In which I get my photo taken

Like many (most?!) of us, I hate having my picture taken. However, I really like being able to put a face to an author’s name so I know that having a picture of myself for my website and book is important.

The idea of going to a complete stranger to be photographed was, frankly, terrifying, but luckily my lovely dad offered to take some snaps.

I scoured the internet for tips on being more photogenic (tilt your head forwards, put one hand on your hip and twist your body, hold a piece of white card on your lap to ‘bounce’ light and minimise unsightly shadows, wear lots of makeup, drink a glass of wine to relax) and then, promptly forgot them all.

My dad is a wonderful photographer, but his usual subjects are landscape and the natural world, as well as brilliant ‘informal portraits’. Still, he valiantly set up some bright lights and prepared to take photos of his embarrassed and gurning daughter. I can’t begin to express just how painful a process this was… I have three settings; eyes closed, mid-gurn, or strained smile that says ‘take cover, I’m about to throw up’. At one point, we were seriously considering taking an ‘arty’ photo of the back of my head instead.

He managed to get a couple of nice shots, though. Look, here I am only looking only 85% uncomfortable!

I’m actually mid-sentence  in this one as getting me to shut up for five minutes is beyond anyone’s capabilities, but I still think it’s a nice picture. Thanks, Dad!

So, what do you guys reckon? Which is your favourite picture? Which one should I plaster all over the interweb in my attempt to promote my debut? Which is coming out at the end of the this month*. Meep!

*Do you see how I cunningly slipped in some book promotion into this post? I am *so* good at this!