Chapter One: Photo Shoot
The sky was cloudy, and some might have considered it to be a little dreary.
"Perfect day for this!" he said to himself aloud as he looked through his camera's viewfinder. To him, the clouds could transform the sun into a diffuse, omni-directional light source. The morning had been a photographic bonanza as he methodically made his way along an urban greenbelt path. Walking slowly along the path, he looked for interesting views that might provide good images to be captured in his camera. It was a different way of looking at the world, seeking out shapes, colors, textures, that might otherwise seem mundane. Sometimes, he saw treasures in the completely natural scenery of plants and earth. With others, he contrasted natural elements with nearby buildings and other man-made structures in the background. Objects were reduced to their visual impact. Their history and purpose didn't matter. The previous function of a piece of rusted machinery was of no importance. However, if its rough texture and ruddy color could be utilized as a powerful visual element, he was there to find and capture its beauty. What some might see as dirty and nasty, could often be appreciated, if one had the right perspective and took the effort to find it.
He was currently taking the last few photos from a scene that he had setup on a tripod, when he was approached by a woman who had been walking along the path.
"Hello," she said to him. "Any luck today?"
He looked up to see the woman smiling at him in a yellow sun dress.
"It's been an excellent morning for me," he replied cheerfully. "The lighting is wonderful, now. With clear skies, the shadows tend to be harsh. But with these clouds, it's been dreamy this morning!"
"I like your enthusiasm. Are you a professional or is it a hobby?" she asked.
"Just a hobby," he replied, "but an obsession, sometimes." He noticed that she was stunningly beautiful.
"I like that," she said. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"Oh, no. I was just wrapping up a shot. I've been shooting all morning. And it's good to see a friendly face."
"What kind of photography do you do?"
"I'm an opportunist," he responded. "I shoot whatever I see and whatever comes to mind. Right now, I'm just shooting some semi-abstract scenes. Would you like to see some?"
"I'd love to. I love photography, but I don't do much of my own."
"I still have the last shot setup in the camera, if you'd like to look through the viewfinder." As she excitedly stepped over to his tripod, he noticed that she was wearing some rather large, dangling earrings, swaying with each step. Before she could look through the viewfinder, he pointed into the direction that the camera was aimed.
"This one is kind of abstract, so let me explain what you'll be seeing. See that tall tree over there?" he asked her.
"Yes," she replied. The scene didn't look that interesting to her so far.
"I'm using that trunk and the vine-covered limb to frame part of the image. I have a long lens on it now that only sees a tiny keyhole in that direction." He held out his hand and held two fingers an inch apart to indicate the narrow field of view. "The only other thing you see in the camera is a bit of that big tree and part of the grungy side of that warehouse over there. "He noticed that her hair was styled immaculately, and that she was wearing brightly colored lipstick. It seemed a little out of place on an urban trail in the mid-morning.
"Holy shit!" she exclaimed as she looked through the view finder. "That's fucking awesome!"
"I like your enthusiasm," he said.
She moved her head from behind the camera to see the view without the camera, and then looked through the camera viewfinder again.
"Sorry, I couldn't help it, but this is beautiful!"
"I'm not offended by much. Glad you like it so much."
"You can't really tell what it is from the photo, but it's rich with texture. I just want to keep looking at this," she commented.
"Take your time and enjoy it. Most people just take a peek and they are done. Would you like to see some of the ones I took earlier this morning?"
"Sure! I'd love to, if you don't mind... and have time."
"No problem at all."
He removed the camera from the tripod and stood next to her as he showed her how to scroll through the images from earlier that morning.
"She's a feisty little woman," he thought to himself. She pressed her body against his as they looked through the images together.
"What other types of photography do you do" she asked.
"A little bit of everything, but I think that I like shooting people the most. Portraits are fun. I usually just shoot friends and family."
"Do you need a model?" she asked.
"Are you offering?" he asked as he began to inspect her more closely.
"I'd love to!" she responded eagerly. He noticed her breasts jiggle beneath her sun dress and she spoke energetically. He suspected that she wasn't wearing a bra.
"I don't have a modelling budget, but would you be willing to accept a digital copy of the proofs for your work?"
"Deal!" she exclaimed. "Are you ready to do me now?"
"Now's a perfect time. Have you done any modelling work?"
"No formal modelling, but it sounds fun."
"How about we start over here?" he said as he pointed towards the center of the trail. "Let's use the trail as a visual element behind you." He watched her long legs project beneath her short dress as she strutted to the center of the trail.
He took a few steps backwards and studied her appearance. It was the first chance that he had had to get a really good look at her. She was beautiful, yet something seemed a little out of place. The thin fabric of her sun dress draped over her body, silently giving a teasing discernment of the curves underneath. He couldn't help but linger at the sight of her neckline which dipped between her breasts. Her hair was immaculately sculpted, and her lips eloquently highlighted the bright expressiveness on her face. Yet, she seemed as if she were more prepared to enter a night club, rather than being seen among the occasional joggers, bikers, and power walkers along the trail. Nevertheless, she was a beautiful sight, and he looked forward to having her model for him.
He stepped back several more feet down the trail away from her. "Now walk towards me very slowly."
She smiled at the camera and slowly sauntered towards him.
"Very nice!" he said as the camera shutter clicked repeatedly.
"Now, hold right there. Turn your body a quarter turn, but keep your head turned towards me."
She followed his instructions while he continued snapping the shutter of his camera.
"You're a natural at this," he said. "Okay, now turn your body the other way, and turn your head back towards me again."
She turned the other direction, looked at him, and reflexively put her hands on her hips."
"Good. I like that." he said.
"Do you still feel comfortable with this? With all the photos?" he asked.
She stood on one leg, raised her arms over her head, and made a silly face. "Do I look like I'm uncomfortable with you taking photos of me?" she asked.
"Okay, just checking," he responded laughingly. "Some people are a little self-conscious about their body."
"That's not one of my faults. Shoot away. But that's sweet of you to ask."
She confidently arched her back and pressed her chest forward into the fabric of the dress. Her breasts pressed more tightly into the cups of her dress, and the outline of her nipples pressed clearly into the fabric.
It's not polite to stare, but he wanted to stare at her. Behind the camera, he could stare all he wanted, but he was distracted by the mechanics of exposure, composition, focus, and timing. Still, he was thoroughly enjoying the visual attention that he was able to give to her body. "Oh, to be that dress draped over her body like that," he thought. "Across those shoulders, her breasts, and her hips."
"What a fantastic ass she has," he thought to himself. He stared at the indentations in the fabric over her nipples some more. He wondered if he could perceive any of the color of her nipples through the fabric.
Proper behavior required him to behave in a manner that was completely at odds with his actual thoughts, hungers, and desires. He felt desire to see and touch her pink nipples. He felt desire to see and touch her hairy bush, and he wondered if she had shaved it. Being a gentleman was to pretend that he had no such desires and give no indication that those types of thoughts ever existed. Yet, he continued to desire and imagine. He had no choice.
He stepped closer to her and framed his camera for her upper body. Her playful facial expressions complimented her partially exposed breasts in the viewfinder. He admired the valley between her breasts beneath her neck. Part of him was thinking "how elegant." Another part of him was thinking, "Those are fantastic tits."
He then moved closer and got some head shots. She had a beautiful face and he enjoyed this part as well. The lure of the rest of her anatomy did not detract from her face. They were all part of one beautiful body.
"There's a park bench over there. Would you mind sitting down where I can get some sitting shots?"
"Sounds fun," she responded as she walked to the bench. She took a seat and paused for a second before she crossed her legs in a modest manner appropriate for her short sundress. He couldn't help but notice a glimpse the crotch of her panties before she crossed her legs. "How's that?" she asked as she sat up in a formal, but friendly manner on the bench.
"Very nice. You are beautiful no matter what you do," he replied honestly.
"Thank you. This is fun." She uncrossed her legs, paused, and re-crossed them with the other leg on top. His eyes darted to her panties while they were visible between crossings. She smiled a little as she looked into the camera.
