Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Within A Conference

Writer's conferences are invaluable to writers/authors not only for the education aspect, socializing and mingling with like minded people, and meeting editors and agents, but most writer's conferences also offer photography sessions.

At the upcoming ACFW Writer's Conference they will be offering 20-min. sessions with a professional photographer. For $40.00 U.S. you can get a set of six individual head shots and you'll receive them on a CD to take home with you. An amazing value, and even better is the convenience!

Okay, I'm going to humble myself here. I fully admit that I'm NOT photogenic in the least. So when I attended the ACFW conference in 2009 in Denver, I hesitated to take advantage of a similar photo op. offered. After a little chat with myself and a major pep talk, I finally booked my photo shoot in hopes that this professional stranger could do miracles with the likes of me. I was totally amazed with the twelve shots she managed to get of me. The fact that I didn't look hideous stunned me. (Well, I may look hideous to some, but at least I didn't look hideous to myself this time.)

Here's the humbling part. Looking to the right, that's me (picture courtesy of another horse mom who just had to photo creep me last weekend. Thanks, JM!) And, yup, that's how pics of me always turn out. Definitely not like the one above and trust me, JM takes beautiful pictures of every one and every thing...just not antigenic me. To prove it and to help you get this awful pic out of your mind, here's another creep photo she caught in the same session. (Yes, I'm boasting here, that's Charlie horse and our Donner horse encouraging each other before they head in to show. Chloe, and my Sabrina were quite proud of their horse's good sportsmanship manners!)



So, do you need an updated author pic for social networking, the back cover of your book, and what about that one-sheet you're working on? Check out this link for what one proven agent suggests you pack for conference. Great samples of one-sheets there, too. If you're attending a Writer's Conference, do seriously consider the offered photography session. This link takes you to the one ACFW is offering this fall. I've booked mine. Have you?

Are you happy with your writer/author pic? Did you get it done professionally? What do you thinks makes for a great author photo?

May your smile brighten some one's day today, and I do hope that awful shades pic of me didn't scare you too much! (I get sun stroke easily and have a two-hour drive home on show days, so protect myself, I do.)

Surrendering to Him,
Eileen



14 comments:

Heather Sunseri said...

Funny. My husband tried to take some more pictures of me this past weekend (he's a photographer). It's difficult to get natural pictures that I like of myself. Ones I'm willing to put all over the internet.

T. Powell Coltrin said...

Well you seem photogenic to me!!! I am not photogenic. In fact, I've never put a photo on my blog that my family and friends thinks looks like me. They hate them.

I always say I'm better in person. I sure hope so. ;)

Jessica R. Patch said...

I hate taking pictures! The ones I had done of me were by a friend who toys with photography. Out of about 100, I like less than 10, but it wasn't her fault. She did great on her end. :)

Sandra Orchard said...

I love your author photo, Eileen. But yikes, that one from the horse show is creepy. Almost villainous. Hee, hee

Eileen Astels Watson said...

Sandra, maybe I could be the next villian in your book?

Hey,all, you all have wonderful pics on your blog. Funny how we think differently about our pics. SO subjective, just like writing!

Erica Vetsch said...

I love your pictures! :)

I had a professional studio portrait done, but I'm thinking some outside shots would be fun.

Loree Huebner said...

I hate taking pictures. I always end up having weird eyes - you know the ones that look like you've seen ghost, or someone just pinched you, but you're smiling on top of it so you look like a crazy person!?!

This is a great tip. 40 bucks = 6 head shots. Not a bad deal.

Rosslyn Elliott said...

Look at those precious horses! (Can't resist an awww...)

Being photographed can be painful for those of us past the initial bloom of youth. A good photographer is crucial! :-)

Unknown said...

What a fantastic opportunity! Great pricing, too! I think your pix are beautiful - not sure where you get the idea that you're not photogenic. Thanks for the heads up about this low cost service. Have a great week and God bless!

Jessica Nelson said...

Okay, that one doesn't even look like you. I happen to love your profile pics but I'll also say that you are very lovely in person. My mother-in-law never looks as good in pics as she does in person and I'm horribly not photogenic. Taking pictures is stressful for me (unless it's for fun/silliness). :-)

Unknown said...

I love your photos. The pink really pops! My brother-in-law took my author photos. He does weddings and senior photos professionally. I especially like when he takes photos because he's fast. When you have a three-year-old, speed is important.

Susan Anne Mason said...

Eileen,

You brave, brave woman putting that pic up!! LOL. But I love your profile pics. The pink and the flowers are beautiful. Were the photos taken outside?

I don't think I'm brave enough to do a photo shoot just yet. But thanks for the info!

Sue

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Eileen -

Your profile pic is gorgeous.

At this stage, my pictures need some serious air brushing. A photo shoot was offered in Philly the last few years, but either my hair or make-up always seem to be askew.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Joanne Bischof said...

I'm not photogenic either! Your warm post made me smile. Thanks for sharing!