I have been dressing for many years. I started taking pictures of myself during the film age (never nude or even suggestive). I would bring the rolls to a distant pharmacy and put them in the envelope to be sent out and come back a few days later- completely anonymous.
As my pictures got better I became more eager to get them back. So I would bring them to a one-hour place in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon. Still anonymous. There was one session that I only dressed an didn't do makeup of a wig so I only took pictures from the neck down or I covered my male face. One self-timed picture went off earlier than I thought and caught me full-face. The set was too good to just throw out so I had it developed anyway- again far from home- fake name, anonymous. When I went to pick up the pictures I gave the fake name and the girl went to retrieve the envelope with the pics. While thumbing through the box, she quietly called over her friend. Although I couldn't hear her, I'm sure she said something along the lines of "here's that guy in these pictures that I told you about" because she discretely glanced over her shoulder at me. At that moment I got a surge of adrenaline, run or stay? I decided to stay because they had no idea who I was and what I did was not illegal. When I walked out, I was shaking from the adrenaline and realized that it was exciting! Since then I would purposely put one "guy mode" picture in each set to see if anyone would indicate if they saw my pictures- to see if there was any comment one way or another.
Fast forward a few years. I began making side-by-side pictures of guy mode and in drag to show the transformation. I sent them in over the net and had them developed miles away at the 1-hour place and picked them up as I passed through to my weekly appointment. It became a semi-regular routine whenever I had the chance to dress. One day I picked up my pictures and the guy who retrieved them was somewhat transgendered himself (lip gloss and manicure). He handed me the pictures and said "I developed these. No one else saw them. Very nice. Enjoy." Well I developed there a few more times without him saying any more about it except "enjoy the pictures". When I got there one day, he told me there was a problem and the internet didn't print automatically as usual. He had to go into the computer and manually print them. Again, another adrenaline surge as I watched him look at every individual picture, select and print. He handed me the pictures "Enjoy".
One more day I couldn't submit the pictures on line at all so I put them on a memory card and brought them in to submit via the kiosk in the store. I picked them up a little later without incident.
The next day at work I was working on a project with s co-worker. She needed some files (you see it coming don't you!) and I gave them to her on the card. At the time I was shuffling between two or three cards and I lost track. Later that night, after she returned the card I went to retrieve the files she worked on and there I was in all my glory! Once the panic and stream of profanities died down called her as calmly as I could and tried not to give anything away in case she happened not to see them.
"Did you have a chance to look at the files on the disc?"
"Yes"
"Did I happen to leave any of my personal files from home on there?"
"Yes"
"Did you see them?"
"Yes."
Silence. There was no denying it. No way to cover it up. Just outright busted!
She told me it was none of her business, that since it hurt no one she didn't care what I did and she wouldn't say a word. Luckily, to this day she hasn't to me or anyone else but I still can't look her in the eye.
Here is one of the pictures she saw:
