Are you photogenic, or do you hate having cameras stuck in your face? Or are you a keen photographer? Any stories involving embarrassing pictures of you? Come on, spill the beans, we won't tell anyone!

-- Tim (tim@newmail.net), October 20, 1999

Answers

I am the queen of unphotogenicness. (Is that even a word?) I don't have any pictures where I look normal. I was thinking about that this morning. I was looking at my student ID. I remembered when I took the photo, my mom said it was one of the best pictures I've ever taken. If you see it, though, it looks like I'm going to hurt someone. It's sort of like the pictures they flash on the news when they're looking for some sort of fugitive. That scares me. If my best photo looks like a mug shot (Krysten, the gangster moll), I wonder what I look like in the rest.

-- Bugsy's baby or Krysten, take your pick (krysten@bellsouth.net), October 20, 1999.

I have always loved the camera...that is, when I'm in control of it. I tend to be the photographer at any event, because it's the only way I can be sure no photo of me will be taken. I run from anyone with a camera, because I hate taking photos of myself. Rarely do I even post photos of myself on my site...well, there is the one from ten years ago, it was professionally taken and touched up. No embarassing photos exist, because I burn them...if anyone has one, I will have to kill you now. :)

Commixion @ http://www.gbdesigns.com/commixion

-- Greg Barber (gbarber@gbdesigns.com), October 21, 1999.

Weirdly enough, on my way to lectures this morning, I was thinking about photos of myself. Oddly enough. Cambridge obviously isn't stimulating enough for any more relevant thoughts to enter my mind. Anytay, I reached the conclusion that there isn't a single photo of me on my own above the age of 15 years, 8 months and 22 days. Except those I needed for ID type thangs, which don't count. But bearing in mind I am now 18 years, 2 months and 10 days (cards this way), it says something about how little I like taking up film.

-- MysticZed The Magical Mystery Geen (zed@swansongs.net), October 21, 1999.

I don't mind having pictures taken of me, but I also think I don't look good in most photos. (That's why I don't have any of myself posted.) Whenever I'm smiling in them it almost always looks forced, as I can't seem to create a natural smile when staring down the business end of a camera. <g> On the other hand, if I'm not smiling I always look too somber or I look like I'm about to kill someone. (Hey Krysten, maybe we could get a mini-Mafia going or something. <g>)

However, I love my driver's license photo (and how many people can say that about themselves?); in it I'm wearing my dark green winter coat (which you can see protruding from above my shoulders) and I've got my photo-standard don't-mess-with-me expression going. The day it came in the mail my father looked at it and said, "I am Ishmael! I am New York City cab driver!" And for some strange reason I like looking like a NYC cab driver. So that's the story behind that...

-- Tim L. (mediabrat@hotmail.com), October 21, 1999.

Our school does that whole-school picture as well. It's always really cold. But we had ours earlier on in October.

I don't like having pictures taken of me. I love looking at pictures, though. Especially the ones with me in them from when I was younger... I'm so vain! But I was cute then. Now I'm not, to say the least. I like very few pictures with me in them.

-- Sarah Joy (bursa@cgocable.net), October 22, 1999.