A Long Time Coming

I've been meaning to do this portrait for a while now. This is the back story...

I completed a portrait of Russ Davis (my now husband) back when we were first dating back in 2012. He was very patient and sat for a total of 3 hours in the same pose, leaning up against the bed frame. You might be surprised that I was hesitant to even do his portrait because as luck would have it, whenever I completed a portrait of someone I was dating, inevitably I would break-up with them. Well, we didn't and here I am, not even one month into marriage and ready to work up a match to his stoic glance. 

The Look

I attempted to first capture myself with a mona lisa smile, if that's even possible with a camera phone.

Below is the Mona Lisa next to my own photo:

 

You can be the judge of how well I captured myself as well as getting that subtle smile. I also made it a point not to wear any makeup or to do my hair (other than down) in order to capture a timeless feel. I've done a few self portraits over the years but never captured anything this close. Practice makes perfect!