that's the prompt for emma davies' 30 days of composition.
i was going to shoot some boats with the northster but i got asked to do an impromptu family portrait for my niece's friend so that plan got foiled. i don't know if i should be happy or pissed that i accepted this gig but they accepted my 'fee' of $150. happy that i'm getting paid for my hobby, but pissed because when i got to the person's home i got an unexpected and rather unpleasant experience.
someone picked me up and drove me to the home of the family. when i got there, i asked the lady of the house (my niece's friend and the person who engaged me) to sign the little contract while i set up my gears in their living room. god! it was a large living room -- they have over-sized furniture sets and there were still a lot of spaces all around, with a really tall ceiling and large arched windows. lots of light coming in.
then a young man of about mid-thirties appeared to join the group and i had a déjà vu. i thought i had stepped into a time warp and gone 40 years back. he was the spitting image of an ex. an ex whose memory had been buried in my subconscious because it was a relationship that didn't end well. then an older man with a paunchy stomach came sauntering down the large staircase and said "vikki!" it's a good thing i can act when i want to so i gave him my best norma desmond look. i knew at that instant it was him and the young man was his son. when he said my name a second time, a lady, which happened to be the ex's wife, said "you mean, the vikki?" and i stood there thinking "well, blow me down, i AM THE VIKKI".
so i just carried on like i'm cool as a cucumber. the shoot lasted all of an hour, i left the SD card with them and after having accepted a half frozen can of coke, i was driven back. but the condescending attitude i got from the ex was rather unpleasant. i mean, 40 years, he has had three children and five grandchildren and he's still bitter about me? gheez!
so what did i do soon as i got home? i took a self portrait.
Well good grief. 40 years is a LONG TIME. I’m sure she took one look at you and realized she does not measure up to your beauty or intelligence. Ha ha, the joke was on her! This is a gorgeous portrait of you, I love it. 😊
What an incredible story! I hate the emotional roller coaster it put you on but the selfie that came out of it is testimony to your skills AND your beauty! FAV of course for THE vikki!♥
Hey, you are "the Vikki"...because you are talented, beautiful and honest...and I've never even met you!!! (and btw, I read that as not bitter, but still on the pedestal; I think you are the fantasy!!!) And you inspire me...I've just checked out the 30-day thingy and your self-portraits are my goal...well not yours, but someday to do mine...!!!
@30pics4jackiesdiamond - yes, i got paid. the ex and his family were just visiting, something like the wife is related to the husband of the lady who engaged me, and they wanted the photos before ex and fam go back home to the US.
Oh what a terrible experience for you, but I'm sure you handled it very way properly. The ex and his wife were probably more disturbed because after 40 years, you are still such a beauty. I'm sure the ex's wife really gave him a talking to about not telling her that you were such a beauty. I love this self-portrait. You are absolutely beautiful!!
You look stunning. And you definitely are the Vicki. In all the best of ways. Fantastic self-portrait. What a nightmare experience - a scene from a film.
