why i wear sunglasses in all of my photos
happy monday everyone!
after a week off, i’m back with a new post here on the blog and now that i’ve set a new intention for my posts, i’m not only just going to be talking about what i’m wearing or what i ate for brunch at le sirenuse in miami (because i had one of everything let’s be honest), but rather a topic i want to share. while visiting my friend fendi in miami last month, i knew we needed to stop at the sister restaurant of my favorite hotel in positano. i knew i wanted a plethora of photos by their iconic green bar just inside from their patio but i needed to take them without my security blanket: sunglasses.
i really haven’t shared why i almost always wear sunglasses in my photos because i didn’t really think anything of it. tons of bloggers wear them in photos too but i even started to see this trending in all of my regular photos on my iphone and found myself cringing at photos of me at events without them. fendi (one of my non-blogger friends) even made a comment about how she noticed it too. and yes, i’m even that person that wears them on the subway too haha! so i did a little self-reflecting and came to the following realizations:
they are easy
when i’m taking photos for the blog, i’m typically doing about three outfits during an hour or so session with lydia (unless i’m on vacation)…and we have zero time to waste! when we are shooting we are snapping 1000 photos a second (okay exaggerated but still) and then i quickly have to change and move onto the the next location. sunglasses allow me to focus on everything but my eyes while shooting to ensure there are some amazing photos to choose from! there is nothing worse than getting the perfect shot with the skirt flipping, the strut, the hair gently blowing in the breeze and then having your eyes half closed! so for ease, i just pop on a pair of sunglasses!
i don’t wear makeup
i honestly, rarely wear makeup. a lot of it has to do with the fact that i used to be incredibly sensitive to eye makeup (to the point of it causing severe, almost pinkeye-like symptoms whenever i wore it) and have just gotten used to me not having makeup on my face. but actually, i feel like i look so weird with a full face of makeup on and contouring freaks me out. it also saves time in the morning when i’m getting ready for a shoot, or just life in general, because i really only wear foundation and a little mascara. seriously, that’s it! but while “real-life allie” doesn’t wear makeup, that doesn’t always translate well through the eyes of the lens. it typically makes me look washed out and like i have no eyelashes haha. the only time i will ever wear any kind of actual makeup is when glamsquad comes to my apartment before a big event or party and i know i’m going to have to be photographed without sunglasses.
my eyes are really small
it sounds silly but one of my biggest insecurities is how small my eyes get when i smile especially in the sun, and i like to smile a lot. like they are almost nonexistent haha! so combining my naturally small eyes with a round face and chubby cheeks isn’t the greatest recipe for a stellar portrait. when i’m getting my picture taken at an event i always tend to have a softer smile and have a little voice in my head saying, “open your eyes. opppeeeen themmm!” but it’s just something i have to deal with because there is absolutely no way to fix that.
even when i am aware of all of the reasons why i only wear sunglasses, there were only two sunglass-less photos from that morning that i could tolerate. and only god, and my lightroom catalog, knows how many photos i had to take to get those two haha! thankfully after we got the few sunglass-less shots, fendi and i enjoyed the most incredible breakfast sitting on the patio and then headed down the street for a few more outfit photos! stay tuned for more of my miami trip!
dress: ganni
bag: cult gaia
shoes: fendi
earrings: vanda jacintho
bracelets: cartier
sunglasses: chloe
