  Spending an afternoon with friends with no worries?  That’s priceless.

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