Modeling and stock photo people

Ok, I know I wrote about how I have been identified as being the lead cast of the Forever Strong movie (http://rebeckeronline.blogspot.com/2008/08/my-debut-in-lead-cast-of-hollywood.html) - but, now it's not acting that I'm being identified with, but rather modeling. You know like fashion models, except this isn't for anything fashionable. If I had wanted to be a model, I would be living and working in a different place, eating the actual serving size identified on food labels, working out until there was nothing left on me to work out and actually look at fashion magazines for beauty tips. None of the above will ever happen and I will do all in my power to avoid it.

Apparently, that doesn't seem to work.

A few months ago the work photographers said they wanted me to pose for a picture because it was associated with e-learning. Since I'm in charge of development for one of our e-learning product lines...they wanted me in the picture. I fought tooth and nail (ok, actually it was a war of words) to say that I am not photogenic and that I did not want to be in the picture. Plus, the 130,000 people that access the products we create don't really care who I am - they would rather see a sleek stock photo lady in a crisp navy blue power suit, light purple oxford shirt and those fashionable reading glasses. You know the people - we all have a few at work that could be photographed at a moments notice because their suit, hair, make-up or whatever is immaculate. I don't even think the immaculate version of me would be appropriate for a stock photo.

I even dressed down the day they said that they may come over and take the shot and I didn't do my hair. Surely this would deter them. Alas, no, they said it made me even more realistic (what?) and took the pictures anyway.

(Ok, people who know me know I like solid colors and I typical don't like purple. So, now etched in history is me in a purple shirt that I think is completely ugly and not my style - that I quickly donated to the goodwill. Also, could they at least photoshop the permanent wrinkles out of my neck and the pimple on my cheek?)

This picture is part of a huge wall mural in the chief learning officers main office where all kinds of generals, high rollers (at least they think they are), and other folks from multiple agencies sit and wait to meet with our president. Joy.

On to this week...
I'm talking to some developers and they say that they saw me in a course that is going to go live in a few months. Oh really? I pulled that string a little further and found out a couple of pictures taken of me about six months ago were indeed turned into a character in a massive online course. Again, over 100,000 people have the possibility of seeing this. I went and took a look and yet again...they got the "as is" state of me and didn't even try to improve a thing.

(I think I was actually sitting just like this in a chair when they took a picture of me. The cool thing is that they gave me the biggest office in the scenario and made me be the person in charge. Not going to argue with that.)

(Ok, could they have improved my hair for this picture. Yes, my shirt was not tucked in that day because I like that look. However, couldn't they have hidden that fact? I mean, they gave Ben a mustache - he's the brown shirt guy in this picture, but he's in the photo at the top of the blog with me as well.)

Lessons learned - Always look basically nice if you are under 40 years old and work in an environment where everyone has membership in the AARP. They think I'm "young" and therefore would be willing to do this type of thing I guess. I'm a slow learner, but I'm realizing that it is probably a good idea to always try to look basically nice wherever and whenever so that no undesirable pictures crop up in obscure places. If you happen to be a work photographer...just stick with stock photos please and let the rest of us do our work. That being said, I actually do want to become a photographer so I can be on the other end of the camera at all times.