There’s an internet meme from a while back: Zeddie Little was dubbed by the ‘netizens as “Mr. Ridiculously Photogenic Guy.” He’s assuredly a guy who takes a good running photo – so good in fact he went viral.
But this isn’t a post about that guy. It’s all about me. Because, ya know, I’m a self-centered kind of guy who writes a blog with my name in the title. So this really shouldn’t come as a surprise.
So let’s begin not at the beginning but sorta in medias res as that’s arty and as you’ll soon see, this is an arty post:
There was only one (1) official photograph of me from the Hot Chocolate 15K Tampa race yesterday. Here it is:
It’s a prime example of how awkward I am in photos… and no doubt how awkward I am out on the course and in life in general. I am one of the least photogenic runners around. They say everyone has a good side — I’m not so sure. I may be the exception to prove the rule. I do know that my slouching hunchback posture that is egregriously Igor-ish has been a constant embarrassment and body shame image of mine since I was a little kid. I have many, many flaws, both internal and external, but I always, ALWAYS hate seeing any shot of me where my Quasimodo-ish, Richard III body type is on display.
On top of that, most racing photos seem to catch me in that awkward pre- or post- faux smile I adopt when I know a photo is about to be taken. I don’t have the best smile anyway but invariably the course photog seems to hit that shutter button at especially awkward times for me.
On top of the aforementioned single shot from Tampa, I’ve recently been obsessing over the unflattering images of me as I try and sort through the year’s photos. I’m trying to put together the 2016 collage that will eventually serve as one of the image backdrops for this website in 2017. The compromise shots I’m picking are ones that I’m cropping and altering to try and marginally put me in a better light and frame. Even at my “best” and most “photoshopped” the photos reveal what I’ve been saying throughout this post — I am most definitely not Zeddie Little.