Does it feel like Spring

I wrapped up my time in NYC. I have more photos of some different places I shot self portraits, but I'm not ready to share many of them yet. They need more editing or to cull through. Hopefully I can share more soon. I traveled to New York this February to see the snow, and specifically travel with a friend of mine to upstate New York. We wanted to find ice caves and frozen waterfalls. It was a warm winter, despite the blizzards running through. There wasn't a lot of snow, but there was some ice left. We couldn't get down to some of the waterfalls due to the ice, but I did find large iciciles on the side of the road. I took some self portraits, but they're not great in my opinion. If I can edit them to look better I will. I'm marveled to have seen them and modeled on ice for the first time. The cold is so painful. I'll feel cold long afterwards. It only takes a few minutes for my skin to change colors. The problem for modeling is that going numb makes it less painful but harder to grip and climb, so it can be more dangerous (obviously the frost bite or hypothermia, but we didn't stay out long enough for that to be a concern). The human body can only take so much, but it can also do so much! I can lay on ice and not die! It is something so beautiful and the light bounces all over. There are colors and movement to it. One of the reasons I love water in water is similar to how I like the ice. It has a quality of being soft and hard as the same time in a photo. Hopefully I'll post those photos, but at least I have a cute video of me posing on the ice. I'm still alive so I can try again one day.

I took these self portraits in my friend's apartment. I've been challenging myself to shoot so I don't have to edit the photos. I did enhance the colors and light a bit, but I otherwise didn't touch them. I wish I'd put on make up, but in the moment the lighting was so pretty, I worried I'd lose it if I wasted time. My face has had a bit acne since switching birth controls, but is finally calming down in time to go to Florida. It's so funny to experience winter one week and then summer a few weeks later. My short week at home, in Atlanta, was like Spring. Temperate weather. All the flowers have started blooming here! Although I got a light sunburn already! I was so surprised. I always think of February as Spring because in Georgia it often is a blend of seasons. 

I was talking to other models about how much our hormones affect our bodies. Some models won't model during certain times of the month. I recognize why for some people it is difficult to work during certain hormonal changes. Some of them do it because of how much our bodies change. I notice my body always changing though. I have my bladder condition, my medications, and my monthly cycle. My body is unpredictable, and I've accepted it, but I'm not going to change what I'm doing because of it. I could edit out blemishes, bloating, etc etc. I usually do for certain photo projects. Sometimes I'm capturing my body and the moment it is experiencing.  My self portraits can be more of a photo diary than an art project soemtimes. Modeling and life has involved an intimate relationship with my body. I imagine that other people must also have some connection or relationship to their own.