I hate having my picture taken. I've never been photogenic and have mostly hated every picture other people have taken of me since I was old enough to care. I have to admit that all of that changed with the invent of the camera phone. Now my camera phone pics are everywhere. They are on my My Space page. They are on my online dating page. I use them for my email signature block. Hell, they've even made their way to my family's website. I know this may scream narcissism for some, but for me there is something incredibly magical about self portraits courtesy of the camera phone.
First off, I can provide the best possible lighting for my picture. As anyone who knows me and has been inside my apartment can tell you, I prefer the lighting over my bathroom sink to any other place. It's perfect. It's not too dark, not too light, and the wall I painted green makes for a lovely backdrop. Background is a key element in a camera phone photo.
Secondly, camera phone pictures allow me to take advantage of the mirrors in the house. Sometimes those mirrors can make or break a camera phone pic. I use them to trick the phone and most importantly to avoid taking a picture of myself in which I am seen holding the damn phone in front of my face. I mean, when will people learn to stop doing that? The phone does not belong in the photo! Nobody wants a picture of someone holding a phone in front of her face in what is obviously the bathroom as evident by the hamper and toilet complete with lid up. Geez, let's step up our game people!
Third, I really, really love the camera phone pic because I can change the angles. I've learned that turning my phone keeps my head from looking like it belongs to an NFL linebacker. Holding it at a certain angle also cuts down on the unwelcome appearance of my extra necks and chins. I can also get up close to show off the eye makeup that I manage to apply once every lunar eclipse. The camera phone is a true blessing.
Now, I do have to be realistic and say that I'm still not photogenic. Even though I've learned most of the tricks it takes in order for my pictures to turn out well, I still am working with a five bad to every one good picture ratio. However, at least I have the opportunity to delete that picture myself. I get to avoid the humiliation of someone seeing me in a less than flattering picture leaving me feeling powerless. No longer do I have to stand or sit uncomfortably and wait for someone to take a picture of me while I'm anxiously thinking about how awful or fat or both I'm going to look once that pic is developed. The camera phone has made me the master of my own photogenics. Let's all raise our glasses to the mighty camera phone. Salud.
