Thursday, December 20, 2007

Thank You Mary...

My fellow blogger (and someone I hope I can call friend), Mary posted a comment to me in my last post. The comment was about editing photos. I had joked about wanting to edit off about twenty extra pounds, and was rewarded with the information that would help me to make such alterations if I had the time and patience to do it. Thing is, I don't really want to. I sat there reading about it, and came to the conclusion that I am okay with being me. Here is my response to Mary (Who, for the record, has never told me that I am anything but beautiful! I want to make that perfectly clear before someone who does not know any better suggests that She indicated that I needed to edit myself!)

Mary,
I joke about wanting to edit myself in such a manner, but it is useful knowledge to have, so thank you! Like I stated though, the only thing I have ever done to my pics is crop them. (or adjust the lighting when the picture was too dark to see.) Usually cropping out my body, which I am still not comfortable with. I have stopped doing even that. I have come to the conclusion that I like me, despite my many flaws, and I can be unhappy with certain aspects of me, but do so in a manner which is loving to myself. I do not hate myself anymore for the extra pounds I still have to lose. I do not hate myself for the stretch marks, and the breasts that only ever really look good when supported by industrial strength elastic and wire. (Or perhaps some duct tape) I got those things doing something I would never change if given the chance. Having my children. Yes, it makes me not want to ever show my body to anyone naked, but that too I will overcome. I am a work in progress. And I can be proud of that... so while the knowledge is a fun thing, and a tool I might experiment with in the future, know that no picture of me on this site or any other will ever be altered in such a way by me. Ya know, I have been wanting to talk about this for some time. I think I just wrote tonight's blog! Hugs, Dawn

That being said, here are a few new pictures of me that I took Sunday and Monday. They have not been edited in ANYWAY other than to adjust the lighting and crop out some BACKGROUND that was unnecessary. That's all, Goodnight.





4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey....a man could do worse...

just kiddin' ya...ya got reason to be comfortable with yerself..yerra cutie.

Anonymous said...

I'd tap it! HaHa! Sorry for being a tard I was just saying you are HOT! No worries here about how you look. Delicious!Hunny

CrystalChick said...

OH of course I would never say anyone needed to do that. Yes, you are beautiful and I mean it when I say it!
I applaud your honesty about it all and absolutely think not only are your pictures great to look at, but you being happy with YOU is an amazing way to be.

I don't think that most people on here edit their photos much or do more than what you do, lighten or crop sometimes.
When I play with photos I'm doing it, in part, to be creative. I like how you can make color photos black and white or do a sepia tone or an 'orton' blur. This next comment probably won't make sense to alot of people... but here goes anyway. The most elevated planet in my birth chart is Neptune... ruling among other things... delusion, glamour, haze, fantasy, idealism, mysteries, aesthetic art, etc. I live out my Neptune in many ways... one of them being photography. I'm not in any way professional, but I love pictures, taking them, looking at them, etc.
If you look at any picture in any magazine, chances are... it's been altered in some way. There are debates as to whether it's right or wrong and whether anyone cares. For instance, at a vacation resort.... are they ever crowded when you look at a picture? NO. You see beautiful water, sunny skies, etc.
Not that the photographer wasn't able to capture that naturally, but what about the 4 people burned like lobsters laying on old ratty beach towels who happened to be in the shot. They were edited out.
So part of the picture is natural, part of it not, but overall, the photographer is giving an appearance of a place you might want to visit, a place with the warm sun and the cool water. There's no guarantee you'll be there when it's not pouring rain and there's no guarantee you won't have annoying tourists to deal with. The photo is being made nicer for you because it speaks to the part of yourself that wants to relax and treat yourself well.
All of life is an illusion in some ways.
So while I don't change all my photos and some only very slightly, some I have more fun with. There's a picture of my nephew and I that I really love somewhere on the blog....but he doesn't like it at all because it's done in the old time sepia color.
To each his own.....

someoneswife said...

Stevo,
Ummmmm, thanks? Just kidding. Thank You. Hugs, Dawn

My Honey,
LMAO... You smartass! ILY2! Hugs, Dawn

Mary,
I have a friend named Dee that does amazing things with her photo editing skills. She take sphotos of her children and turns them black and white except for maybe the eyes, or the pink dress and ribbon in her daughters hair. They always come out looking so beautiful. LOL... she did one of me, a picture of me the day after one of my nights out... all hung over, but it didn't turn out half bad when she was done removing my pastiness by taking the colors out, (except for my camo hat! LOL!) I would love to learn her tricks, unfortuanately we do not get to talk much due to our very different schedules. Maybe I will have you and Dee send me editing pointers via email. Hugs, Dawn