a little bit of sunshine, a little bit of soul

As an adult, I’ve never had a professional do a self-portrait until today. Laura Sheldon my friend and professional photographer did a great job, so much so that I’m willing to post it. She told me how to sit, how to pose and where to look; and I followed her directions. I guess if you want to look good it pays to listen to the professional.

It’s 10:20 am; I am in our office, sitting on the table that we all sit at for meetings. The windows behind me look onto Gateway Center Park. I’m wearing a City High sweater; and my kids, the 12th graders, told me that the Fran Lloyd Wright tie was, so Zinga-esque. (Yes, the bright ones know how to add e s q u e to a noun to make an adjective.) BTW, it was Laura’s idea to cross my arms.

Part of the reason I’m willing to post the image is that I like it. As I tell my kids, I’m only going to sign off on images that I look good in. And, I can just hear all my adult friends saying, that’s so Italian. It is, and I have no shame owning that.

I titled this post selfie and Wikipedia describes a selfie as a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a hand-held digital camera or camera phone. Forget the self indulgence, low res of a cell phone, I had a professional take this selfie. The Italian expression is fare una bella figura. And I adhere to that maxim of always presenting oneself in a good light. I’m 65, why not look good; why not make a bella figura.