Crossing the Bridge by alophoto

Crossing the Bridge

And nearly over it and on the other side. Almost there...so close...

Today, I had some free time in the morning and planned to do some selfies. The ones that I had in mind, I am still undecided on whether or not I like them. Maybe to come soon after some more thought and processing. Or maybe they need a redo.

And I headed home, I passed this bridge, and spontaneously pulled over for another quick session. It was a location that I'd thought about before, but never got to for selfies, only portraits for a friend.

As I set up, an older lady walked up and started talking to me, wondering what I was doing with all my fancy equipment...camera, tripod, remote.

"Are you a bridge photographer?" she asked.

"Um, no, actually I was going to take some photos of myself on the bridge."

Funny how strange and almost egotistical that sounds. I was a little embarrassed. Funny, too, that I am not at all egotistical, yet really enjoy taking photos of myself. Trying to work that out in my head. I think it boils down to liking a human element in shots, liking to tell stories and not just show pretty things, and I am so gosh darn easy to work with (for me anyway).

Why do you or don't you do selfies? And now, what do you think of ME?;-) Like my new $8 sundress? I got 2 sundresses this week and a belt for only $16 total at a thrift store.
Oh this is lovely, love the pose (your model is very obliging, lol) the leading lines and shadows of them. And the edit is perfect.
June 19th, 2014  
Love this, especially the sepia (and your new dress) you are very photogenic.
Me, don't do selfies coz I am too self conscious..... too long a story as to why, but the best thing is I am still on the planet and have found something that absorbs me with photography ..... as long as I am behind the camera LOL!
June 19th, 2014  
Meg
This is beautiful! I love the composition... Great entry for the theme too!
June 19th, 2014  
I love this.love your selfies.I do not like selfies because I am 27 in my mind and 57 in reality.And selfies burst that bubble.And yet I am soooo happy I am 57! So many people don't get to be so lucky.So I am working through it.I am getting there.Because I love a human element in images too....sometimes. I love this image.fav!
June 19th, 2014  
Well I would never have thought of doing a selfie like this! How remarkable you are! Well done, you have inspired me. Glad you are easy to work with, not sure I am! Think I might irritate myself!
June 19th, 2014  
@lleo No, I just irritate everyone else;-). Well sometimes I do. So nice to have some free time to myself. Can't wait to see what you come up with one of these days, lady. Hope you don't annoy you too bad. Yeah, I piss myself off at times, too.
June 19th, 2014  
you look so far away, almost in a dream
June 19th, 2014  
Mat
Great pose & angle. The foliage looks almost like it's been shot in IR - a very interesting look!
June 19th, 2014  
Such a pretty bridge and shot! Love the sundress! I don't do selfies because I don't think I look very good in pictures.
June 19th, 2014  
I think your doing selfies shows a healthy and realistic self-esteem, something so many women do not have.
June 19th, 2014  
Love this. Fav
June 19th, 2014  
I love your sundress! Beautiful self portrait. I'm not photogenic; neither was my mother. I begged my mother to let me take photos of her so that I would have something to remember the way she looked but she didn't like having her picture taken. I understand the way she felt. When others take pictures of me, I cringe. But when I take a picture of myself, I know what works and what doesn't. And, if it doesn't work, I just delete it and no one is the wiser. And that's why I like selfies. And it took getting involved with 365 to allow me not to be embarrassed by selfies.
June 20th, 2014  
You do these so well....beautiful Amanda...:)
June 20th, 2014  
wonderful selfie. I didn't like doing selfie originally but hey I work cheap and don't complain so it's a win win ... It is kind of hard to do selfie with strangers watching so need to work on that. love the dress
June 20th, 2014  
@lesip Yes, that is rather awkward, probably why my first shots today along a busy road were so tough for me. Thanks, lady!!

@nanderson Aw, you are so kind. Thank yoU!!!

@april16 How awesome. I hardly did selfies before 365 and if I did, they were always goofy ones. I think having a nice camera, tripod and remote helps. Thanks so much, April!!

@kerristephens So sweet, Kerri. Are you doing selfies lately? You have such gorgeous eyes for them. I feel like I haven't seen any lately.

@cejaanderson I am so glad that that finally came to me, Jane. I had so many years of rotten self esteem. Wish it had been more healthy in my growing up years. Thank you!!!

@wannabe You look good to me. Dare you to try one. The more you do, the easier it gets where i crave them now. I'm a weirdo, though:).

@mats365 I did some crazy processing here. I think I did normal fiddling at first, converted to b&w, did an urbane processing, added a texture and the did orton. I rather liked the funky effect. The color looked good, but this just made it more special to me. Thank you!

@sugarmuser Cool. I really like having a wider angle lens for selfies now. I was only using a zoom before and it made it tough to get all of me and the rest of the picture in there without backing up to China:).

@mzzhope Adore your wonderful comments, Miss Hope. Thank you!!! I am really noticing my aging kicking in now. Won't be able to pull off young characters much longer, i'm afraid. Sometimes I can still almost pull off school kids.:)

@megstorey Thanks, Meg. You are sweet!
June 20th, 2014  
@pixiemac I used to not be photogenic. Thank heavens for braces and growing up and finally being less awkward and self conscious. Thanks kindly!

@jesperani You are so sweet, lady. Thank yoU!!!
June 20th, 2014  
Total fav!! This shot is so sweet and beautifully framed. I really love it!
June 20th, 2014  
I love this Amanda...a very beautiful and willing model you are!! Love the bridge as your site. It looks a very reflective shot and YES..I love the dress. So much fun to get such a bargain. This look so summery .... you are looking so wishful! The lines and shadows are great! FAv
June 20th, 2014  
@bella_ss Aw, thank you so much, Sheralee!! You are sweet. Great great work today, lady!!

@eyesmile Gena, you are sooo very sweet. Love your wonderful descriptions and kindness. Would you mind reclicking the star, though. Thank you. LOVE love getting a bargain. Otherwise, I wouldn't get anything "new."
June 20th, 2014  
i think this is a fabulous shot and i really love your processing... the main reason i take selfies (in fact pretty much the only reason) is that i am a cheap, available and take direction well ;p in other words, if i had a decent model with the patience of a saint and the ability to properly instruct them on the pose i want, that would be much more preferable to me... but alas, models are few and far between, and when i have them, i suck at explaining what i want them to do... in your shoes i would have said, "i find this is a really interesting location for photography and it needs human interest... i was going to put myself in the shot, but would you be willing to pose for a few?"
June 20th, 2014  
Wonderful shot! Great setting and processing.
June 20th, 2014  
First of all, this is a wonderful selfie - I love the setting, the leading lines, the shadows, your composition and processing, and, yes, cute dress. A fav for me. And, secondly, I've really enjoyed reading the comments regarding selfies - I'm on the "don't like" side of the fence, I think for the same reason as Hope. It's easy for me to believe I'm still 30 something until I check the mirror (or the capture!)
June 20th, 2014  
Pretty girl in sandals and a cute dress on a bridge :) What's not to love?
June 20th, 2014  
@teiko I love your name. Did you know I have an Emily daughter? She's almost 8 and a sassy, spunky handful of a drama queen. Wish I had been more creative in the spelling of her version, though. A girl...he he...thank you!!!
June 20th, 2014  
Nice shot. It looks so calm and peaceful.
June 20th, 2014  
Nicely structured capture, lots of lines, shadows and light - and a lovely lady. Bonus !!
June 20th, 2014  
What a great photo, Amanda. I love the clarity in it and the color that you used to process it. Your photos and creativity just get better and better. FAV
June 20th, 2014  
SO CUTE! I love the lines from the bridge and you looking off into the distance at, what? The mystery is compelling! AND, love the dress! Selfies are a great way to document YOUR own life! Like most photographers, they have thousands of photos of everyone else and maybe 1 of them.
June 20th, 2014  
it turned out really pretty. peaceful and thoughtful
June 20th, 2014  
great composition, kiddo! and of course, i love the dress. would've gone nicely with the head piece :-)
June 20th, 2014  
Wow, I luv this one!!! Have to end my project with a selfie!!!! Fa
June 20th, 2014  
Wanted to add, Fav!!!! :-)))
June 20th, 2014  
Love all the lines, shadows and bw.
June 20th, 2014  
Very very cool. Fav.
June 20th, 2014  
composed to perfection!
June 20th, 2014  
First of all, I love your selfies!! As I have already told you I think you are extremely brave, and you have definitely embraced them with abandon!! Then, this photo is really beautiful, and it definitely needed you in it for the human interest. I love the setting, and I can see why you were drawn to this site with the curved railing, the leading lines, the trees in the distance and overhanging, the shadows of the railing, it was just too perfect! And, the "model" is willing and present, and you already knew the pose to strike to complete this!
Personally, I don't mind selfies, but they just seem like so much work....maybe if I figured out how to get my remote to work (I have an intervalometer that is way too complicated for my taste!), but then, I would fret about what to wear or how my hair looked when I run out for a photoshoot (btw, I love your dress, and I did notice the cute anklet, too)! Like you, I love the human element and the story in the photos, but the photojournalist in me always looks for someone to do something interesting while I wait for the perfect moment! I would have waited for the little old lady to walk away into the distance, and included her in my shot!
June 20th, 2014  
Very picturesque and works well. How long is your remote or is it wireless
June 20th, 2014  
The setting is beautiful and you composed this selfie to perfection. Fav! Cute sundress! Like you, I love fabulous thrift/consignment store finds. We have a great one in our neighborhood at the Town Center.
June 20th, 2014  
Fabulous selfie love the lines and shadows lovely framing too fav
June 20th, 2014  
@andrewkru Thank you so much. And this was a run in with the self timer shot...usually I have the remote, but it wasn't reaching that far for some reason.

@darsphotos Really appreciate your wonderful and kind comments, my friend. Thank you!!!
June 20th, 2014  
Great selfie - love the sepia treatment. I do not like taking selfies, which is typical of most men.
June 20th, 2014  
everything I own except for knickers and socks comes from second hand stores. I never thought I would like selfies so much either, but it is really liberating!! you can explore lots of different themes and you realise that people give you such good feedback, you can select the photo that is the least unflattering and everyone thinks thats how good you look always :)
. this is lovely
June 20th, 2014  
@kali66 I pushed you to do a selfie a ways back and you rocked it. Was that the beginning? thanks so much for your kind comments, Kali!!!
June 20th, 2014  
@amandal pretty much!!! I think i did one before that, but yes I enjoyed your push so much i went on to do many many selfies lol
June 20th, 2014  
I just think it's great that you like yourself - nothing egotistical about that! The dress is cute, by the way. And fav!
June 20th, 2014  
@kali66 Awesome...and now you are a selfie superstar:). Who knew. My first when I started my project back in 2012 was nuts. I still have some nuts one, but have improved in my style and abilities thankfully.

@kareenking You are so sweet, Kareen. Thank you. It wasn't always that way and glad it is now. Would you please recheck the fav button, my friend? happy weekend!!!! Friday...yeah!
June 20th, 2014  
Love the mood and the dress and the bridge ;). Not egoistical at all - I did one month of selfies and really enjoyed it especially because I used to hate photos of me but when I took them myself they looked better ;). I do undestand about the human element, too. I'm too shy to photograph strangers but sometimes there just needs to be a face. Carry on, you're doing wonderful selfies :)!
June 20th, 2014  
Love love love the processing -
June 20th, 2014  
@jocasta It was quite different for me. The color was so nice, but this was just so special...loved it, too. And just had to go with it. Thanks, my friend!!

@jannaellen It does, or it can help you love and appreciate yourself better, doing selfies. It really helps to pose when no one else is around watching you, giving you instructions. It's a time to just cut loose and be you unincumbered. I like that. Thanks, kind lady!!
June 20th, 2014  
@northy I love that we work cheap. Thanks for your great comments, my friend! So appreciated!

@kali66 Love that I knew you when...and now you are all TTing it with your selfies!:) Love to see selfies on the TT. Sadly none for me this year. Maybe sometime...

@soboy5 Get out there, man...start taking selfies;-). Thanks, Danny!

@tracelee You are very sweet, Tracey!! Thank you!!!
June 20th, 2014  
@kwind Thanks, Kim!

@neatz I used a remote. It's a 2 sec delay. I could use more time as it's hard to stow the remote and get into position, but what can I do? It works. My other selfie on the bridge, I had to do with the 10 sec delay...the remote wasn't working for some reason...too far, I guess.

@cimes1 LOVE a good thrift store and score. Thanks so much, my friend!!

@panthora You do so well finding people and waiting for that moment. Me, I don't get out much, so I use me:). Thanks, Osia!!

@alicenellis Thank you sooo much, Alice!!

@seattlite Thanks so much, Gloria!!

@joeyc Yes, and maybe practice some before then:). Can't wait to see yours! And thank you sooo much!

@summerfield What doesn't. Thanks, my friend!!!

@vickisfotos Thank you, Vicki!!

@eyeamlisa A sesspool of muck. so pretty;-). Thanks so much, Lisa!!!
June 20th, 2014  
Fabulous selfie again. What more can one say! Still not done one..... I'm scared! What of I have no idea.....
June 20th, 2014  
@newbank As Nike once said...Just do it...they are really quite addicting. I dare ya. And thanks so much!!!
June 20th, 2014  
A great shot. Fav
June 20th, 2014  
Amanda you are so funny. Love your stories, and the photos to go with them. This one is wonderful. Love the sepia toning. Fav
June 21st, 2014  
I guess what I was imagining was so much better than that cesspool! ;-)
June 21st, 2014  
gosh i better have a look at my naked self on tt lol thanks to you prolly
June 21st, 2014  
Lovely dress. Beautiful capture.
June 21st, 2014  
Beautifully taken-love the shadows too :)
June 21st, 2014  
This is lovely.Another great selfie
June 22nd, 2014  
@kali66 Hee hee...glad to be a bad influence;-).Your naked TT was loads better than mine!
June 23rd, 2014  
@eyeamlisa Yeah, maybe it was ok. It was really a road and not much to see. Just acting all wistful.:)

@shepherdmanswife @thresheg Thanks sooo much for the kind faves:). I really liked this selfie. One of my favorites of late!
June 23rd, 2014  
@juliac @joemuli @almondjoy1 Thanks so much, kind friends!!!
June 23rd, 2014  
Love your thrift store bargains! I hate paying retail prices! If I take a selfie, I better get it posted the day I take it or I will change my mind! I guess just too critical of photos of myself. Oh, well, I am who I am but wish I was more of a free spirit!
June 24th, 2014  
Nah, I'm not a selfie person, but probably because of all the effort involved! Super shot though - great composition and processing too.
June 25th, 2014  
Did you get over it? I love your tags nearly as much as your photos. I didn't do selfies until I got on 365. When I first learned of Five Plus Two I didn't feel like doing any selfies, but after a few challenges, even just to take a portrait, I got into it and also doing selfies.I really enjoy them now, but, I have to admit, sometimes I don't have the creativity for some of the themes.
June 26th, 2014  
Oh, BTW, I love the processing on this one too.
June 26th, 2014  
@bill_fe Mostly there, mostly there...thank you. I LOVE tags, too. Thanks for noticing them. And I feel the same way about the themes. Sometimes I'm feeling it and sometimes not at all! Thank you for all of your great comments and faves today, Bill! Watch out and stay away from trucks!!!
June 26th, 2014  
@amandal Thanks again my friend. I'll do my best to stay away from them, especially when I'm on my bicycle.
June 26th, 2014  
Lovely shot, I like the tones.
I dont do selfies because I don't have a great camera, tripod or remote but mostly because Im way too self conscious.
July 17th, 2014  
@friend2303 here you go:).
July 28th, 2014  
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