stephanie is: 
pensive…
i saw this post by mere about vainity and self-portraits. i have been thinking about stuff like that this past week as i prepare to write a “why” page for my site. here is what i wrote:
i know how you feel. in high school i used to dress up my best friend and take pictures of her. i was very happy to not be in the pictures. once i got to college, i no longer had anyone to take pictures of. i had a single room even. so late at night, that same photo urge would hit me and i’d only have myself to film. a side effect, though, has been that i am no longer so scared to show the world what i look like. i don’t feel like i have to wear makeup to cover that zit. i finally broke my highschool habit of having to have an untucked shirt or something tied around my waist to hide my butt. and all these pictures are like bookmarks for my memory. i can see them and remember what my life was like at that moment…
ditto
I was an only child, so naturally I got my photo taken a lot. However, I was this HUGE ham for the camera even when I was a baby, so as a result I also sought out the camera. I would stop crying the second they took out the camera. The same thing happened when I started performing as a little kid. I don’t know why I am like that- I think the camera and the stage transforms me into something else- or something magnified- like my good aspects get exaggerated…
I always enjoyed getting my picture taken, even when I was in an ugly phase. I had learned “how” to pose by that age and I had become rather photogenic from practice. To me, taking pictures of myself is like performing and it captures what I am feeling at that moment. For you, taking pictures is an extension of your art- and from what I saw in your posed photo sessions, it also looks like a little performing. 🙂 The camera likes you and you like the camera- nothing wrong with that relationship. I don’t feel it has any relationship to vanity. Some people enjoy it and some don’t and if you look good in photos and have a good time doing it- its natural to continue as much as possible.
I understand what you are saying. You DO happen to be very beautiful, but if you weren’t people would probably NOT consider your self portraits as vanity. I guess the connection between beauty and vanity is something that people focus in on. Which is rather silly- because the fact that you enjoy taking photos has nothing to do with what you look like.
I also like doing self portraits but if someone else is around and willing then I will gladly take pix of them all day. hehe.
Also, taking pix of yourself was a confidence builder for you and also for me. Creating beautiful pictures is an art form. Regardless of how awkward or dorky I may feel, when someone breaks out the camera I suddenly become comfortable. Then, seeing a nice photo of myself helps boost my self esteem. I think we all have an image of ourselves that isn’t quite accurate. As a result of the whole photography thing I think I have a much more realistic view of myself. Also, I am comfortable with no makeup on, which I think may have developed from the fact that I now KNOW I can look good if I really try, so why bother putting on makeup every single day?
Okay I am off on a tangent now- I am annoyed right now because my scanner decided to stop working- bleh.