Who's the Photographer? Me!

The advent of the internet led to the rise in one of my biggest pet peeves: Taking pictures of oneself. You know the drill, a person holds out the camera, hopes they're in the frame and then shoots.

Websites are full of these shots, most of them dating sites or meeting places, but even here at RetroKitten - a place for art and modeling - we're constantly inundated with photos of models, all taken by themselves and of themselves.

Apparently the lure of this practice is that one can develop a portfolio without one of those pesky photographers talking about lighting and angles, or maybe it's more about having to find a photographer or even a friend with a camera, honestly, I'm not sure.

I can tell you that though I do approve these photos, I do so while cringing inwardly. Not a day goes by in which I don't see someone who could possibly have potential being framed on one side by the sight of their own arm holding up the camera.

The world of modeling is not something that comes easy, for some it's a dream, others it's hobby and for an even smaller group it's a career, the trick with the latter two groups is not being afraid to let someone else hold the camera. No, not every picture is going to remind you of Bettie Page, and yes, in some of them you'll be blinking or yawning or even (trust me these are bad) sneezing, but the trick is to pick out the ones you like.

If you're too shy to ask a friend to hold the camera or to schedule an appointment witht the local portrait studio for a headshot or even to call up a photographer, perhaps this isn't the field for you. There really isn't room for much shyness or even modesty in modeling, be bold and ask if you think you have the look to do it! And that's all it is, a look. We've all seen models we don't think are especially attractive, beauty takes all forms and a good photographer can use anything to shape his or her art.

Finally, I'll close by saying that if you're not comfortable enough to tell a friend how you want to look in a photograph, how can you be that comfortable with a photographer who would likely be a stranger? And really, if all else fails, buying a camera with a delay isn't terribly expensive anymore, and it's always a handy feature to have for group photos on vacations and at holidays!

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