Chapter 14: Holiday Surprises

I TOOK SEVERAL ITEMS back to the antique store on Thursday. Some things you just don’t want to use over again, like the mantel clock and the picture. I picked up a radio and another chair, which were more than covered by the resale of the clock and picture. I found a selection of photo frames that I planned to mount photos in for gifts to Mom and Dad. I found a whole set of Anne of Green Gables, six books, that I bought for Kat. I knew she’d read one of them and liked it, so it was nice to have the whole set.

Then I hustled back to the studio for another senior retake. I’d made a snap decision on this one and had asked Christine to come in and help me with it. Allison showed me her picture when she made her appointment. I couldn’t blame her for wanting a retake, but frankly, there was nothing wrong with the photo. Allison was just a little on the plain side, let’s say. And she did nothing to help with it except hide behind an atrocious pair of what I had to call ‘cat eye’ glasses. They looked like a Halloween mask you’d wear if you were dressed up as a cat. I asked Christine if she could come in and do makeup for the girl. I thought Christine’s makeup was always perfect.

But that’s why I needed another chair. I’d focus my lights on Allison and let Christine work on her for a while before I started taking pictures. I supposed I needed to think about setting aside an area that was more like a dressing room that girls could change clothes in and do their makeup with good lighting. I’d think about that next year.

Christine arrived, just as bubbly and full of Christmas spirit as could be. She knew who Allison was and had a good idea of how to do her makeup to the best advantage. She was all set up with her makeup on the table when Allison arrived.

Allison had really done her best. She had an attractive sweater on, but she was more than buxom. She was a little overweight. The sweater showed curves where they should be and plenty of curves where they shouldn’t be.

Christine handled the whole aspect of the makeup and I was marveling at the transformation she worked. I began thinking that maybe I should take some classes in makeup application so I could do the kind of reshaping that Christine was doing to Allison’s face. When she was finished, she turned the mirror toward Allison and let her take a look.

“Am I that pretty?” Allison asked uncertainly.

“That’s you,” Christine reassured her. “And Nate is going to take a picture that shows just how pretty you are.”

The grin that broke out on Allison’s face was what really made the picture. I had to do some work with the lights to keep reflection off her glasses and to keep them from casting her eyes into deep shadow, but I managed to get what I thought of as some really good yearbook quality photos that showed her in a very good light.

Then we went to work on the challenge of the Garret Allure photo. Christine did some slight modifications to Allison’s hair, tying it back and putting a ribbon in it. I knew that Allison was one of Miss Sullivan’s business students, so I pulled out another prop I’d acquired at the antique store. It was an old typewriter. I’d cleaned it up so it wasn’t too dusty and ran a sheet of paper into the carriage.

We set up a little scene with Allison at the keyboard and then I started working with it. I moved lights around and picked up the highlights in her hair and her eyes.

“Allison, let’s try this photo as if you are just thinking of something before you start typing. How about if you take off your glasses and hold them with one earpiece held to your lips as if you are contemplating. Don’t worry about trying to focus on anything. You don’t need to squint. This is completely internal. You aren’t trying to see something. Christine, can we do something about the little shiny spot where the nose pads from her glasses hit?”

Chris went to work immediately when she saw what I wanted. She even went hunting more props and found a pad of paper and a pencil that she placed beside the typewriter as if Allison had been typing from her shorthand.

With Allison’s slightly unfocused look, it was easy to tease a few different expressions from her. I used a pink filter to increase the contrast slightly and bring out the highlight in her eyes.

This was certainly a different shot than the ultra sexy Garret Allure photos I’d been taking, but it fit within the framework and I thought we’d hit a real winner with a glamour photo for a girl who was a little plain and a little overweight. Allison seemed pleased when she left.

Christine had watched the whole process, sometimes coming over to look through the lens. She packed up her things and I gave her ten dollars for her help.

“Any time, Nate. This was kind of fun. It was interesting to watch you work without being the subject of the session. When’s your next one?”

“Not until after Christmas. I have Lori Reynolds on Tuesday. Then I’ve got a little time to work on processing and enlarging a backlog of photos before we go back to school.”

“Well, Lori won’t have any difficulty with her makeup and I wouldn’t want to inhibit any interactions you have with models, so I won’t ask to come back for that. Maybe we can do another session together before we go back to school,” she said.

“That would be great,” I said. “I’ll choose some new props and figure out something interesting. Maybe next Saturday. Then I’ll have a couple of days to do processing.”

“That’s New Year’s Eve, but sounds like it would be fun. Put it on your calendar. I’ll be here at two.”

She waved as she left and I wrote the time down on my calendar.

The next couple of days were pretty chaotic. Christmas was on Sunday, so Mom was kind of frantic trying to get her sermon and worship service prepared, not knowing if she would have a crowd or if no one would show up. Uncle Nate and Aunt Grace were driving out from Chicago for Christmas, so Dad was planning the Christmas dinner and figuring out what ungodly hour Sunday morning he needed to put the turkey in the oven. Kat and I were put to work cleaning, decorating, and baking cookies. We had a lot to do.

I still managed to spend a few evening hours over at the studio processing some of the film I’d shot in the past couple of weeks. I hadn’t done the enlargement of Leah’s photo, Patricia’s Christmas photos, Avery’s order of photos, Christine’s Christmas series, Ronda’s photos, Allison’s photos, and I still needed to do the show-quality print of Mom and Dad’s Christmas present. I did a lot of processing and had several prints drying in the studio. Christmas Eve, I just had time to go get the picture for Mom and Dad and put it in the antique frame and wrap it.

I got home just in time for us to have our family gift exchange, which we always did on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, we’d have stockings—mostly with fruit, nuts, and candy in them.

Kat loved her set of books, even though they were antiques. I’d taken a picture of Mom and Dad at Mom’s ordination and got a good show-quality print out of it. They loved it. I was happy to get a new parka. The weather was darn cold and the coat I wore in the city wasn’t as warm as I needed out here. I put it on and stepped outside to see a gentle snow falling. I called everybody out onto the front porch. We watched the snow come down and sang “Silent Night.” It was a nice Christmas Eve and we went to bed pretty early. Dad had to be up by four to get the big turkey in the oven.

I lay in my bed and looked at a couple of my favorite photos. Patricia flashing me her tits in her little Santa’s helper outfit, and Christine as she bent over pretending to wash her beautiful leg. That exposed breast was worth ten of any others I’d shot. But I had a new favorite that I looked at while I stroked myself.

Christine in her cute little Christmas sweater and short skirt, curled up on my lap as if she was asleep.

I hadn’t shown her this one yet. I had my arms around her and she cuddled against my neck. I could still feel the pressure of her breasts against my arm. But her skirt had ridden up farther than I think she intended and I saw the garter stretched over her butt. From the picture, I couldn’t tell if she was wearing underwear. If she was, it had to be really tiny. She looked deliciously naked.

It was a very satisfying Christmas Eve come.

We were all surprised Christmas morning when Uncle Nate and Aunt Grace got here in time for church. We didn’t expect them until afternoon. Uncle Nate said he figured his sister had a sermon all picked out to preach to him and he might as well hear it in church as at the dinner table. Mom was just happy to see her brother and didn’t make any special attempts to point out his faults.

We had a lot of fun, laughing and joking after church. Dad’s turkey turned out awesome and we were stuffed as much as the bird was.

After Christmas dinner, Uncle Nate put a hand on my shoulder.

“I’d like to see your studio,” he said. I was always happy to show it off and knew he’d want to see it and my newest work, so I’d done some extra cleaning. He said he’d prefer to drive since there was snow on the ground and it was only about twenty-five degrees out. I ran upstairs and grabbed my personal portfolio of bedtime pictures and got in the front seat of his big Cadillac for the two-block drive. I showed him where to park and headed for the stairs. I was a little worried about snow on the outside steps, but we climbed without incident and I unlocked the door.

Uncle Nate looked around making appreciative noises. I noticed he’d grabbed a small metal suitcase out of the back seat of his car and he was still carrying it. He spent a long time looking at my display on the wall.

“That one looks like there’s more to the story,” he said, pointing at Pam’s picture. I figured he’d spot her. He had a good eye for women. I opened my bedtime portfolio and found the picture of Pam posing in just her pantyhose amidst the junk in the attic. He was appreciative and set the photo aside. I knew he’d want that one. He spent a long time looking at Patricia’s and Chris’s photos. I mean, why not? Those two girls have the most perfect boobs on the planet, in my opinion. But he mumbled something about “Too young,” and moved on. He wanted the entire series of Leah getting out of her leathers and bending over, though.

“It looks like you’re getting a lot of good experience, in more ways than one,” he chuckled. “If I’d known it was so easy to get girls naked with a camera, I’d have kept that old Brownie for myself.”

“It’s really weird. I don’t do anything with them but take their pictures. Getting naked is always their idea,” I said.

“Just make sure you keep those pictures of underage girls buried somewhere secure. Times are changing and people are getting uptight about that stuff. On the other hand, if you happen to find more willing eighteen-year-olds, I’ll happily add them to my collection. I might even know a couple of women in Chicago who’d like to have a discreet photo or two taken. I’ll let you know before I send anyone.”

“I’ll take anyone’s photo, Uncle Nate, but just so you know, I don’t trade any kind of sex for photo work. I wouldn’t even kiss a really sweet girl who just wanted to thank me. I figure if I got into that, it would just kind of pollute what I’m doing. Besides, then I’d never make any money at it,” I said.

“Good thinking. Now, I took the pictures you gave me at Thanksgiving to an old friend to evaluate. I knew what I found appealing, but I’m not a photography critic. He examined those photos like they were evidence in the Kennedy assassination conspiracy. His judgment is that they are among the best 35mm photos he’s seen; top five or ten percent. And he’s seen a lot of black and white pictures over the past fifty years. He said it wasn’t only the quality of the photograph itself, but the interesting lighting and use of props. He liked the term ‘Garret Allure’ but thought maybe just calling it ‘Attic Allure’ would have a simpler and more marketable ring.”

“Wow. That’s great, I guess,” I said. “I’m not so attached to it that I can’t adapt if it’s more marketable.”

“He also said it was too bad you didn’t have a camera that could match your vision. The 35mm is a format that is going to be around for a long time. It will take something other than film to replace it. It’s popular and every photo lab is set up to process it quickly. He figures even the cartridge based cheap cameras will move to 35mm soon. But it’s not a professional camera. So, we did a little hunting around.”

Uncle Nate moved my portfolio aside and put the metal case on the table. I held my breath. I knew what this kind of case was from seeing pictures and advertisements in Popular Photography. He popped the latches on the case and opened it to the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen.

“A Hasselblad, Uncle Nate? I can’t afford anything like that!” The box camera, film back, three lenses, a bunch of film and a variety of filters were all packed into cutout foam compartments that would hold them safely even if you dropped the case out my fourth floor window. It was beautiful.

“Who said you had to buy it? This kit was part of the estate of a photographer who wasn’t very good, but always had the best equipment he could get. We got it for a real discount. It’s a 500C and there are three Zeiss lenses. Levi tells me you have the necessary chemicals for processing and he’ll send you a case of film. Save the empty spools and send them back to him. He said it takes a while before you get used to winding your own film in this format because of the backing.”

“But why, Uncle Nate? I mean, I love this. It’s unbelievable. But why would you—and Levi at Camera Warehouse?—why would he want to supply me with this kind of stuff for free?”

“We have contacts and they have models. Sometimes, it’s just a girlfriend some guy wants his own picture set of. Sometimes it’s an up-and-coming starlet who needs a special promo shot. And sometimes these guys are genuine collectors who want to add something unique to their collections. In all instances, they need someone discreet who’ll take the pictures without blabbing about it. So, Levi prepared a special model release. Now he’s a camera person and not a collector. He knows what a photographer needs to make a living. That means you have to have the right to display and sell your photos. But this release, almost the same as the one you use now, says you won’t use a photo of this model for five years from the date of the contract except for the orders she makes.”

“Five years?” It seemed like forever. But I had photos in my portfolio that I would never be able to show anyone.

“Let’s say, for example, that Honey Ryder walks in the door. She gives you her release and it says Honey Ryder. Then she undresses and you take her picture. You print an enlargement and send it to the address she gives you. End of transaction. In five years, you look at that old photo and say, ‘That’s Ursula Andress!’ Now, you can release the new photo, but the only name you have is Honey Ryder. If you claimed it was Ursula Andress, she’d sue you. And the collector who wanted that photo would do worse. Understand?”

“Do I really want to be in this business, Uncle Nate?”

“As long as you follow the rules, you’re clean as a whistle. If she screws up and gives you a release in the name of Ursula Andress, you’re scot-free. In five years, make a million bucks by selling a photo of a famous actress in the buff. And I’m sure not all models will want the timed release. They’ll just sign the one you have.”

“Why don’t they just pay the modeling fee and take the prints? I’d own the negatives but I could only print for them. Her.”

“Money’s a tricky thing in this world. That camera? It’s a zero dollar asset as far as you’re concerned. Given to you by an anonymous patron of the arts. I’m just your favorite uncle who gave you a message.”

“Okay. I guess I understand, but they all know I’m just a teen, right? It’s not like I’ve got a bunch of money or exposure, and this attic is my studio. Even it’s on loan.”

“Everything’s on the up and up. Just don’t shoot any more porn like this one.” He tapped the picture of Leah. “Girl shows you her pussy and you take a picture, say thank you and beat off while you look at it that night. Then destroy the negative and the print. That’s not anything you want associated with Attic Allure. That babe would have been just as happy with a Polaroid of her pussy. Don’t waste your time on stuff like that.”

“I get it. I wasn’t really comfortable taking that one and it doesn’t really do anything for me.”

“Then get rid of it. She got what she wanted. Chalk it up to learning.”

“Got it.”

I put the case with my new camera in the darkroom. Uncle Nate suggested that I wait a while before I tell my mom I had it. She’d just harangue him for giving away expensive gifts.

We went back to the house and after coffee and pie and cookies, Uncle Nate and Aunt Grace left for Chicago.

I spent all day Monday in my studio, learning about my new camera. It’s funny that it used the same film as my old Brownie. The Hasselblad shot what’s known as a 6x6 format. The film is 61 mm wide and the square format meant the pictures were roughly 6cm x 6cm. The 120 film had a backing that pressed against the plate at the back of the camera. I’d read that a lot of professional photographers who wound their own film used 220 film, which was the same film stock but had no backing. That meant they could get 24 exposures on a spool instead of just 12. The film was still popular in some of the point and shoot cameras that were on the market.

I didn’t take a lot of pictures. I practiced taking the lenses off and changing them, while I learned what exposures and shutter speeds were available. Not only was Hasselblad one of the top names in photographic equipment, but Zeiss was the top name in optics. I was sure these three lenses alone cost more than everything else I had in my studio. Maybe everything in Mr. Barkley’s store.

I examined and cleaned everything before I even loaded a roll of film. I set up a still life on the table to use as a test subject and mounted the camera on my tripod. One thing about a square format camera is that you never have to tilt it onto its side to get a better portrait. You just take the picture and crop it the way you want it.

The still life had a bunch of stuff that I hauled out of the back and that I’d gotten from the antique store. There was an old fashioned radio, an ashtray, the martini glass, a book, a pair of glasses, a tablecloth and a doily, a coffee mug, a vase of flowers, and a cigar box. I started arranging things and traded the martini glass for a whiskey glass. Nothing in it, so I tipped it on its side. There was no hidden meaning to the things I chose. I just wanted stuff with a variety of colors and textures to experiment with. Still, I thought the arrangement had a certain charm to it. I spent nearly as much time arranging the lights as I did the objects on the table. It was probably an hour after I started that I took my first photo with the new camera. I took three and then changed lenses. When I got the Sonnar 150 mm lens on the camera, I had to choose what bit of the arrangement I wanted to photograph. The closest I could get to the subject and focus was about eight feet.

When I finished the roll, I went into the darkroom to unload and process it. Once the film was off the spool, I tossed the spool into a box on the table. This film used a one-direction system. The full cartridge ran onto the take-up reel. When it was finished, it came off the feeder spool and you could use a piece of tape to hold it on the take-up reel while you changed film. The backing paper protected it from additional exposure. Since I was working with a new camera, I chose to load it in the darkroom. When I was ready to reload, I’d move the old feeder reel to the take-up side. The next roll would run onto it. That’s why Uncle Nate told me to save the spools. I’d get another one with every roll of film. Eventually, I’d send a bunch of empties back to Levi at Camera Warehouse.