Train To Shanghai

Day 184: My mother used to say that if there were two ways of doing something, she would invariably try the hard way first. I seem to have inherited the gene.

In addition to my regular photography, I "play" in a few photo groups on line. One of our assignments for this month was to create a black-and-white movie poster in the style used in the 1940-1950 era, so not having any other model, I dragged out a wig and the theatrical makeup and got myself all kitted up to fit the period. Then and only then did I think about what to wear. I managed to get out of my tight-necked t-shirt without ruining the makeup, but the wig had to come off temporarily. Then, naked from the waist up, I started searching for a particular mediaeval costume which had wide fur trim around the hem, thinking to drape it around my shoulders like a stole. After twenty minutes, I gave up the hunt for faux mink. In a last desperate move, I settled on a velour bathrobe which at least had a collar consistent with the style of the era.

You might think I'd have set the camera up beforehand, but no, that's not in keeping with the Hard Way Approach. In costume and trying to preserve the Garboesque hair style, I was wiping acrylic hair out of my mouth and eyes with one hand while dragging furniture around the living room with the other to create a space where I could use the drapes as a backdrop. Well before I'd processed the image and made the poster, the bedtime hour slipped past me unnoticed. Ah, how we must suffer for our Art!