Courtney walked down the busy street admiring the view.
Exploring the city had become her favorite past time since moving to San Francisco for college. With a camera in hand, she continued wandering the city, looking for new pictures she could take, and new buildings to admire. As her attention was focused on the city's architecture, she didn't notice the footsteps of a woman approaching her from behind.
"Do you work professionally?" a woman's voice asked.
Courtney turned to look at the woman. The woman was in her mid-30's. She had a strong sense of style and possessed an aura of confidence. She had a fairly commanding presence, and had the trademarks of any San Francisco hipster, wearing a scarf and skinny jeans.
"What do you mean?" Courtney replied.
"Are you a professional photographer? You handle the camera well. I hope you don't mind, but I've been watching you these past few minutes."
"I don't mind at all. And no, I'm not a professional photographer. I only do this for fun."
"I'm Gianna," she said, extending her hand. "Nice to meet you."
The two women shook hands.
"I'm Courtney."
"Well, Courtney, I don't want to waste your time, but I
am
a professional photographer, and I think you're very beautiful. I'd love to take pictures of you sometime if you're interested. I'll pay, of course. Here's my card. Contact me if you're interested."
Gianna handed the college student a card. Then Gianna smiled, winked, and walked away.
Exhibitionist Woman
The classroom was quiet. It was early in the morning and people were slowly making their way to class. Courtney sat in the back of the room and she surfed the internet on her laptop like she always did before class began.
When she took the binder out of her backpack, she saw the card that Gianna had given her a few days earlier. She never bothered to look at it, and she never gave it much thought. Being offered a modeling job was flattering to her. She had received offers before, but she never took them seriously.
Courtney took a good look at the card for the very first time and noticed it had a website printed on it. She typed in the web address and briefly skimmed through Gianna's website. The pictures were beautiful. Much better than anything Courtney had ever taken. She continued looking at the different pictures and was amazed by the artistry. What grabbed her attention was that there were several nude pictures of men and women posing in different public locations. They were normal looking people.
After glancing through the images, Courtney read Gianna's biography and looked at her portrait. Everything seemed genuine and Courtney was impressed. She thought of all the endless opportunities to learn art and photography from someone as talented as Gianna.
Courtney sent an email:
Hello Gianna,
Hope you're doing well. It's Courtney. We met the other day when you saw me taking pictures downtown and you gave me your card. I had a chance to look at your website and I think your work is really amazing. Are you still interested in possibly doing something with me? Let me know. I'm available to meet you when I don't have class.
- Courtney : )
Once the email was sent, Courtney turned her attention towards the professor who had just walked into the room. The class lecture began moments later, but all Courtney could think about was potentially meeting Gianna, and possibly having her picture taken. She continued looking at her laptop, and her eyes were captivated by the different men & women who had their picture taken by Gianna. Most of the images were taken outdoors. Some of the images featured full nudity. None of the people looked like models or celebrities. They were all normal everyday people. That's what intrigued her so much for whatever reason.
Nearly thirty minutes passed, then she received an email. It was Gianna:
Hey Courtney,
I didn't think you were interested. I'm glad to hear from you. The address to my apartment is on the card. That's where I work. How about Saturday 10 am? It shouldn't take very long. We'll figure things out from there. Let me know.
G
A smile grew on Courtney's face, which she tried to suppress so the professor wouldn't see it. At that point, she wasn't listening to the lecture anymore. The only thing on her mind was meeting Gianna.
Courtney replied to the email:
Saturday 10 am sounds great. See you then!
With the plans for the weekend confirmed, Courtney turned her attention to the professor and listened to the remainder of the class lecture.
***
Saturday early morning. The apartment wasn't hard to find. Courtney used the device on her phone to navigate the downtown area. She was casually dressed, wearing jeans and a tshirt. She found the loft apartment and entered. Courtney felt herself becoming nervous as waited in the elevator. Modeling was something she had never done before, but she had a good feeling about Gianna. After a few knocks on the door, there was an answer.
"Welcome to my home," Gianna said as a friendly greeting.
Courtney smiled back and looked around the loft apartment. "Nice place."
"Thanks. It suits me well."
Once the college student entered, Gianna closed the door. Courtney continued looking around before eventually gazing through the window to see the view.
"This seems like the perfect place for an artist. You've got lots of space and you have a beautiful view of the city."
"It definitely helps my work," Gianna replied. "I've made us coffee on the stove. How do you like it?"
"Cream and sugar."
"Coming right up."
Gianna went to the kitchen to prepare the drinks. The apartment was open spaced, so the two women could still see each other. Courtney continued walking around, looking at the different artwork and pictures which were posted on the walls.
"So what exactly do you do?" Courtney asked. "I mean for a career. Do you just take pictures?"
"I do a number of things. I sell art. I sell paintings. But my favorite is photography. I also sell books with a variety of pictures I've taken of other people. Occasionally I'll get hired to take private pictures of individuals, or couples, just for them only."
"Really? Why?"
"Because when I take pictures of people, it's special. You'll see."
Gianna finished preparing two cups of coffee. She walked over to Courtney and handed her a cup.
"Thank you," Courtney said, taking the drink.
"Have you eaten yet? Would you like breakfast?"
"I'm fine thanks. I already ate."
The two women took sips of their hot coffee.
"Have you done this before?" Gianna asked. "Do you have any experience modeling?"
"No. I've had offers, but I was never interested because I was always busy with school or a part time job. It was something I never took seriously."
"You're very beautiful. I can see why you've received offers before."
Courtney blushed. "Thanks. So what are we going to be doing today?"
"Whatever we feel like," Gianna said, after thinking for a moment. "I'm not the type of person who lives by a strict schedule when it comes to art. I don't work that way. I like to feel things out. After all, isn't art about feelings?"
"I agree wholeheartedly."
"Then you must be an artist too."
"Well, I'd like to work in the fashion business someday as a designer or something. That's always been a dream of mine."
Gianna nodded. "I figured you were an artistic type by the way you dress, and the way you handle a camera. When I saw you taking pictures, I could tell you had a sharp eye."
"Thanks. I try my best. But I'm obviously not as good as you when it comes to photography. Your stuff is brilliant."
"What do you like about my work? Maybe I could give you pointers."
Courtney thought for a moment. "I like the honesty that I see in the pictures you take. The people seem so vulnerable. It's like I know their life story just by looking in their eyes. You don't normally see that. In the real world, everyone is so closely guarded. You bring something out of people with your camera."
"Do you want to know my secret?" Gianna asked with a smile.
Courtney smiled back. "Sure."
"My secret is exactly what we're doing know. Talking. I've always been interested in personal stories that people have. In college, I wanted to be a writer. Nowadays, I simply talk to people, and they open up to me. Then I take pictures of them."
"That makes total sense."
"I learned that through experience," Gianna replied. "Photography is timing. It's capturing a moment. If I take a picture of you right now, the details would look completely different than if I took the picture 10 minutes later. Your facial expressions would be different. Same thing with landscape, or buildings, or anything taken outdoors. The pictures will look different because the position of the sun and the clouds will change the lighting. So even though the image would be the same, the color would be different. Thus you would have a different picture."
Courtney smiled again. "You're wonderful. You really are."
"I try my best. Shall we get started now? Can I take your picture?"
"Sure."
The two women put their coffee down on a nearby table. Gianna got her large camera, and Courtney stood awkwardly in the loft apartment, not knowing what to do.
"You look tense," Gianna said.
"I've never done this before. Do you want me to stop talking and strike a sexy pose or something?"
"No. That's the last thing I want. Just act natural. Keep talking to me."
Gianna pointed the camera at her and started snapping a few shots.
"What are you going to do with these pictures anyway?" Courtney asked. "Are you going to put them on your website?"
Gianna snapped more shots. "Only if you want me to. I wouldn't mind putting these on my website. Or I could put them in my next book and you'll receive some extra money. It's up to you. No matter what you decide, I'll be sure to send you copies of these pictures."
Courtney walked around the room while different pictures of her were being taken.
"How does everything look so far?" Courtney asked.
Gianna put the camera down and gave a playful expression. "I don't know. I haven't seen the final images yet. Right now I'm just taking pictures."
"Right," Courtney said playfully. "Well how do
I
look? Good I hope."
"You look like a beautiful young woman who's exploring something new. You look nervous, but brave. Confident, yet unsure of herself. You look as though you're going through a phase in your life which will define who you are as a person."
"Not bad. I'd say you're pretty spot on," Courtney smiled.
"I'm good at reading people. Last shot. Hold your smile."
Gianna snapped the last photograph of Courtney smiling before turning off the camera.
"That was a lot of fun," Courtney said.
"I had a lot of fun as well."
