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Yeah, I know, you want pictures. Well, since I'm still
a fairly shy girl with lots of things to worry about, you only get a
few fuzzy little pictures. Tell you what...if you can fix the world
and eliminate hatred, fear, and bigotry, then I won't have anything
to worry about and I'll be much happier to share a lot more. But until
then, this is what you get.
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This is my very first picture in public taken at a quaint restaurant
on Capitol Hill in Seattle. I had gone to the restaurant for a bite
to eat with the Ingersoll crowd after our meeting. This was also
the day that I had my very first makeover and professional photos
(see below). An informal wedding was held at the restaurant that
evening and as the bride and groom wrapped things up they decided
they needed to do the traditional bouquet toss. With no eligible
ladies left from the wedding, they settled for our table instead.
I didn't actually catch the bouquet but somehow it ended up in my
hands. The picture was snapped by someone in the wedding party and
it took me a few months to finally track down the owner and get
a copy of the picture. Because it was my first time out I was a
nervous wreck the entire evening...but my smile is straight from
the heart. |
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This picture has a certain mystery to it...it's amazing what can
happen when the photographer catches you when you're not ready!
This is one of a series of glamour photos done at Everett Mall (the
studio is no longer there though). This photo shoot was my first
time en femme outside of the house. I was pretty nervous during
the 90 minute makeover but the two guys who worked on me (both are
well known performing drag queens in Seattle) kept me at ease and
explained that they did this kind of makeover pretty often. I did
a total of 4 outfit changes during the photo shoot at the same time
that a girl was getting some graduation photos taken. The two of
us spent a lot of time bouncing in and out of the changing room
as we were getting our pictures taken. She probably didn't appreciate
how much of the changing room and studio time I was monopolizing. |
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Another picture from the Glamour Shots photo shoot...pretty outrageous,
huh? I had arrived at the studio a little early so I hustled over
to the nail salon two doors down the mall. After a moment of explaining
to the nail technician that I didn't want a manicure and
that I really did want a full set of nails, she gladly went
to work on me. I had a very nice chat with the lady sitting next
to me and explained that I was having my nails done for a "for
fun" photo shoot. After the photo shoot, I went back to the
salon still dressed and amidst the excited twitters of the nail
technicians and customers, I thanked my nail technician for all
her help. |
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One final shot from the Glamour Shots series. While I was reviewing
the digital proofs with the photographer in the studio after my
shoot and trying hard to resist his hard sell to buy prints of everything
(if you don't watch out, the "$25 sitting" quickly turns
into at least $250 for a basic package and can easily be many times
that in the end if you get lots of prints), he mentioned that this
picture would be really nice in black and white. I was skeptical,
but took his recommendation. Well, all I can say is black and white
rocks... |
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James Warren, a professional fashion photographer, and his makeup
artist came to Esprit 2000 to do photo shoots at a local bed and
breakfast. I made sure I had a session with him and it was a remarkable
experience. I have a new found respect for fashion models who have
to put up with hours of awkward poses, sore muscles, the never-ending
tiny adjustments, and rolls of film expended in search of the perfect
shot. As it turned out, James' estimate was right on the money...out
of each roll of film, there were perhaps one or two photos really
worth keeping. I wish his makeup artist (who happens to also be
a Bon Marche runway model) was available to coach me as we were
shooting, but she was too busy doing makeovers for the next ladies
in line. |
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The fashion photography sessions at Esprit get a bit old after
doing them once or twice so I took advantage of one of the recent
Esprit yearbook photography sessions to have a few additional shots
taken. What's special about this photo is that it's entirely me.
There was no makeup artist, no hairstylist, no camera filters...just
my own makeup, the photographer's camera, and nice lighting. I like
this picture because it represents a big step for me. I can see
that I don't have to rely on lots of props and assistance to look
presentable. Still, there really is a huge world of difference between
the pictures that come from a personal camera with a tiny pinpoint
flash when compared to a better arrangement using diffused, bounced,
or multiple flashes. The softer lighting gives a much better representation
of your true depth as opposed to the dead, flat image that comes
from a pinpoint flash. |
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I suppose it's only fair to show a picture of what I really look
like when makeup artists and photographers aren't fussing over me.
This picture was taken at Esprit 2002 by my roommate. A friend of
mine found that she could read an awful lot in my expression...much
more than I ever imagined that I was actually showing. She's known
me for a couple years and while the earlier pictures that you see
above are the flashy glam pictures that I eagerly latched onto because
they filled a big hole in my sense of self that very desperately
needed filling, today I can find peace without needing all the adornment.
(I'll be honest though, dressing up is still fun when the time is
right.) So I'll just leave the rest of the details out and let the
picture do the talking. |
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One more nice picture taken at Esprit 2003. This most recent Esprit
was pretty casual and unlike all the past conventions where I concentrated
on taking classes, this year found me just taking it easy. |
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