A couple of weeks ago (Super Bowl Sunday, to be precise), the skies opened and soft flakes of snow, rather like feathers, began to drift down. By the time it was over, Brian and his brother had made a sledding ramp down our back stairs; Brian, riding down it on a sled improvisationally fashioned from a shovel, flipped end over end no less than three times, which is not something that I would recommend to people who like to keep their limbs whole and unbruised; dibs were called on parking spots; "snomageddon!" statuses appeared on Facebooks; and people in Chicago got to engage in their favorite pastime, which is complaining about the weather while secretly being really pleased about our own fortitude.

What I'm trying to say is, we got a shit ton of snow. For a while it was really pretty, but now it's just gray, ugly, and partially melted. My back yard is so full of it that I couldn't do a photo shoot there this weekend, forcing me out onto the streets to try and find a good place to take some snaps.

I still find it kind of weird to do a shoot in public. In the privacy of my back yard, I can dance and jump and make funny faces and do weird, dramatic poses. No one sees me, apart from people that know me well enough not to make fun of me for it, so it doesn't matter how silly I look while trying to get interesting shots. Out in public, though, it's hard to find the same level of comfort. It's like a combination of insecurity and stage fright, at least for me, because I'm performing for the camera, but I don't want anyone to think that I think I'm, like, a real model. (I can't decide if I mean that last bit facetiously or not.)

About at bold as I get off a busy street.

I do think I'm getting more comfortable with it, though; I've done it a few times without having any negative experiences, which does a lot to ease that fear. I think part of it is that people tend to think you're a bit weird when you take pictures of yourself in public, and at least in Chicago, we've all been well trained to avoid interacting with crazy people. No one really does much more than take a second glance, and the only comment that I've ever gotten was from one guy that wondered what I was up to and thought he'd offer to help me.

My preferred alternate shooting location is still a fairly secluded alley, but I think once I upgrade my camera to a DSLR and get a taller, more professional looking tripod, I might work up the nerve to start doing shoots in more public locales. There are some amazing places in Chicago that I think would make a fantastic backdrop for some interesting photos.

Hat: Vintage Underground
Coat: Buffalo Exchange
Top: ASOS
Skirt: Chicwish
Ankle Boots: ASOS