Week 10 BOC: Self Portrait

     

                 
I am absolutely obsessed with all things girly when I am photographing subjects. I love the transformation between "normal" to glamorous by just using makeup and sexy lingerie. I work with actresses, porn stars, makeup artists, hair stylists, and everything "beauty industry". However, I am not interested in these things in my own daily life. I only get my hair cut when I absolutely need to, and I wear makeup, but only enough to pass as acceptable in public. Shopping for clothes is an absolute nightmare for me, and I wear high heels once a year (if that). 

For me, glamour is for special occasions. It's for when we need a morale boost. When we need a break from everyday life to feel special. Being a woman these days is hard. Even on my most efficient day, it takes me an hour to get ready. I don't think that men really know what it's like. To leave the house without makeup makes most women feel naked and vulnerable. Many wouldn't dare.

So, this love-hate relationship I have with makeup made me wonder: what does makeup really do to my appearance? This week, I went to the MAC Cosmetics store. For those of you that do not know: MAC is a popular cosmetic line known for their dramatic looks. They hire "artists", that look at the face as if it were a canvas. (When I left, I definitely felt like I had a layer of paint on.) 

This was the result. At first glance, I thought, "Oh, it's different but not as different as I thought it would be." Once you look deeper, however, you can start to notice some serious changes to my face. The bare side looks plumper, like I have a baby face. The left side is contoured to make my cheeks more defined, and my lips much fuller. The defined eye line, eyebrows, and larger lashes my my eyes look whiter, wider, and greener (I have hazel eyes, but the purples used bring out green tones). I cannot choose my favored look, so I think that confirms that my daily choice of makeup is best for me. Nothing crazy, just enough to enhance what I already have.       

Week 9 BOC: Conflict Photography

I have an incredible amount of respect for photo journalists covering crisis and war all over the world. I served for six years in the military, but I never saw war up close. I could not imagine witnessing someone killed in front of my camera lens. Watching The Bang Bang Club really opened my eyes to the struggles those photographers face. The feeling of helplessness must be overwhelming. I can understand why they cannot intervene, but seeing those things really must take it’s toll. 

This week’s photo assignment reminded me of an experience I had a few weeks ago. I was asked to photograph a hockey tournament between the fifteen teams from all over North America, including fifteen teams from Canada. The tournament was called the CHE (Candian Hockey Enterprise) Cup. I knew some of the players on one of the teams very well, and had I known what the tournament would really be like, I may not have accepted the request to photograph it. It is common knowledge that hockey is taken very seriously in Canada. Many hockey teams have “goons”; players who’s sole purpose is to antagonize the other team, defend key players, and intimidate the opposing team. Many times, these players will pick fights with anyone they see. 

Witnessing these fights from behind the plexiglass obviously was not the same as watching a suicide bomber, but it was difficult to photograph nonetheless. Actually knowing the teammates that we fighting was even more unnerving. More than once, I found that I was disengaged from what was going on because I was behind the camera. I was so focused on getting “the shot”, that it almost gave me a false sense of reality. Once I looked up from the camera to see my friend getting punched in the head repeatedly by a much stronger player, it sunk in what was actually happening in front of me. 

If I have a difficult time photographing a contact sport, I know I could not be a conflict photographer. I can empathize with the mental anguish that line of profession comes with. 

Week 8 BOC: Nudes

I will never understand why nudity is such a taboo in this country. We are supposed to be this superpower, most civilized, technically advanced country in the world, but yet nudity, homosexuality, pornography, gender reassignment, etc. is such a sensitive subject for so many Americans. Equally frustrating is the fact that violence is so accepted. Children can see death in the news and in video games, but the natural human body is seen as vulgar.

However, we all know that sex sells. It seems to me that making it so off-limits just creates more demand for it. If I have children, I will make sure they know what the human body is supposed to look like, not the distorted version that mainstream media has tried to make us think it is.