Does it still count as an OOTD if I’m not really wearing an “outfit” in these pictures?

The first day or two with a brand new group of people is always a little awkward. You have to be on your best behavior — no questionable jokes (even if they’re funny), no swearing, no copious complaining, especially if no one else is doing it.

And perhaps this is just a rule that I impose for myself, but no excessive requests for photographs, even if you’re on a tropical island in a continent you’ve never visited before, and you have a fashion blog that you want to post all of your trip photos to. You might want to get a photo with every cool-looking rock, but you need to exercise a little restraint — you don’t want to become known as the girl who needs her picture taken with every cool-looking rock.

In general, I try to wait until someone else asks for their picture taken — then I offer to take it for them, and follow up with “oh, and would you mind getting one for me as well?” They can’t deny taking my picture after I’ve offered to do the same for them, and they can’t judge me for asking because they asked first.

Sometimes, though, a cool photo opportunity arises and no one’s posed for the picture question yet. Maybe they’re embarrassed or maybe they’re just not into having their picture taken. In that case, I will ask first. Often, people follow suit in expressing their desire to have their picture taken. If they don’t, maybe it’s a little weird, especially if the group ends up waiting for you while you pose next to your cool-looking rock. Oh well — at least you got your picture with the cool-looking rock. The judgmental people can’t say that.

For my first day in the Galápagos Islands with a new group of friends, that’s what I ended up doing. I couldn’t go a whole day without a picture to post for a blog, so I caved and asked my roommate on the ship to get my picture next to the water.

I’m glad I got the pictures so I could share something with you for today’s post, but being honest, these photos weren’t worth the mental anxiety I put myself through to get them. There are much, much cooler photos to come from my subsequent days in the Galápagos — so stay tuned.

That’s about it for today. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one with more updates on my trip to the Galápagos Islands this summer. Don’t forget to check me out on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Bloglovin, Twitter, and Tumblr! For business inquiries, shoot me an email at lensembledujour@gmail.com!

Bathing suit: Target