Woody took this photo a few weeks back. I have to say, I rather like it. Is that kind of vain? Probably. But, the whole process was fascinating. He turned his room into a studio, hung a backdrop, and turned off the lights. Mr. helped man the camera and was in charge of holding the shutter open. Woody then threw flickering Christmas lights at me. I was in charge of holding the umbrella and standing still. I thought I'd add trying to look good to my list of responsibilities (note the pink scarf).

And -- I learned that leaving the shutter open allows the camera to capture every spot in the frame where the light touches. I guess it picks up movement, too. Apparently I fail at the standing still assignment. In my defense, the umbrella was flimsy and hard to handle when hit with a substantial wad of Christmas lights!

Part of what I love about this photo is remembering the experience: getting to help Woody create something fun (and complete his homework assignment), and learning something new from him about cameras, photography, shutters. The photo won a "professional" award in his photography class. He complained that I did not stand still -- making my image a bit blurry. I explained that at this point in life, I could use a little blur. Blur is actually quite flattering!