Me and all my flaws (well some anyway)

Work is crazy busy at the moment and I've had no time for photography. I can't believe how much it's affecting me. I feel like I'm going cold turkey, really grumpy about it! So decided to squeeze a little in today to lighten my mood!

After a discussion on flickr about gritty, high contrast portraits and how it's easy to do on other people but not to yourself, I thought I'd push myself out of my comfort zone and have a go at one! I'm uncomfortable in front of the camera even with the joys of cloning and skin softening so this really was a challenge! This is my favourite style of portrait but I admit it's a lot easier to bump up the contrast and clarity on other people rather than on yourself!