Photo Friday: How Do You Love You

So, this week's theme was my idea. Unfortunately you will have to check out Monday's post for the link. I am on a friend's laptop (our computer is being disagreeable again) and it's not exactly the best working substitute. I should now mention that I designed this photo, but as I am in it, I did not actually shoot it. But I was the creative director. It's evolved all week in my head, and this is the final image....There is another one at the bottom, but it's 2nd choice. It's hard to choose, sometimes! Big thanks to my friend Chica for her assistance in this project.



So, what do I love about myself?

1. Physically, my favorite feature is my back. Back, neck, and shoulders. Someone asked me that recently, and after a lot of thinking, that was my answer....


2. I love the beauty I create with raw products, whether it be yarn, or the everyday objects around us and a camera. I love that I can take ordinary things and make them extraordinary. I love that I can see into someone or something without my camera and bring the inside out. I won't talk about the yarn much - there is a whole thing about that in last week's post on "Unexpected Loves".


3. Giving. I am giving. Or, at least, I try to be. That's why I'm holding out the camera. It was the best way I could think of to signify giving (think of the hands of the United Way). It didn't end up working the way I wanted, but they are there. If you saw the evolution of the photos, you would see my hands used differently in the beginning.


4. I am an Earth Mother. I love my communion with Nature. That is my spirituality, and I'm proud of that. I love how I feel when outside, I love how breathing in the beauty makes me feel beautiful. So I decided to have the shot be outside...where I feel the most at ease, the most ME.

So that's the reasoning and design behind the photo. When I picked this location I loved it - a friend wanted me to shoot her there, and I stole it for myself. LOL. What I hadn't noticed, or simply wasn't there the other day, is the vine of heart-shaped leaves just above and to the right of me. It seems the spot ended up being perfect, as there is love surrounding me.

Of perhaps some interest is that this spot is just beside the covered bridge in our town, on a little island in the creek. Just above and over the bank of tall grasses was the bridge, along with many people out enjoying the day, completely oblivious to the fact that there was a semi-nude photo shoot going on 20 feet from them. It was rather exhilirating....Reminder, below is my 2nd choice photo.