Why ME?
That's my serious, we need to have a talk face. My husband says I look mad. I'm not mad! Well, maybe I am, a little bit. I was looking for photos to use for our Christmas card, and could not find a single photograph with me in it! I can only blame myself. There is something about women photographers. We love taking photographs of others, but the idea of turning the camera around and getting ourselves in the frame makes us a bit... apprehensive? Queasy? Downright nauseous? We start thinking about all of our flaws. We start listing the reasons why we shouldn't. "I'm too fat. I'm too old. I'll do it when I lose 10 pounds. I'll do it when I get a hair cut. I'll do it when I buy some new clothes. I'm not pretty enough. I'm not stylish enough..." I say ENOUGH.
I realize that this is a scary project. As scary as it is to actually get in the frame, it is possibly even scarier to share those photos with others. What if they judge us? The ME Project Facebook page is private, so the only people who have to see your photos are other photographers who are taking on this challenge, if that is all you are comfortable with. This is a group of inspiration, love, and acceptance. There is no negativity or drama allowed. This is about empowerment. This is about self-acceptance. This is about saying "I am enough... right now, and I want my family to have photos of ME." When they look at them, they will say "That's my daughter/my sister/my aunt/my wife/my mom... Isn't she beautiful?" Because we are. Even ME.