I told her that I wanted some serious pictures of her; that I didn’t want her to smile.
Just look straight into the camera at me, I told her.
She did exactly what I asked,, exactly; but I had failed to mention that I still wanted her to look happy. (The child, I determined wasn’t telepathic.)
So I said, “just smile with your eyes”‘ which the poor thing tried in the best way her seven-year-old little body could “smile with her eyes”.
We talked for a bit and I managed to snap a few that were just what I was looking for.
On a little break Stella came in for a visit.
She was starting to enjoy her modelling and said that she had some ideas of her own that would “be really good” for serious pictures. (She’s just a wee bit dramatic.) I humoured her and snapped away.
And then I took a few more of those pretty little eyes.