How did you choose your profile photo?

It seems that some people try to look good (I know I did), some don't want to show their face, and some look kind of scary (no offence, I won't name names).

This is the first time I've really put a picture of myself out onto the Web. I'm wondering, how did you choose your picture? Were you concerned about who might see you? Did you care? I think this fits into the Just for Fun discussion category, but I really am interested.

Tags: photos, pictures, profile

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Permalink Reply by Ric Murry on April 22, 2007 at 6:16pm

Elizabeth,

What a fun question. I coached track for 10 years. My image is an actual photo my wife took at one of our meets. My son thought it looked cool, and did a little Photoshop work on it. You can see the real me at

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/69/1993/1024/me_boys_region_meet.jpg

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Permalink Reply by jiggypoet on April 24, 2007 at 8:42pm

I like your picture best as it has a Key West Hemingway atmosphere to it.

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Permalink Reply by nlowell on April 22, 2007 at 6:34pm

It's a stock photo i use all the time :)

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Permalink Reply by Sue R. on April 22, 2007 at 7:22pm

Mine's a snip from a full-sized "bookwyrm" I drew--my alter ego.

I've often battled assumptions arising from appearance, so I decided to forgo a realistic picture (plus, I wasn't sure about all of these warnings about nasty types lurking on the web). Most people always assumed I was younger, and tireder, than I am -- because I have had a young face, bushy, frizzy hair, and sinus shadows under my eyes. When I was 13, I learned to use concealer. If I forgot for a day...many people added me to their prayer lists! Now, at not quite 50, I am starting to get well-deserved gray hairs and thinning hair--yech. So, my alter ego becomes even more comfortable.

Here's a real picture from 2 years ago--for the morbidly curious out there. I'm the one holding the puppy. http://farm1.static.flickr.com/113/315306780_267130c5ab_m.jpg
I think it actually is one of the best shots I've taken for ages!
Sue

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Permalink Reply by Teacher K on April 22, 2007 at 8:30pm

I spend a lot of time discussing Internet safety with my students, and I feel that it is my duty to exemplify this in my online interactions. I am not particularly concerned about people seeing me, especially since I am about to start actively recruiting my colleagues to join Classroom 2.0 and intend to reveal my secret identity to them then.

Since I created my SL avatar as an online representation of myself, I felt that it was appropriate to include a picture of her for my profile photo. Plus, she has prettier hair than I do.

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Permalink Reply by Tammy Moore on April 22, 2007 at 8:39pm

There are not too many pictures of me that are current. Don't get me wrong, our family photo file grows by leaps and bounds every month. But, it would seem I am always the one behind the camera and not in front of it. About the only recent ones are the ones where I look like a chipmunk blowing out a 4-alarm fire called a birthday cake. Now you have to understand how hilarious this really is - I am a practicing professional portrait artist. I photograph and paint portraits of others so posterity will have a fine art rememberance. LOL

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Permalink Reply by Cathy Nelson on April 22, 2007 at 9:17pm

I have been using my photo for roughly a year. I had a neighboring permanent sub next to me for half a year--she was our art teacher from January to May, and I sort of became her mentor to help her get through the year. She was a retired art teacher who came back to help our school out. She asked me many times to assist her with techy things like downloading pictures from her camera and photoshopping too. When it came time for her to be finished, she had planned a HUGE art appreciation day at school, and used the media center to set up stations for kids to rotate through and see real life applications of art with all these visitors. The whole school became an art exhibit. She asked me to be photographer for the day, and help her create a memory book of the event. I had a fellow teacher take a picture of me so i could put myself into her memory book, and this is the resulting picture. We went outside since the lighting was so perfect. I am 40something, and gosh I was astonished at how good the pix came out. My teenaged son's friends tell me all the time I look nothing like the picture. Is that supposed to be a compliment? I fear not. But I'm satisfied with it anyway. : ) I also made her a cute memory movie to play in her DVD player at home, and it included our school song with our kids singing it as the pix rotated through mixed with video segments of the special day. We played it for her on her last day, and she cried. It was made with love. We still miss her, but are enjoying the new art teacher as well this year. Everytime I see this picture I think of Ruthanne. Here's the actual photo http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k95/northside_library/CNelson_MAy...

Yes I'm leery of Internet people, and wonder if I should photoshop this pix to something less identifiable. But if my son and his friends don't think it's me, maybe no one else will either.

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Permalink Reply by Michele on April 22, 2007 at 9:23pm

I picked my picture because it reminds me of a relaxing and happy time. Last year my family went on our first cruise and this was taken on the elevator on the way up to our room.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Chalmers on April 23, 2007 at 8:49am

I had my photo taken for an online dating site! It must have worked, because I'm now married to a wonderful woman who responded. So the photo is also on our school web site - why change a winning formula?

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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Davis on April 23, 2007 at 9:08am

What a great story. Congratulations.

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Permalink Reply by Matt Clausen on April 23, 2007 at 9:25pm

Like Tammy, I am frequently the one behind the lens. This was a candid shot my mother took during a hike when my son, who is growing up far too quickly, decided it was okay to hold dad's hand for a little while. I wanted to use a picture that wasn't just another head shot and also showed me in a role other than classroom teacher.

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Permalink Reply by Dana Huff on April 23, 2007 at 9:27pm

I'm glad you asked this because no one asks, and even if the question is a general one and not directed toward me in particular, I finally get a chance to share it. I took this picture of my feet standing on Walden Pond frozen over in February 2005. I had gone to Boston with the students who are now seniors (they were sophomores then) as a chaperon on a class trip. I had always wanted to see Walden, and I wanted proof that my feet had stood on Walden Pond. Plus I'm one of those weird people who doesn't like any pictures of myself. I did put one on my profile page, though.

And I want to say "hi" to my colleague Mike, who does indeed have a lovely wife that I had the pleasure to meet a few months back.