Okay, now that I’ve got your attention…

I’ve been debating about what new picture I could use in my various online profiles, including here, on my own site. I don’t like the idea of someone else taking the picture, because I’m a photographer, so I should be able to take it , right? Well, self-portraits are easier said than done, so this will be a challenging, but rewarding project for me. Not only will I end up with a plethora of profile pictures to choose from, but I will be able to put my skills to the test on a regular basis.

So, where do you come in? Once someone else, besides me, is involved, then I am much more determined to get something done. It’s kind of like turning in your homework on time because you don’t want to disappoint your teacher. I don’t want to disappoint you, so give me an assignment!

I want you to suggest a theme for me. This will be a monthly assignment, so I may get multiple suggestions and I won’t be able to use them all. However, if I am lacking in good theme ideas, I can always pull from previous suggestions. I say “good” because, well, I get to be the final judge of what I will subject myself to. Seems fair to me .

When you’re making a suggestion, please keep a few things in mind:

• Supplies – I am not rich! To make a theme a theme, I will likely need some props. But I will beg, borrow, and buy some props within reason.
• Location – It does not snow here much, it is not sunny here much, it is mostly rainy and gloomy. Okay, so not always, but just consider the weather, that’s all.
• My pride – I am a photographer, and I would rather be behind the camera. For the sake of a photography project, I am making an exception. In other words, go easy on me!
• I want to be fair to everyone, so if you have a great suggestion, but I chose yours the previous month, I’ll try to pick someone else. This, of course, is assuming anyone is even interested in this little contest, if you can call it that.

I may add to the list if I come across anymore obstacles that I would like to avoid in the future.

I will take suggestions throughout each month to use in various profiles of the following month. You can email, Facebook, Twitter, or comment your suggestion. It doesn’t matter. I will choose one and thank the person who suggested it. I guess it is kind of like a contest, except that you’re winning a picture of me. Maybe not so exciting, but hey, it’s all I’ve got!

As my very first themed self-portrait, Christmas may have been a bit too obvious. I had all the props already though, so why not? I may leave this one up for about a month as my profile, just because I’m posting it so late this month. But I will always have it here as a sort of reference. Here is my final choice:

Anyway, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!!

I have some adjustments to make that I am aware of, but there are some problems that I can’t see. So, I invite you to comment on how it looks from your end. The more specific you are about the problem, and the browser, screen specifications, etc, the more likely I’ll be able to fix the problem. For example, because the “zoom” setting in my own browser was wrong, my header images looked off, so I easily adjusted for that.

Also, feel free to make any positive, “way to go” type of comments!

Meanwhile, please focus on what is currently the main substance of my site, the galleries!