Better Than My Driver's License by Danielle Joseph

Okay, when you get a driver's license or a debit card with a picture ID you expect to be showing your face to a lot of people. That goes the same for your author photo but it's even more widely circulated because it's all over the internet and hopefully in a lot of bookstores!

So here's how my story goes.

Driver's license: To my suprise when I renewed my license because I had lost my old one, I totally loved my photo. I happened to take it when I was pregnant with my son almost ten years ago. I was wearing a bright pink t-shirt and was actually expecting the worst. Then I had to renew my license a couple of years ago when my daughter was just a few months old. I ran over to the DMW with wet hair and no makeup and a hungry baby. They snapped the picture before I could even blink. Now I'm stuck with that not-so-great photo.

Author photo: When my daughter was five months old we had a family photographer take pictures of our kids at our house. She was awesome and at the end asked if I wanted a few photos of myself. She said I could use them as author photos if I liked them. I figured I had nothing to lose and actually really ended up liking two of them. They were taken in my backyard and I think because I had no expectations, I was really relaxed.

Okay and now for some fun photos:




In the photo above I'm copying my cover for Shrinking Violet.




This photo is taken at my very first book signing for Shrinknig Violet. I'm reading from my very first book, "Mommy, Can I Go to the Zoo" that I wrote in first grade!

So there you have it. I would say I am definitely a fan of candid photos and could totally do without photos that are done in front of a backdrop, like school photos! Weren't those the worst?!