#4

My normal studio I had grown accustomed to using was occupied. So we ventured down the hall to the virtual studio, a room with completely blue walls, floors and odd lighting. I was lucky however, because the body part I would be shooting was something where the background would not play such a large role. "I don't like my fingers, I wish that they were shorter". This was truly the first of my shoots that baffled me. Who would wish for shorter fingers? Furthermore, which type of person would stop to notice that this girl has "too long of fingers"? This insecurity reinforced personally the reason why I started this campaign. It proved that our insecurities are truly things that sometimes only we can see, and maybe do not deserve the amount of emphasis we currently put on them.

#1

An overcast & windy day greeted me as I treked to school lugging my usual weighty backpack and camera. I arrived at my school's equipment room looking less than presentable and asked to rent a light--"tapuz" or "orange" as they are called here, and proceeded to the second floor. I set up the mini tv-studio, not knowing exactly how I would photograph my first "love the pudge" shoot. As I screwed the light to the tripod, the rain began. A strong downfall of droplets splattered against the windows angrily--I pulled the black-out curtains across the windows and then pulled the set of white curtain across the adjacent wall. Just as I began to think she wouldn't show up because of the rain, she arrived.

Hair soaked and shirt dotted with raindrops, she began to ask questions. "So what do you want to shoot exactly?" Being a very open personality, she decided on her stomach as her biggest insecurity and immediately took off her t-shirt and camisole announcing that laying them on the table would allow them to dry faster anyways. I flicked on the "tapuz" and began to take some test shots. I was also nervous--this was my first time shooting a person in a studio, and here I was, photographing a classmate in only her bra and skinny jeans. I didn't exactly know what I was doing, but I knew the message I wanted this campaign to get across. I was fortunate to have such an earnest initiator to the campaign. She eagerly twisted her torso, grabbed her love handles--truly embracing her "pudge". After about 30 shots, I knew I had gotten the winning image.

She put her now-dry shirt back on, and we both packed our stuff up. It was a strange feeling knowing that I had just been allowed into someone's mind for a chunk of time--privied to their biggest body obstacle. As I took the light off the tripod and put the lens back on my camera, she broke the silence, "You know, that really was a liberating experience".

Back To Basics.

I think that we have lost touch with our roots. We need to reconnect with our natural, unique selves. Listen, your innards are speaking to you. They tell you what your body needs and when it needs it. Most of us have lost the ability to hear this voice and instead drown ourselves in the sea of "expert" suggestions such as raw food consumption or daily elliptical binges. Although these methods may work for some, they certainly do not work for all. For instance, some beings are naturally lazy. Our bodies don't do well in high-stress situations. This may mean that this individual would do better with exercise such as yoga or tai chi. Some bodies crave red meat, while others crave more grains or vegetables. This being said, I don't suggest that you "listen to your inner being" and consume an entire box of Oreos because "that's what your body was craving". It's deeper than a surface craving, which is generally connected to emotion, or simply eating for fun. Once one has the ability to hear what they need, one will realize the innate ability our bodies have to balance, craving the foods that retain the certain vitamins or minerals one needs. It will tell you when you need to sleep and for how long, and even que you on when to engage in physical activity.

I bet there are a bunch of you reading this and thinking that I am a complete loon. But I promise you, if you take the chance to try it, you will believe it too. Listen to what your body wants, and you will have no problem keeping yourself healthy. I'm for sure not perfect, and am still practicing the art of listening to my inner self. Because of this, I have a few daily guidelines I follow that at least simplify the abundance of information we have been bombarded with, and are pretty uniform within most of the human-kinds' bodily health needs.

1. Sleep is your best friend! General rule is 8 hours + a night

2. Maintain good posture

3. Be active at least 30 minutes a day (stairs beat elevator. every. time.)

4. Eat things that have: ingredients you can pronounce or small ingredient list or (the best) no ingredient list

5. Surround yourself with positive energy. Being nice to others means they are nice in return and kindness brings smiles which ultimately creates endorphins.

Keep Loving the Pudge