Self Image

Improving Your Self Image

Improving your self-image, like improving any skill, takes time and practice. Developing good self-esteem involves encouraging a positive (but realistic) attitude toward yourself and the world around you and appreciating your worth, while at the same time behaving responsibly towards others. Self-esteem isn't self-absorption; it's self-respect.



By working from the inside out (focusing on changing your own way of thinking before changing the circumstances around you), you can build your self-esteem. The goal of this positive thinking is to give yourself a more positive self-concept, while seeing yourself honestly and accepting yourself, and removing the internal barriers that can keep you from doing your best.

Steps to a Happy Life (part 2)

Steps to a Happy Life with Positive Attitude

Step 2: Rid Your Life of Negativity

If you want to live a positive, joyful and happy life, you cannot –- absolutely CANNOT -– be surrounded by negative people who are not encouraging your happiness. Negative people attract other negative people.

When I decided to make the change to live a more positive life, I had to rid my life of all of the negative people in it. This, as you can imagine, wasn’t easy. Getting rid of people hurts -– even when you know they aren’t good for you or your current lifestyle.

Not only did I have to get rid of the negative people, but I also had to get rid of the negative things too. I had to stop doing certain things that were causing negativity in my life. I had to take a step back and examine which behaviors were good for me and which were not.

I learned to focus on the positive things I was doing and let go of the negative ones. This process was not easy and to be honest, is still ongoing, but I know this: having negativity in your life prevents you from living a truly positive existence and from being truly happy.

Steps to a Happy Life (part 1)

Steps to a Happy Life with Positive Attitude

 

Step 1: Believe Happiness is a Choice

For me, this was a hard one at first. I thought that people were either unhappy or happy (and I was one of the unhappy ones). I used to blame this on all kinds of outside forces –- fate, experiences, parents, relationships –- but never really stopped to think that I could choose to be happy.

Sure, this isn’t always easy, but it is always, always an option. Teaching myself to see that happiness is a choice has been one of the greatest things I’ve ever done for myself.

Now when I find myself in a bad situation, I know that it’s up to me to find the good, to be happy regardless of what’s happening around me. I am no longer pointing fingers, placing blame. I realize that everything happens how it happens and it’s up to me to choose how I want to feel about it. I am in control of my happiness level and no one can take that away from me.

Life

LIFE

1. the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally. 
2. the sum of the distinguishing phenomena of organisms, especially metabolism, growth, reproduction, and adaptation to environment. 
3. the animate existence or period of animate existence of an individual: to risk one's life; a short life and a merry one. 
4. a corresponding state, existence, or principle of existence conceived of as belonging to the soul: eternal life. 
5. the general or universal condition of human existence: Too bad, but life is like that.

We all want a happy life, and we all know that having a positive attitude feels better than a negative one. But for some reason, we are all attracted to and can be easily drawn to the negative side. How do we go about to establish a more positive attitude as a daily habit?

Even for someone like me, a naturally positive person, having a positive attitude is not always easy.

I still sometimes see the world through a negative perspective, focusing on the bad and ignoring the good — especially when things aren’t going the way I had hoped. As I’ve been struggling with this lately, I’ve been reminding myself that it really is possible to change my perspective.

About a year ago, I decided I was going to make a change in my life. I was going to start looking for the good, seeking the positive, and striving to make every day a joyful experience.

This was something I would have never imagined myself doing, but it’s something that has impacted my life every single day since then. I’ve had to do a lot to get to where I am right now, and I still believe I have a long way to go.

I’m not searching for any particular end point, however. All I want is to be happy, to live a life that focuses more on the good than the bad (though I do believe you need both to have a happy life).

On this road — this twisting, turning road to happiness — there have been many ups and downs. There have been challenges — cancer, my daughter's thyroidism, my husband's diabetes, etc. There have been inspirations — beauty around us, music, art, my daughters, good friends, etc. There have been many amazing experiences that I never would have had if I had not made the choice to live a positive and happy life.

Recently, as I struggle to be positive about certain challenging situations in my life, I’ve been giving some serious thought to how I transformed my outlook from negative-focused to a more positive-focused one. (Note: I don’t always see the good. Like everyone, I have good days and bad days, but, for the most part, there has been a BIG shift in my attitude over the past year or so).

Though I have to admit that there are many, many factors involved in my personal development — such as my business, the countless books and blogs I read, creating my blogs, and surrounding myself with happy, supportive people — I can say that, at the most basic level, choosing to be positive has helped me the most in terms of becoming the person I want to be.

When I think back on my transformation now, I recognize that there are certain steps that lead to the best ways to begin stumbling down that path to happiness by establishing a habit of positive attitude.

Over the next few days, I will expand on my journey and talk about those steps — and the impact on my photography and craft business. Join me on my journey.

What is a photographer?

A photographer (from Greek φωτός (photos), meaning "light", and γράφω (graphos), meaning "written") is a person who takes photographs.

Photographers take pictures of people, places, or things. They want us to get a special feeling when we see their pictures. They take pictures to sell products, entertain people, report the news, or bring back memories.

Photographers know how to choose the right equipment to give them the best picture. They use different things such as lights, lenses, and film to create a picture. New digital technology is being used more and more by photographers. A lot of them use computers to finish their work.

Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation. The process of obtaining a usable exposure must involve the use, manually or automatically, of a few controls to ensure the photograph is clear, sharp and well illuminated. The controls usually include but are not limited to the following:

• focus
• aperture
• shutter speed
• white balance
• metering
• ISO speed
• choosing the appropriate focal length, lens, and filters

What kind of person is a photographer?

Photographers need to be artistic, persuasive, determined, energetic, kind, and outgoing; and have a strong affinity for aesthetics and beauty. Photographers are extremely perceptive and aware of others. They constantly gather specific information about people, and seek to discover what it means. They are usually penetratingly accurate in their perceptions of others. They genuinely care about people, and are strongly service-oriented.

A photographer needs to be artistic, intellectual and thoughtful. They need a creative eye and an easy going personality; and the ability to simply observe, analyse, and clarify.

My temperment generally falls into the INTP personality type.

"When involved in portrait or people photography, the INTP will also be primarily concerned with the mood conveyed by the person in the eye of the lens. Quality photographic skill, as well as an intrinsic feel for imagery, is usually second nature to the INTP and can make a good career choice. When viewing photographic images, say in magazines, the overriding concern is for how the photo is conveyed; its mood, its colour, contrast and shading usages, its perspectives and image quality." http://intp.org/intprofile.html

Ever wonder why some photographers are attracted to street photography while others work exclusively in their own studios? Or why some love landscapes while others care only for portraiture? It has to do with more than a simple preference for one subject over the other. Based on years of personal observation I believe the root cause has to do with personality type. Allow me to explain.

Broadly speaking, photographers who are, shall we say "control freaks," want their photographs to turn out a certain way. They have a vision in their minds and they want their photos to reflect that vision. They therefore prefer to shoot in situations where they have almost total control of the environment--in other words, a studio. A studio allows them to control every aspect of the lighting, from direction and degree of diffusion to intensity. They can control the subject and its positioning. They can control the camera position. If they shoot digitally they can control, well, you name it. Although they might admire the mindset it takes to venture out into the wild and wooly world with their only controls being location, time of day, camera settings, and when to release the shutter, the idea of actually doing it themselves is horrifying.

Street and the sports photographers tend to fall at the opposite end of the spectrum. They give up the bulk of their control in exchange for the joy of the hunt and the miracles of serendipity. The difference between them is that sports photographers are generally extroverts. Although some street shooters are extroverts who think nothing of walking up to perfect strangers and either engaging them in conversation or snapping a few quick frames outright, others are introverts who prefer to be on the outside looking in. The last thing they want is to be noticed and the less attention they attract the better.

Landscape, location, travel, wedding, and architectural photographers tend to fall somewhere in the middle. They understand that they are often at the mercy of mother nature, time, and logistics, yet they're often willing to do whatever it takes to get the shot, whether it be waiting hours or days for the light to be right, or adding unseen lights, shims, and reflectors to a scene. They can certain recognize and take advantage of a serendipitous moment when they see it yet they are perfectly willing and able to seize control if the need arises.

As for me, it's no secret to loyal readers of this blog that I love location photography - the grassy hillside, endless rail road tracks, city side walks, stone walls, iron gates, play grounds - these provide some of the most amazing images; showcasing you as you naturally are, capturing "you".

Between all of the different types of photography, cameras, films and all of the different personalities of photographers, it can often seem an impossible task to choose the right photographer. Ultimately, you must choose a photographer who can capture the unique images that you are looking for.

At Dawn Michelle Creations, we offer more than professional photography. We capture the moments your family will cherish for years to come. We know exactly how to bring out the unique personalities of each individual, creating a photographic record that can be shared and displayed. We translate our passion for storytelling into images destined to last you a lifetime. Dawn Michelle Creations does more than take photographs; we create memories that last a lifetime.