I've been taking a photography course for the past few weeks. One of the first assignments was to take a self-portrait.
You have no idea how many images went in the trash before I came up with one that was, well, not too horrible. :)
But mainly I'm posting this because I've been wondering lately who is this woman I see in the mirror, and where is she headed?
Oh, and how did I get to be so old?!
Anybody else feeling this way?
*****
Please join me for Mosaic Monday. Mr. Linky should be up by 8:30pm Sunday. I look forward to seeing your mosaics. :)
Posts
Absolutely. I hear you. I like your photo, BTW.
ReplyDeleteOld? You look about 35 in this photo! Max! Yeah, I ask myself that all the time and then I try to come up with something pithy and comforting like "I got this old by living a good life" or "at least I'm not 80". Feel better yet? You look great and your photo looks great and although we feel old at 50ish we still have a lot of living to do:>)
ReplyDeleteoh yes mary...how did we get here and get to be the same age as our parents...i really don't like the aging process. i am sure it took a lot to post your photo but we have to love ourselves no matter the age. i adore b/w photos. i like the quizzical look on your face. my olders girls are always trying to photograph me and say i will wish i had more picture.
ReplyDeleteps just saw the movie julie & julia...worth a look for all who wonder what we are doing and how we got here.
I too am taking a photography course. And, so far haven't had THAT assignment. *sigh* You've risen to the challenge, however.
ReplyDeleteVery pretty!
ReplyDeleteIt is so very hard to take photos of ourselves. I just spent a long time the other evening working on it. I got nothing that I loved. But this one of you is great!
Becky K.
You don't look old to me.
ReplyDeleteI've been feeling the same way.
First, let me say that I love the photo. And yes, I feel that way every day; especially when I catch sight of myself in a mirror or store window. I look like someone else, a stranger. Very unsettling.
ReplyDeleteOld??? You are gorgeous! And those eyes are amazing....
ReplyDeleteI just left a comment that went into the stratosphere, I don't know where it went. In any case, I wanted to tell you that this is beautiful!
ReplyDeletewonderful capture...
ReplyDeletethis should be your profile shot...
But old...what do you mean old? Those eyes show a lot of life raring to go yet! ;o) A great photo. I don't often take a photo of myself, or like having my photo taken. When I see myself in photos, I often think, who is that really? And I am looking more and more like my grandmother, who passed away earlier this year, so it's strange to see her and me. Oh, yes, Mary... definitely the same feeling, right now especially! I'm shortly heading down some new avenues--it's scary and exciting at the same time! Happy weekend :o)
ReplyDeleteTrying to come to grips with this aging woman was the reason I began to blog! I needed to vent & put those thoughts/ questions/ frustrations on paper. But the more I age, the more I'm discovering who I really am and I'm learning to accept it. I mean really! What else can we do ... fight against it? We'd lose!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love your photo. You do not look old; you look beautiful!
Mary you are beautiful!
ReplyDeletewe, I've always said age is mind over matter, if you don't mind - it doesn't matter. But no, you do not look old. unfortunately at times our bodies cannot keep up with our minds....and it's certainly better than the alternative.
ReplyDeleteyou're beautiful, inside and out.
A great capture, you look wonderful. Old? What are you talking about, you are stunning.
ReplyDeleteJen
I know exactly what you mean. I'm considering signing up for a photography degree but I admit I'm seriously worried about what those bright young things will think of an 'oldie' turning up! Ironically though i love the company of young people...I still feel like I'm 22 (ie half my age..) your SP is stunning, your eyes look so vibrant.
ReplyDeleteOld??? Old?!?!?! Nuuuuuuu, you're not old and that picture is wonderful, sweetpea. Old is wrinkles and almost 70. *Sigh*....... I believe we peak out at mid 40s. I like the black and white you made it also.
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Connie
Oh, you are lovely and brave! And so not old ... :D
ReplyDeleteSomeone else's opinion is always different than our own - we see little things that no one else would notice unless we pointed them out.
ReplyDeleteOld? You haven't gotten there yet - but it will come faster than you think - and it will surprise you - but old has good things too - more time for what you "want" - life-long friends - a slower pace - enjoy every minute of getting there.
Listen . . . many of us over 50 WISH we looked like you! You are what I consider a "classic" beauty - think Princess Grace!
ReplyDeleteNow, if you want to talk about who you are on the inside at this point in your life - call me! I think women of our generation have a hard time with this. We are the first generation of women who regularly went to work full time, many of got college educations (unlike previous generations), raised kids, etc. There isn't a blue print from generations before us to follow. AND we deal with the same issues women have always dealt with - empty nests, spouses who either need us more or less, and on and on. See - you're not the only one!!!
Yup...you think you will live forever when you are young...but time slips by very quietly and the wrinkles creep in and the waist line expands...oh so very subtly...my mum is often lamenting about this too - but it is part of life and we just need to find the beauty in it somehow...somehow... I like your portrait very much!
ReplyDeleteI love this photo. I see beautiful, smart, artistic. Old never crossed my mind!
ReplyDeleteDawn
Hi Mary,
ReplyDeleteFirst let me just say that I think you are stunning and I love this image. Now, about how we got here and who we are...I keep looking in the mirror and wondering the same thing! I find that I am in a discovery process at this age.
Hugs,
Dena
Gosh, if you're old then I must be Methusaleh! Very brave though to do a self portrait. Until my name is Dorian Gray with a picture in the attic, I'll leave well alone. lol. Your portrait is very atmospheric. Have a good weekend. x
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm feeling that way! I'm looking after my two grandsons (ages 1 & 3) for about 6 months and I'll come out on the other side either young and fit from all the lifting, carrying and chasing, or old and haggard. I have a feeling I'm leaning towards the old and haggard, unfortunantly! lol
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, you certainly don't look old to me! ::Jill
yes.
ReplyDeleteI like Elk's answer! And I agree.
ReplyDeleteSelf portraits are so hard...especially when you post them for all the world to see.
I really like this photo...there is a depth and wisdom to it (and only age can bring that).
Everyday, more than ever.
ReplyDeletehi, i think it's a great pic & didn't you know if you can take a good a good b&w photo, you look all the better in color :) i go through the same thing when i get pics of me taken, but we're our own worse enemy by what we percieve ourself to be,so usually you look better than what you think LOL. stop by & say hi if you have time gio
ReplyDeleteI think it's a lovely portrait! Yes, when I look in the mirror these days or where someone has captured me in a photo, I am startled--where did I go? V.
ReplyDeleteDo you think thats why we like photography...because we hate takimg pictures of ourselves LOL?
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog anf commenting on my little "photo shoot" LOL
I think I have to take a course....
This photo is very cool and artsy....love it.
Also...how do you create your mosaics? Is it done with a program? Does I-Photo have that option? I need to learn sooo much.
Sue
Hey, it's Mary!! Wow! You never do this. I know from experience how hard this must have been for you. I think it's a great self-portrait, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd what the heck are you talking about being old? You're kidding here, right?
Anytime I think about my age (48 next month) I feel old. Then I think about all the things I want to do in my life and I feel a teenager....so I guess I have to stop saying how old I am, and focus on the age I really feel!
ReplyDeleteGracie at http://mylittleplace.blog.com
Are you crazy? You look like a spring chicken to me! C
ReplyDeleteI don't feel too bad when I look in the mirror ( most days), but when I see a photo I don't recognize that old, fat face, with jowls, oh no!
ReplyDeleteYou look young, beautiful, full of life, and I love your photography.
ReplyDeleteBeing so close to the 60 decade I keep asking folks to tell me how young 70 and 80 are? And, yes, I do feel that way when I look in the mirror...especially after a very bizarre illness this summer has left me on toxic overload from all the drugs I was given...yes, they saved my life, but I am ready to detox and hope to get a bit of a more youthful look back.
Hi Mary,
ReplyDeleteI've seen that same look, that you have in your eyes, in my mirror quite a lot lately.
It has been a long summer and I'm ready for Fall.
I wish you all the best with your photography & good luck finding out who "she" is.
Maggie
I ask myself this question all the time...In my mind, I see myself one way, but the mirror ways something else.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to be positive...I'm just getting wiser and refining who I really am!
I didn't even recognize myself in a candid picture in our school's yearbook this past year. It definitely wasn't how I picture myself!
ReplyDeleteYour picture looks great though! Have fun with your photography lessons!
Came by from Brenda's Cozy home.
ReplyDeleteI'm 53, like you, I sometimes want to strangle my 20 year old, my 18 year old, and my 16 year old. All in all, as I get older, less patience with all of them, I realize it's not them, it's ME.
Age has been kind so they tell me, but it's not registering. My hair is completely salt & pepper, thanks to good genes I guess, and my husband still loves what he sees. I'm the one that cannot come to grips with what's looking at me in the mirror. I did a post about it a while ago called: MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL... if you care to read it in my archives. Interesting comments. I'm also a "reluctant" house wife. I always said: "I know for a fact that God did NOT put me on this earth to wash toilets" lol I would also love to be somewhere else at times.
My hubby has been very supportive. He's now studying law for fun. I don't mean to be disrespectful with that comment, trust me. Something else in common. He's funny, kind, a great dad, and a good husband. I'm lucky for sure. He puts up with me and that's not easy lol
Ok enough rambling. Wanted to come and say hello.
I'm posting one more post on Tuesday evening, then I'm off line for 2 weeks. My BFF is coming from Vancouver, she's also taking photography courses. She's always taking my picture, and I keep telling her to STOP!!!! Kidding aside... you look fabulous and I adore the black and white.
Now I know where Mosaic Monday came from... YOU Mary!
I'll be back. Promise.
Take care
Love Claudie from Canada
xoxo
Mary,
ReplyDeleteYou are lovely.
And, I know exactly what you mean. I don't feel like I look. I look into the mirror and see Nancy. (My mother.) I call myself "Nancy, Jr."
And I try to remember that I have always thought she is lovley.
Getting old(er) sucks. But, what are we gonna do? Grin & bear it.
HUGS,
Cheryl in IN
WHOSYERGURL
Oh my, Mary. You look like a model. Now I truly have been wondering how I got so old so fast. Do you suppose it's lack of sleep? Hope that you are enjoying that photography class. It sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great picture - I love how sharp and clear your eyes are and how soft everything else is. Very nice shot! I've been feeling rather aged lately too, and a self portrait probably would not be in my best interest right now...
ReplyDeleteStrangely enough, I've been playing with black and white (and different hues) also. My post today and my mosaic tomorrow will be in black and white. Must be an overload of colour from all the vibrant flower mosaics we've seen and done recently!
You look beautiful to me Mary. I know what you mean though. I avoid having my photograph taken, my face just doesn't math the little girl in my heart. So I swish passed all the mirrors in the house and craft on...
ReplyDeleteKaren
Mary, you look wonderful in this photo! I know what you are talking about. I look in the mirror sometimes and ask myself the same thing. I look at pictures from my youth, and say, where did that pretty woman go? I agree, as someone else mentioned, it's very unsettling. Now, I am having back problems, and it's making me more upset. Nope, don't like this aging thing at all.
ReplyDeleteYa, I always have same feeling. Lol.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I've been out of town, out of internet for a few days and I'm catching up. Mary, love the self portrait. They are hard, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteAs for who are you? I ask myself that question daily...
So fun that you're taking a photography course!!
Old?????
ReplyDeleteFor a while now.....I have looked down at the hands typing words and thought "who the heck do theste hand belong to?" and then abruptly realized...."oh...those beloved and loved hands are MINE!!!!: and then I f'in shrink away from reality and think/feel "thesa are my BEAU-TEE-Ful hands and eyes and butt and thights and....gee, what else should LOOK 26 years old WHEN I AM 40-55 YEARS OLD, you bastard marketing SOBs??????? oh, well....media WILL catch us with us "old-ies" someday, cha-ching!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Old? Mary...I am not even going to tell you how beautiful you are...I refuse! I just realized that by the time you are my age..I will have been dead so long..so long...
ReplyDeletePlease enjoy so you won't have to look back and wish you had appreciated your loveliness.
I am beginning to realize what "I wish I had known what I know now!" means..
Ugh, self portraits. You did a good job! I don't think you look "old" at all. But I know what you mean...I look at photos of myself & can't believe how puffy my eyes look, all the crow's feet...not to mention how fat I look! :-o
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time at your blog. Your images are so moving that I feel on the verge of crying....but I'll keep it together!!!
ReplyDelete.....on this post...
I feel like this everytime I look in the mirror lately or catch a glimps of myself! Who is that person? You are beautiful to me!
xxx..C