The dreaded Author Photo

I am sure I am not alone in hating the words ‘author photo’.

We all need them – for our websites and blogs and other promo work – and to put in our books.

The problem is, these photos never go away. They stay out there forever.

And it’s just horrible hearing a whisper from the audience during an appearance –  “She looks NOTHING like her photo!”

With this in mind (and remembering my last author photos were done in 2009), I decided it was time to grit my teeth and face the lens again.

Getting ready for the shoot involved trying on every item of clothing in my wardrobe to decide what to take…

And then it all had to be ironed.

There were accessories to consider as well – but not shoes. This was to be a head and shoulders shot only.

I duly presented myself for sentence … sorry … for photographing by the wonderfully talented Marte Lundby Rekaa.  Marte takes photos for RNA events, so we already knew each other. That helped a lot.

We did the shoot in Marte’s office cum small studio. I liked that – big studios can be a tad intimidating.

She was incredible patient – making me laugh… lying though her teeth by saying a shot or pose was gorgeous.

The shoot was scheduled for an hour, but it ran over – due to my nervousness and Marte’s generosity.

The next day – there was a web galley of – wait for it – 348 photos for me to select from.

That was almost as tough as the shoot itself.

I am the world’s most un-photogenic person – and traditionally hate any and all photos of me.

But this time – well.. let’s just say I am not too afraid to have this photo out there…