My Moon, My Man
I have had this song stuck in my head all day. Actually, make that the last two days. I sang it in the shower last night, at work yesterday, at work this morning, between pictures today… it’s a catchy tune.
I realized the other day– when I posted that photoshoot of myself— that I’ve been downplaying my tendencies to edit my pictures because I’ve sort of… unconsciously been trying to “fit in” with all the other fashion bloggers. Who don’t really edit their pictures at all. And it wasn’t until someone commented that the pictures looked more artistic than my normal that I realized I was doing this. I was trying to mimic other fashion bloggers in using as little-edited photos as I could.
And that’s not very “me.” I love going all out with editing. I love using the editing to amplify the outfit– it changes the mood of the entire post, and I think that getting the right photoediting can be just as important and putting together the right outfit or taking a good picture.
So here you have these pictures. It’s an accurate portrayal of my red hair, but my skin isn’t quite that pale, nor is the back yard quite that intense. I think that the bright editing helps showcase the outfit– the scarf in particular. It also helps convey my current mood to you, so you get a better feeling of my day.
What do you prefer? Unedited, or edited? Or somewhere in between?
I think this will be my last real Scarf-A-Day challenge outfit. I haven’t run through all of my scarves, but my attention span has run out and I really only have silk neck-scarves left… which are harder for me to style. Especially since most of them are spring-colored, and it’s fall.
This is my angry owl ring. I love him. He’s grumpy and tiny and adorable. And he needs a name. One of my good friends sent him to me for my birthday, and in lieu of my normal turquoise ring that I cannot find, I’m wearing him. He might become a permanent fixture, if he can get his act together and quit slipping upside-down on my finger.
I hope you are all having a lovely Tuesday!
22 Comments
Brandi
I love that your different, and that you edit your photos!!!
p.s. thank you for the sweet comments!
Mara
Well, thank you!
And you’re welcome. 😉
Demy
Hi!!! You look awesome! I do adore the outfit! This scarf is so cute and the striped dress looks gorgeous on you! I can say without second thought that I adoooore the edited pics, because well, they’re vivid! And they’re so more Mara-ish! They show your character and I love this! So I vote for the edited pics!
Awww you can’t imagine how much I love your new hair! You look so different, like a new person! It’s stunning, really! SO gorgeous! I like that it looks like the red color is fading to black! Awesomeness!
Oh and it’s ok about the challenge. You did so good till now! I loved every single outfit, but let’s face it: silk scarfs and fall? I don’t think so lol!
I’m off to sleep! Many many kisses! :*
Mara
Hi, love! 😉 THank you!
I agree. I think they’re definitely more me-ish. Hehe.
Thank you! I definitely love it, and I think it makes me look totally different, too. In a good way! I think it’s sort of… more me. Because it’s not too random (on me, anyway), but it’s still a little funky and unusual. <3 Haha, and it fades to darker because of some leftover dark dye on the ends of my hair. 😀 It's a wee bit more subtle in real life.
Slweep well, love!
Asia Morela
I wonder if I’m the one who made the “artistic” comment… 😛 Anyhow, I’m usually wary of heavily edited pictures, but you do it well, and it definitely conveys more “mood” than non-edited pictures… And I think that’s you, not “moody” per se, but vibrant and bubbly one day, romantic and dreamy another day, and always completely so. You’re not a half-hearted person, or a passive one. I imagine when you go someplace, you’re more likely to be the change that reflects in your surroundings (hence the brighter green of the grass 😉 ) than to let the surroundings change you.
At least that’s how I see you based on this blog. 🙂
Mara
Yes, it was you. 😀 Your comment about not usually seeing me do more artistic pictures made me realize that I’ve been trying not to make the photos artistic or edited in any way to fit in with my peers. Which, you know, never really works out for me. 😉
I think you said it perfectly– I’m not a half-hearted person, OR a passive one. And most days, I think my photoediting has been passive rather than “me.”
Thank you! I like how you see me based on this blog. I hope that’s how I am in real life!
Emily Blackburn
I love the title of this post, and the contents. Your pictures are lovely and you should do what makes you happy. Edit away! I’m a bit clueless and can’t really tell a difference, but I think all your pictures are lovely :]
Mara
Thank you! The editing is usually subtle– a correction of color or saturation at most– but I’ve always loved making things a little bit brighter than life. So you might start noticing a difference in the way the pictures look… or you might not. 😉
Kelly
I think you should name your owl Wednesday, because he’s grumpy like the dwarf(actually he’s the only one who’s not a dwarf) who is Wednesday is Snow White: The Fairest of Them All. Wednesday is actually yellow though. He complains about everything and is always grumpy but he’s really actually a good guy. I like your radioactive editing! Although the somewhere inbetween editing looks better on you skin =)
Mara
I think I will! I love that idea. 😀
Haha, yeah. The radioactive editing doesn’t flatter my skin tone that much, that is true. 😀
Stephanie
I like the editing. I love to edit my photos too, but I get really self conscious and anxious that it looks too fake or that I’m cheating or something. (I’m a rather overly-anxious person, generally. but yeah). It’s good to know that someone else likes doing this too- and I do enjoy your pictures in their edited form. I think it’s cool.
Mara
Yeah, the more I blog the less I care if people think it looks fake or know it’s edited– I think it just comes to the point where you kind of… blog for yourself for the most part. I still like doing posts that I know other people will like, but I mostly blog what I like because it *is* my blog. So you know. 😀
Stephanie
Also, I’m thinking of using your guest post to kick start a month of fashion related craft projects. What do you think?
Mara
That’s an awesome idea! I’m actually working on the guest post right now. I’m curious: do you want me to use pictures, or mainly writing?
Stephanie
Pictures are awesome, feel free to use as many as you like, or works well with the post. 🙂
Mara
Yay! I will definitely be using pictures, then.
midnitechef
I like the edited pics. It conveys a happy mood, which you seem to be in!
Mara
Thank you! I agree– the editing really does reflect my mood at the moment.
Booksphotographsandartwork
In the middle. 🙂
Jamie Rose
I just love the colors in your scarf and the owl you pinned on him. I think I enjoy pictures in the middle. Enhanced, but not too much. But it’s your blog so you get to post your pictures however you enjoy!
Mara
Thank you!
Avra-Sha Faohla
I like the edited outfit and background, but I like your face better unedited. It might look weird, though, to have an edited picture with an unedited face, even if you keep the arms unedited too to be consistent, mightn’t it?