A Victorian Affair

Some close friends had recently stayed in an old 1892 Victorian Bed & Breakfast in San Francisco called Chateau Tivoli. When they returned, they raved about it and encouraged my wife and I to pay it a visit. Since we have not taken a vacation out of our local area for some time and it had been years since we last visited San Francisco, I decided to book us a two-night stay.

Only a week before our trip, I received a call from a woman named Liz. Liz introduced herself as a Personal Assistant for a world-famous photographer by the name of Sir Nick Knight. She and Sir Nick had traveled to San Francisco from London for an important fashion shoot and while staying at the Chateau Tivoli, Sir Nick had decided that the Victorian setting of the Chateau would work perfectly for a period photoshoot he needed to do for a commission. This would mean the B&B would be filled with models, workers, photographic equipment and furious activity.

Understanding that the photoshoot would disrupt our enjoyment of the hotel she had been authorized to pay all the costs of a 5-day/4-night stay at a future date if we would just reschedule our reservations. Liz stated that the other three couples booked for that week had already accepted Sir Nick's offer.

I explained to Liz that my wife, Tara, worked for a school district and had that week off for spring break. We would not have another opportunity until summer and that we needed some time alone together right now. Besides, I was actually a little irritated at the level of entitlement this person must feel to ask everyone else to change their plans to accommodate his.

She made several apologies and conveyed her hope that we would not be inconvenienced too much. Sir Nick's photoshoot was scheduled to be completed the following morning after we arrived anyway. Sir Nick wanted to utilize the morning light and they expected to complete shooting early afternoon. Unfortunately, there would still be photographic equipment and costumes all over the hotel. Liz assured us that they stopped shooting around 5 in the evening so hopefully, we would not be too terribly inconvenienced.

We arrived at Chateau Tivoli around 2 pm on the first day of our stay. Just up the street from the "Painted Ladies", those iconic period homes that San Francisco is recognized for. We were warmly greeted upon our arrival by the Innkeeper, Meredith. She gave us a quick house tour, sincerely apologizing for the bustling activity and equipment all over. She outlined the breakfast and afternoon wine/cheese/tea and coffee arrangements then showed us to our rooms.

Despite the lights and booms and equipment that seemed to be in all of the rooms of the great house, the room and the hotel were still stunning. Such beautiful period pieces and furniture! After settling into our room, and before heading out to do a little sightseeing, I was drawn to Sir Nick's photoshoot to see a world-class photographer perform his craft.

Liz informed us it was a period piece, taking advantage of the Victorian setting. There were four models, three women and a man. Not surprisingly, they were all extremely attractive and dressed in these amazing Victorian period dresses and props.

Liz came over to us and introduced herself. Liz described herself as Sir Nick's Girl Friday, scheduler, makeup artist, seamstress, and all-around go-to girl. She explained that Sir Nick was in San Francisco on other business and immediately upon entering the Chateau he realized that it was perfect for a vision he had for an ad utilizing Victorian fashions and décor. She showed Tara and I the racks of period clothing, explaining that, although not originals, they were museum-quality replicas along with gloves, umbrellas, jewelry, even Victorian-era undergarments.

While Liz and Tara marveled and discussed the craftsmanship of the dresses, I was fascinated by the mechanics of the photoshoot. There were lights and tripods in the parlors, kitchen landings, some of the bedrooms and even a bathroom. Liz explained that this was to keep the photoshoot and mood flowing from set to set without requiring the movement of equipment from room to room and the subsequent re-setup. All the talent, equipment and wardrobe were rented so time was literally money. The photoshoot needed to move along quickly maximize the light and time.

Sir Nick had a table set up with a computer and a large, elevated flat-screen TV that he was connected to wirelessly. He would stop every now and then to display the most recent shots. His reputation and skills were not exaggerated. Still raw, without any retouching, his photos were stunning! He used lighting, angles, and composition to create photographic works of art. As I watched him scroll the photos, I could see that he used light and composition to create a rich story, much like an author used language and words.

Tara nudged me out of my reverie. She knew I could probably have stood there watching him all afternoon. We had plans to get some sightseeing done with the little afternoon left and we needed to get going.

We wandered Golden Gate Park for a while and then headed down to Fisherman's Wharf for a seafood dinner and some additional sightseeing.

Returning to the Chateau that evening, we noticed the shoot was done for the day. We went up to our room and dropped off the day's purchases, headed down to investigate the beautiful Victorian home. Meredith had already left for the day. A sign on the hotel counter gave contact information if guests needed something or if there was an emergency.

We found Sir Nick sitting in the parlor, drinking an expensive scotch. He said hello and waved us over. He seemed much friendlier and less intimidating than he had earlier. He offered us a scotch that I readily accepted. Tara is not an aficionado of scotch, so Sir Nick politely escorted her over to a service table of cheeses, finger sandwiches, fruits, beverages, and wines. He selected a very nice Cabernet from Napa for her.

To describe Sir Nick Knight, I'd have to say he was tall and a little thin. I guess he was not unattractive. (I thought his nose was rather pointy and lips a little full, like Mick Jagger). He was dressed sharply. He wore black slacks with a starched white shirt and black sport coat with a handkerchief in his pocket.

He revealed that he had a wife and three children living in London. He seemed genuinely interested in our backgrounds, as well. Noticing my Nikon, he asked if I was a photographer as well. I assured him I was only an amateur. I asked him if he minded if we worked around his equipment and sets to get some photos of the hotel.

He apologized again for the disruption to our stay and offered to take some shots of the two of us. I thought he showed some class when he asked permission to change the settings on my camera. He took a few snapshots of us, in different rooms, then, handing the camera back to me, he started the computer up and began turning on the lights. He said, "Let's do this right, shall we?"

Using my camera, he took us around the house, posing us in different sets, explaining his techniques to me as he snapped shot after shot. He taught us how to elevate our chins slightly to eliminate a potential turkey neck, how to smile just enough to minimize creating wrinkles. Utilizing the monitor to review the photos, he showed us how looking into the camera with our faces turned slightly instead of directly into the camera produced a more attractive portrait and showed us the improvement gained by looking slightly above or to the side of the lens.

I told him he was a terrific teacher. I had learned more about photography in the past 20 minutes than I had in the last two years. He just laughed and said, "I wish my students at the University of Arts, London were half as enthusiastic"! He excused himself, made a phone call and returned to take a few more photos and show me a few lighting techniques.

He suggested taking some photos of Tara alone. He told us that he had been photographing women for many years. The vast majority of them were beautiful, knew they were beautiful, and this was reflected in their photos. Tara, on the contrary, he stated, was a natural beauty that seemed unaware of her innate beauty. This made her seductive to the camera and invited the admiration of the viewer without them even knowing why. None of the women he had shot the last week had these qualities, he groused.

The phone call he made must have been to Liz. She showed up suddenly, reminding him, with a slight irritation in her voice, that she had other plans tonight and could only give him an hour or two, max!

Sir Nick asked Tara and me if we wouldn't mind agreeing to allow Tara to model for him in some period clothing. Tara jumped at the chance to try on these beautiful gowns and readily agreed. He apologized, noting that I was too tall to fit the male model's outfits but that if I would assist him with the cameras and lighting, he would continue to share his photographic knowledge and techniques with me.

Liz took Tara off to the kitchen. She poured Tara a glass of Jouet Champagne, to relax her, she said. There she had her sign a standard Model's Release form and proceeded to fix her hair and makeup. She said how enthusiastic Sir Nick seemed to be acting about photographing her. In the three years that Liz had worked for him, he had never done anything so spontaneous before. She impressed upon Tara how lucky she was. Sir Nick is a much sought after, world-famous photographer. Influential women paid tens of thousands for a private photo session with him and how, even then, they had to wait years for their sitting.

Using a little dishwashing liquid, Liz helped Tara to remove her rings. Liz then chose a gorgeous emerald green silk and black lace Victorian gown and assisted Tara in putting it on, showing her the proper way to wear the different layers and completing the ensemble with gloves, hat, lace choker, and umbrella. When she and Liz walked out of the kitchen I got choked up. She looked absolutely amazing! It was as if she just stepped out of a time machine from the 1890s.

Sir Nick began by photographing Tara coming down the stairs. He had me raise the lighting higher to illuminate her slightly from above explaining that lighting from below a mature subject makes tiny wrinkles more pronounced. Diffusers on the lights also softened the skin minimizing blemishes.

Again, Sir Nick demonstrated that his reputation and skills were well-earned. With the correct placement of lights and adjustments to Tara's poses, he created art. With a slight lift of Tara's chin, more natural placement of her hands on the top of the handle of the umbrella and the placement of her legs on the stairs, he created an impression of fluidity of movement and a sensuous innocence. After each set, we reviewed the monitor so Sir Nick could make adjustments and camera/lighting changes.

Tara remarked that she could not believe that was herself in the photos. As modest as she is, even she agreed that she looked quite beautiful, giving Sir Nick all the credit. Sir Nick assured her he just recorded and enhanced what beauty there was already there.

He asked Liz to check with Christian to see if he was available again this evening. Sir Nick turned back and stated that he was quite excited. These unexpected photos were superior to most of the ones he spent the last two days shooting. Tara beamed but told Sir Nick he was being untruthful, the models she saw this afternoon were young and beautiful while she was old and quite ordinary.

Nick looked at her surprisingly sternly. "As they say, beauty is only skin deep! For most, this is quite true but for a very few, true beauty shines through from beneath. You, my dear, are one of those few. I've no doubt Burke would readily agree". Of course, I did!

"I need you to acknowledge that you are beautiful and feel beautiful or I shall never capture it and the shoot will be ruined!"

Tara blushed and agreed. Tara and Liz disappeared into the kitchen for a costume change while Sir Nick and I adjusted the lights in the parlor for the next set of shots. Tara re-emerged wearing a powder blue and black silk dress and an enormous blue hat and veil that, instead of looking ridiculous, complemented the ensemble perfectly. The color suited her perfectly and made her blue eyes just luminous.

In the middle of the current session, Christian arrived. Christian had dark hair, almost black, was average height, probably about 4 inches shorter than I and built well. Of course, he was rather handsome. He was a model after all. After thanking him for coming on such short notice, Sir Nick gave him and Liz some instruction and off they went to fulfill his directives.

Christian soon rejoined us dressed in the uniform of a British officer. A British lieutenant Liz informed me. He wore tall black boots, resplendent red coat with gold trim, black leather gloves, saber and a silver gorget around his neck. Liz explained that a gorget was an ornamental piece of armor, worn at the neck by British officers, a vestige of medieval armor. I had to admit he really was a striking figure!

Sir Nick photographed Tara and Christian in various poses throughout the house. Meeting at the front door, sitting in the parlor holding hands, looking longingly into his eyes on the stairs. I began to envision the story Sir Nick was painting with his photographs. A beautiful, chaste San Francisco socialite seeing her British lover, maybe for the last time, before he sailed off for a foreign four-year posting. It was not unlike a graphic novel.

Viewing the photos on the monitor, you could envision the story unfolding without words. Sir Nick asked Tara her opinion of the shots so far. "I love them! They make me look gorgeous." "That's because you ARE gorgeous, sweetheart!", I proudly proclaimed.

At this point, Liz announced that it was time for her to leave so that she could keep her commitment. With a wave goodbye, she left.

Quickly back to business, Sir Nick declared, "OK, now, the next set is a little more flirty. I need you to change into some Victorian undergarments that are laid out on the table next to the dresses". Tara was hesitant at first. Seeing her visible reticence, he stated, "The undergarments are quite modest by today's standards. What you currently wear around the house in the morning is most likely more risqué than what the Victorian women wore. Please, they are essential to the photographic series and complete the natural progression of the story. The rest of the series is useless without it."

Tara agreed to try the undergarments on. She came out of the kitchen wearing a cotton camisole and bloomers trimmed with powder-blue ribbons. It truly was quite modest. Sir Nick took more photos around the house of Vic and Christian with his red coat removed and gloves off. He also took additional shots of just Tara, in the undergarments, on the settee in the parlor and in front of a dressing table in one of the bedrooms.

They were very sensual and romantic shots. Even Tara seemed pleased with them. Back in the parlor, Sir Nick had me move one of the lights behind Tara. He took several shots from the front and sides, occasionally positioning her hands, legs, and face to improve the shot. As I came back around, next to Sir Nick, I saw what the camera saw. The lighting behind Tara made the cotton camisole and bloomers translucent. Tara was as good as naked to Sir Nick and the camera. From her viewpoint in front of the camera, Vic was unaware of the effect, continuing different poses. It was all so sensual I was too awestruck to say anything or attempt to stop the shoot.

Sir Nick stopped briefly to prepare for the next series of shots. The house cat, a beautiful white Persian, sauntered over to Tara. As Tara knelt to pet him the back of the drawstring bloomers separated, revealing her naked derrière. Apparently, Victorian bloomers were crotchless or open to the crotch in the back to allow women to attend to nature calls more easily. Since the bloomers were large and loose, Tara had slipped them on unaware that they had a split in the back. As I turned to warn Tara of the unintended exposure, Sir Nick grabbed my wrist and put his forefinger to his lips to indicate silence and began shooting again.

A stray puff of air brought Tara to the realization that she was exposed. Grabbing the bloomers closed, she stood up quickly, scaring the cat out of the room. While looking quite embarrassed, Sir Nick called her over. "Do not be embarrassed. These are some of the finest shots of the night!"

To prove his point, Sir Nick displayed the latest set of photos for us on the monitor. As Sir Nick interjected adjectives such as "beautiful!", "Absolutely beautiful!" and "gorgeous! I watched the monitor and Tara simultaneously. While embarrassed, Tara appeared to appreciate that photos were not lewd or vulgar at all. On the contrary, she was strikingly sensual and seductive. Sir Nick inquired how she felt about the photo. She admitted that they were beautiful and made her feel sexy but quickly blurted out, "No one else will see these, right?"

Sir Nick explained to us that he often shoots several projects at once during his more elaborate photo shoots. This maximized his return and was more efficient. The current shoot was for an ad for a Japanese whiskey manufacturer to appear in a magazine in New Zealand. The time period and British-like subject would give the product a sense of history and appeal more to the former British colony's whiskey aficionados. The shots that displayed some nudity would be used in his private boudoir portfolio in his London studio.

Sir Nick explained that, occasionally, more mature women came to him to take boudoir photos. A problem that presented itself was that looking through samples of other boudoir shots consisting of young, beautiful women often did little to persuade them to go through with the shoot, even convincing them that they could not hope to compare. The inclusion of Tara's boudoir shots would confirm to them how desirable and sensuous he was capable of making them appear. He requested Tara's permission to include them in his studio portfolio, reminding her that it would be in a book, in his studio, half the world away from anyone she knew. He also reminded her that he really didn't need her permission. He had her signed release but that he would honor her wishes, regardless.

Tara seemed to quietly think it over. They were wonderful and very sensual photos. It would be a shame for them never to be seen and appreciated. To my surprise, she seemed excited and maybe a little flattered about the prospect. She agreed! Sir Nick poured each of us each a glass of champagne to celebrate the collaboration.

"Terrific! Let's push the boundaries a little." Tara looked a little concerned but followed his direction, nonetheless. Maybe the several glasses of fine champagne helped to lower her barriers. He had her pose, stretched out, on one of the settees in the parlor. After a few shots, he had her turn over to lay on her front. Tara quickly checked the back of her bloomers to make sure it was shut. Sir Nick moved in closer, continuing to shoot.

He suddenly reached over and opened the back of her bloomers exposed her bare bottom. As Tara reached back to close it and Sir Nick brushed her hand away, saying, "Please, let me get the shots. If you don't like them after review, I will not use them."

Opening the back flaps wide, Sir Nick moved in to take some close-ups of her cheeks. Tara was surprisingly compliant and professional through several more poses. Incredible, here was my wife being photographed, bare-assed in front of her husband and two complete male strangers, and looking like she was genuinely enjoying the attention, admiring comments and looks. Sir Nick was certainly a master of his craft!