A Photo is Worth a 1,000 Words (Closed to Kismets_Paramour)

Nico spent the rest the rest of the daylight hours playing with the camera, trying out functions and testing their effects on a captured picture. By the time the sun was starting to go down she felt like she had a better grasp on the options that the camera offered.

The newly found knowledge was mostly backed by the PDF that Adrian sent her and she read over the finer points to the camera excited to try them out in the morning. Which lead to a session of brainstorming that left her at a loss. Adrian wanted her to think of a story for her life, in fact he had made it her homework but the more she thought about her life the less she could come up with. She wanted her life to look like something special but everything she did was just things that filled empty spaces, nothing stood out. There was swimming, kick boxing and gymnastics but the more she thought about it the less she felt about it.

It was a horrible insight that everything she felt she had to do, someone else had told her to do and she had just done it. Before she knew it, it had become a habit and she had framed all her freetime around what other people told her to do. It wasn't that she didn't like what she was doing but maybe there were other things out there she could be exploring.

A Restart?

It was the only thing she had on the paper as after a few more minutes of staring at the paper she called it a night. A new plan in mind for her assignment.

- - - -

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Nico was a little jittery at the plan at hand but she quickly pushed it aside. "Plans. Well I do a few laps before classes start but I'm thinking about making my photo project about new adventures, a restart so to say. I know I asked you to meet me here but would you mind if we drive to the beach instead?" It wasn't that far of a drive and she had always wanted to go to the beach as a way to start her day. "Use this as an excuse to try out something new." She said with a smirk.

Under her track suit she had on a two piece she had bought but had never worn. It was skimpy and peer pressure had her forking over the money for the hot little red set but now, this morning she was going to throw it all out the window and try something new.

"What do you say?"

.

He looked at her in her tracksuit, her hair gathered into an untidy ponytail, her face au-naturale, and rather alluring as a result of it, he nodded. He had a produced a vague plan. He knew she was athletic, exercised regularly as well as being a conscientious student. But from his own experience, even if at times they argued, she was a family gal, and loved her parents. And so he had written down a few points for inspiration.

“Try something new?” he replied after a pause of thought; his eyes open wide as this was not what he was anticipating.

“Sure, I’m game but before we go, in case you had a problem planning something, I’ve written down some words, phrases which I think, as an outsider are true, and he showed her the piece of paper.

Pretty
Conscientious
Loving
A family girl
Argumentative (at times)
Sporty.athletical
Healthy (diet/lifestyle)
Sexy/sexual
Diligent (when she has to be or wants to be)
Lazy
Auburn hair
Good baker (was?)
Independent/rebellious
Scatty (sometimes)

So possible photo shots to convey this..

Sporty:

Swimming pool….
In the yard/park stretching plank etc

Family:

Baking still life?
Photos with family members smiling, playing ball etc
Fruit bowl
Slouching on sofa, simply dressed but provocatively, textbooks around but looking at phone
Ditto but studying

You:

Self-portrait with your hair as the main focus, but a hint of flesh, decolletage to suggest beauty, sensuality, sexuality

Hairbrush brushing hair?

Diligent:

Textbooks, glasses? (do you still wear glasses for reading?)
Desk, computer screen, camera on tripod or on desk…
Photography ‘textbook’

Independent/rebellious

Do you smoke? Do you drink?
Alternative makeup? - portraits next to graffiti

Click to expand...

He allowed Nico a few minutes to read as he looked at her facial expressions, a smile turned into a smirk, giggle before turning into a slight frown.

“Well, does that help? Sorry, it isn't finished but got tired late night, and well I Don't know you that well but those are my observations based on knowing you younger, and from what your parents say…”

He stood suddenly slightly scared, apprehensive as she looked a the piece of paper he had given to her, tipping back his travel mug, finishing the coffee within.

"Oh I almost forgot..."

Reaching into the car he retrieved his iPad and soon started to swipe through some photos, still lifes and portraits as examples of the ideas he had scribbled down onto the paper, including one of a sporty girl in a pair of leggings and crop top, in a rather artistic B&W effect. Others were of alternative gals posing next to graffiti-covered walls and then a few still lifes...

"There is nothing wrong with looking at other photographs for inspiration..."

​Nico smiled, happy to hear that Adrian was game. What she hadn't expected was the list of things he had wrote down for her. The paper was filled with notes and ideas and Nico felt guilty that she had been unable to thing of anything thing other then something new. There was a lot to work with and it was clear that Adrian had a better grasp on what made a good project shoot.

"Wow, this is-" Nico scanned the list again a mixture of emotions playing over her face. There were many things that highlighted her in a good way and a few honest bullet points that ​she wanted to argue with but couldn't. "Amazing. I couldn't have listed even half as much about myself, much less form them into ideas." It was so difficult to try a create a story inspired from her own being, when she was honestly avoiding seeing herself in any other way but a perfect daughter. It had been the same when she had been a girlfriend, it hadn't been about what she was or rather who but what she thought the other person wanted her to be.

“Never been a smoker but I have had a drink here and there.” She honestly admitted even thought she was underage.

That Adrian could see her close enough to come up with so much, it made her want to hug him but she refrained giving him a brilliant smile instead. "I know that we're working on a short deadline but do you think we could portray a few of these thing?" She asked folding and tucking the paper into the pocket of her bag. Her smile returned when he brought out his ipad and started flipping through photographs taken by others. It pressed her closer to him, leaning to get a better view of the screen but far enough that she didn't touch him. The scent of him reached her nose and it was a fresh clean smell, like he had just stepped out of a shower and under that something masculine and spicy. If it was a cologne it smelled expensive but she had a feeling it was just the scent of him, what his skin would smell like warm.

"Ohh, I like that one." Nico pointed out, swiping back to the white and black picture, her arm brushing against him. There was just something about black and white photos that add that air of sensuality and vulnerability that she had tried and failed at to capture. "I think my problem," Nico stated leaning away from him and clearing her mind of random Adrian themed thoughts. "was I kept trying to fit all my pictures into one theme, there wasn't an evolution or growth to the project. It was all the same picture just taken in different activities. Maybe it should be more like a caterpillar. Oh!" An idea formed in her head and she smiled up at Adrian.

"What about focus. In the beginning we make the main focus about things, the aspect of me being capture in pieces like a hand or if I am in the photo I'm a background item and blurred. As the pictures continue I become more of the focus. And the last picture we could do something like that one picture, just me in black and white. It wouldn't define me to one camera function and would let me play with storyboarding a photo session." She voiced a quiver of excitement in her voice as she pictured it. "What do you think?" Her smile wilted in fear of Adrian's feedback. It was a sudden idea that had fallen from her lips without real thought and she suddenly felt silly for just blurting the idea out without thinking.

.



He saw her smile as he gave her the list of points, of her characteristics that he could see, from a more distant past and then what he had encountered in the last 18 hours or so, coupled with comments from her parents.

He wasn’t sure how she would cope with some of the slightly more negatives in the list, but whether she liked them or not, they were her, part of her persona that at her age she is unlikely to shake off now. Besides some people may find them alluring, intriguing, even attractive.

That she accepted them without even a comment, yet alone a discussion also started to change his opinion of her. Not that he never liked her, but her apparent maturity and acceptance of the truth possibly made him respect her.

He saw, he thought what she was suggesting, and discussed it with her, suggesting that she could explore that as well as more standard photos, that her idea may be technically difficult as she won't be behind the camera in the self, and therefore unable to control the focus points.

But they quickly discussed her concept of a ‘new her’ and while it may be difficult, he wasn’t going to discourage her. Rather he made a few points, tips, comments to assist.



And then she headed to the beach area and undressed exposing her slender figure, her curves, her ‘sexual organs’ covered by a skimpy red bikini set, the bra an unusual halter neck design while the briefs were, well brief. The bikini set wasn't as revealing as some he saw on that beach, but the outfit wasn't necessarily suitable for a sporty pose, rather someone trying to get looks? He liked the bikini, he did like bra tops that were slightly different, unorthodox, but it was a fashion set, and not necessarily a practical set? But the morning cool air soon had her nipples responding as they pressed into the fabric

She looked young athletic and toned, but something about her, her outfit that slightly turned him off. Then he realised what it was as she bent to start setting up the tripod, it was revealing too much, not keeping much to his imagination. A point for later he thought to himself.

And soon she was taking photographs as she started to stretch, and then press ups before the plank, revealing her toned form. She certainly was toned with some degree of strength. As she took photos, he took her own of her, focusing on her, using different aperture settings and the like. He wasn’t going to allow her to use them for her project, but she could use them as examples of what to aspire to.

After a few photos, she stopped and would look at the ones she had taken, and he would never answer her questions directly instead, as he had the night before, asked to state one strength and one weakness, and if she could how she could overcome that weakness. He was her coach, her mentor, and that was exactly what he planned to do.

As she stood close to him, he could small the citrus-like the aroma, scent from her hair, assuming it was her shampoo or shower gel. But it was a pleasant sweet smell, something that he started to like as they stood in close proximity to each other.

The remainder of the week was busy with work in the day and helping Nico out with her shoot. He even contacted her parents, and with a bit of Persuasion arranged them to star in the ’family’ portraits at their home, on Saturday, before returning to Nico’s apartment where she lived to take some of her photos. Nico had even suggested an older brick wall covered with graffiti in a slightly run-down area, as she posed for herself.

The conversation about the skimpy bikini was interesting, especially when she admitted that he bought it due to ‘peer pressure’.

“Be yourself, Nico. I like you, and I guess I ’m kinda attracted to you because of who YOU are and not what your friends think who you SHOULD be! And remember Less can be more…”

When he could, he imported the photographs he had taken of Nico and edited them, cropped them before sharing them with her on hsi DropBox account, inviting her to be able to see the files. Even his wife Clare joked by the Friday that he was spending so much time with Nico, they must be having an affair. Some o the photos he edited had also been changed into monochrome, the black and white viewpoint, once the contrast was adjusted were quite effective. But effective B&W conversion took some time, it isn't just a case of converting them into black and white

But the good news ws that Nico was improving, asking him relevant questions for the main part, and even started to scribble notes down on a new notebook, and even referred to it when she couldn't remember. A few times he had to help her with the camera he leant her, and he was enjoying her company, and during some of the shoots of her being lazy and diligent, at her place, he even suggested different attire, ‘lazy; should be slouch wear, a slouchy top, leggings, shoulder exposed; whilst the photos of her working should be more ‘formal’ looking, a simple vest top, and leggings, the sporty attire suggesting that she is a worker, isn’t a quitter as she held textbooks or looked over a pad of paper with a pen in her hand.

And then the afternoon before the deadline, Adrian was back round at Nico’s, with his laptop. They now had to edit the photographs. This was also something that Nico had not really understood as he started to import the photos onto hsis laptop. The software numbering them in numbered sequence depending on the date and time they were taken. Soon they were all on the display of the laptop, which was also connected via HDMI into the large flat screen that hung on the wall of her living room.

“Okay, now is the time to narrow down the choice, and possibly tweak them.

He turned to face her with a smile, as she sat there in a simple top and leggings. He reached for a notebook and pen as they started to go through each photo the ones that they thought had potential were noted. Once or twice, he would edit the photo quickly, cropping it, changing the lighting balance and, or changed the colour saturation.

Every now and then he would laugh at a photo asking her what was she thinking. But he also often complimented a photo, or even her in the photo.