As an up-and-coming social media influencer, Sadie Dwyer has had enough of the expectations thrust upon her and is finally ready to start living life on her own terms. Goodbye cushy corporate finance job, goodbye Los Angeles, and hello fresh start...
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Seattle's weatherman was a dirty liar.
When I'd checked the forecast the evening before, the man with slicked back blonde hair and a bit too much bronzer had gestured in front of a green screen about the beautiful blue skies, sunshine, and cool spring breeze that today would bring. And when I'd woken up to exactly that, with barely a cloud in the sky, I'd figured it was as good of a day as any to use as a photoshoot day.
Because while I did like to cultivate my DIY and lifestyle brands, I also had no shame in posting photos that I knew made me look good. It just wasn't all that simple to come across those without putting in some effort.
It was a little past nine by the time I'd straightened my hair, dolled a face of makeup, and put together five different outfits—one of which I donned, consisting of a pair of dark blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a bright floral blazer. The other four—which I would expertly be able to change into in public without flashing the people of Seattle thanks to my basic t-shirt and hidden shorts—were safely tucked away in a small rolling suitcase.
All that was left was packing up my tripod and camera equipment, which I then made quick work of storing in a small backpack.
It wasn't glamorous. In fact, having to lug two bags through the streets of Seattle on foot for over half an hour officially counted as my exercise for the day. But I remembered how picturesque Volunteer Park was when I'd ventured through it with family and friends, and I knew it'd serve as a great backdrop for a personal photoshoot.
By the time I'd trekked all the way there and scoped out a spot for my first set of photos, it was nearing ten, and if it'd been a weekend, the crowds would have been starting to gather. Luckily, I had the advantage of no longer being a nine to five working woman, so my surroundings were fairly empty for a Tuesday morning.
After a few minutes setting up my camera and tripod, taking a few test shots, I finally stepped in front of the camera.
Pose. Snap. Pose. Snap. Pose. Snap.
It went on like that for ten minutes or so, as I tried to work different angles and change the lens a few times to get some variation. And as I quickly scrolled through the pictures, enough jumped out at me to feel confident enough to move to the next set of photos.
Which was when I noticed a small bundle of clouds rolling in off the water.
A bit worrisome, but I waved it off after checking the weather on my phone to confirm that there was nothing but sun in the forecast.
However, I apparently put my trust in the wrong technology.
Not even twenty minutes later, after I'd lugged my equipment and bag of outfits down the walking path to a new location, as well as expertly slipped into a cute striped dress and heels, I stepped in front of the camera once again. The flash went off for the first of five pictures and suddenly I felt a raindrop fall on my hand. If I could have seen the face I made as the camera continued to snap photos and I looked up at the sky, only to see what had previously been a small group of clouds grow to cover a majority of the blue in the sky, I probably would've laughed at the images.
