Take Your Profile Pic 1 Hour Before Sunset

I like my current one, but summer is over. It’s the serious months of the year now (Sept – Nov), and you should be able to see my eyes.

So yesterday I made a new one, here’s how to make a nice one, too.

Re-read blog post title.  That’s because sunlight is most beautiful then, the “magic or golden hour”.

Think when choosing your setting, people will zoom into the background. I chose a conference room, and all the gear I need to produce and publish this video blog, is on the table behind me. Nice touch I thought.

Push your shoulders down and back, otherwise you have no neck:

Chin way out, like a turtle.

If you feel awkward and uncomfortable,

you’re doing it right.

Looks dumb IRL = looks great on screen.

Too close, need more perspective.

Notice I slightly stretched the photo out lengthwise?  Classic Hollywood trick: every human looks better stretched.

Humans don’t look their best straight-on.

Turn your cheek slightly left or right, about 30 degrees.  I’d recommend left, studies show most humans’ left side is prettier.  I’m not making this up.

Hold the camera at 45 degrees.

Look directly into the lens.  There is a huge difference on screen, if you look even the tinniest bit not in the centre.

Not so blankly this time.

(shoulders should be square to the camera (I forgot this step) (these are my real eyes, not contacts)).

Got it.  Not done yet.

Resize it into a square. Then filter it.

My latest favourite app is Picfx: automatically makes it a square (good for Instagram), and there’s 100 filters. Below took minutes.

Top right: don’t blow it out like that, everyone knows that trick and what you’re trying to do.

Now upload it to the 5 major sites social networking sites you use, your sidebar, I am not doing this again till November.

 

 

About My New Newspaper Column Job

Starting tomorrow, I’ll have a regular 300-word column about car culture for Sun Media, specifically the paper 24 Hours Toronto, their automotive site AutoNet, and potentially in Sun publications across Canada.

I’ll be writing about car culture.  Topics like: how to make fast sharp turns safely; pedestrians need to back up; go for a lazy drive down to Cherry Beach because, when was the last time you did?

     Best parts about this:

          1 – I’m paid to write about something I blogged & videod for 5 years: I love driving

          2 – my email is published at the bottom of each article

          3 – I made a blog make money

Meet my editor Joe Duarte, and welcome to my blog, Joe!

We met at Honda’s First Ever Manual Driving School. He emailed that I almost hit him, I replied eye roll, he emailed back the below photo.

This photo is funny, and proves nothing.

This will be my profile pic for now, until their official photographer can book me in.  Which thankfully is not this week because omg look at my hair.  No don’t.

Taken while waiting in the lobby. Is this happening?

Am I signing this? I won’t have full control of something.

 I’m most excited to see my name in print,

in ink, on paper, to hold it in real life.

You can blog and blog and video and blog, and no matter how much you make, you can never hold it.

  • 1 – my celebratory burger & beer
  • 2 -I’ve been concerned about making the adjustment from blog writing to print writing, and seeing this made me feel better, “totes”
  • 3 – this too. I had that exact Fiesta in the spring.  I can do this.

Let’s DO this!

Really pumped guys!  Thanks for continuing to cheer me on.

Love,

Keri

 

 

Oh Hi Hi

Left the city over the weekend.  Doesn’t smell like smog and a burning laptop up there.

Me yesterday. Which was Monday, which means ‘Car Swap Day‘.

I returned the Acura in Markham, then took  a taxi (!) to Mississauga.

Meet my driver, Sanjiwan. Welcome to my blog! We put the world to rights during the 45km trip, and it was awesome.

He taught me that in India, the Honda Civic is called a “City”. Neat, eh.

This week I’m driving an Infiniti G37 Coupe.

Tight steering, a rough ride, this is a sports car. Look for my blur this week :|

Hmmm, what else… I downloaded new apps, to make my photos here on KeriBlog even more beautiful.

Tweeted this.

Been video editing.

I’m adjusting to the new FinalCut X, which is taking forever because it’s so different from my last five years.

It’s like learning how to edit all over again. Ask anyone who edits, “like the new Final Cut”? and bet 9/10 times: UGH no siiiiigh.

See the arrow pointing at the white dots? That’s audio being key framed, which you really need, which I had to watch several tutorial videos to figure out.  Okay okay, </rant>.

Screenshot from editing.

Changed the top of my blog header from wood to grass.

Posted a new profile pic.

A big congratulations to 1188 Films on their

MMVA Sunday night for “Best Post Production”!!

Gotta run, TTY on Twitter.

 

 

 

It Was a Quiet Weekend

I haven’t felt like living online these last few days.

Happens. Always passes.

Saturday night looked like this.

Glued out, filtering photos while replaying and reviewing the week in my head. I think that’s important to do.

On Thursday I attended a Breast Cancer fundraiser for the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation.

They’re a class act who do important research and run a tight ship. I’ve been inside plenty, the bell is the best part of the whole place ;).  Please give.

My BFF was the evenings’ keynote speaker, then she heated up the stage in the fashion show.

I said nothing online during her treatment, but too bad missy, I get this one time – your toughness is impressive, you wore cancer better than anyone, and I’m so happy you’re back love you.

Internet, this is my favourite cancer story: deep into her treatment her insurance company calls, they’re all confused; how was she at work this much, if she’s undergoing chemo, radiation and surgery? HA she’s that tough.

On Sunday, this.

It wasn’t until I pulled into the same industrial park that it hit me. Then I got all reflective and pensive.

That’s not my best profile pic is it, let’s change that. Done.  Here is the new one.

Classic Keri.  KeriCDN.

Recent outfits.

Picked up fresh flowers this afternoon.

I’ve kept fresh flowers around, long as I can remember. They make a place a home, and don’t have to cost a lot.

I like carnations actually, they’re colourful, cheap and last 2 weeks.

And that concludes this blog post.

 

 

Hashtags, Hacks and Hair

Hope you had a great weekend, too!

I made this yesterday; it analyzes my 8,500 tweets, and determines my most used hashtags (most discussed topics) on Twitter:

Red arrow: Top 5 hashtags

  • #Security
  • #VW
  • #SundayCleaning
  • #ThursdayNight
  • #Toronto

(via TweetStats)

Here I am #FixingTallVenetianBlinds during #SundayCleaning



That’s two hacks I invented this weekend!

  1. – a ladder
  2. – tissue in the door frame until I can weather strip (door rattles)

Poor ThisIsMyHack.com… it’s my most neglected blog, always lands at the bottom of the list when I sit down to polish one of them.

It’s also my first submission site, I’m excited to see how that turns out. I won’t be accepting any attachments, or clicking links to places I don’t recognize, I can tell you that for sure #security

#PlanetaryAlignment on Tuesday

Won’t happen again for 100+ years 

If you’re in EST, look up starting at 6:30pm.

Still having hair anxiety.

Still upset at myself for caring so much about hair.

Made a new and more accurate, Twitter profile pic.

In other news.

And now this about to happen.

Here’s to a proper & productive start to your week!