Last week I did something fun, and you will soon learn how it is related to Wellfleet and this blog. A professional photographer took my photo. Steffen Thalemann has shot celebrities like Sebastian Junger, Ethan Hawke, and Bill Murray. Steffen was accompanied by his wife Christine Fromm, a fashion designer. The two Germans had stayed at our B&B in 2007. Sven and I were delighted to have them back. Since we could not travel to New York, they came to us. Every woman dreams of being a model. Guess what? I quickly learned having your photo taken by a professional is hard work. I realized that fact when I posed for a headshot. But, let’s back up a couple days ...
I chose Wednesday for the photo shoot because I had an appointment with the hairdresser that day. It was cloudy, misty and not warm at all. First Christine did a very gentle application of make-up, which I have not worn for a dozen years. She is dabbing my cheeks with powder, above, and positioning me for the first photo, below. Christine assists Steffen artistically. It was great to have her encouragement as I took my place beside our blue steps.
Click, click, click went Steffen’s camera. Click, click, click. Should I smile? Act flirty? Wear a smirk? Look serious? Assume the wisdom sixty-five years of life bestow? Try to look younger? Click, click, click.
“That’s beautiful,” Steffen called out from the brick walkway, busy trying to find the best position, changing his lens, looking down to avoid knocking over a flower pot. Click, click, click.
He took photos of me sitting on the eighteenth-century settee as well,
dressed in a marvelous floaty gown I bought several years ago at Karol Richardson. Christine draped the scarf I purchased for my daughter’s wedding around my neck. Click, click, click. Surely there would be enough photos soon?
“When he gets started on an idea, there’s no stopping him,” Christine confided.
“How about the beach?” Steffen exclaimed. “Do you mind going to the beach?”
“Ah, no, but it’s raining.”
“Bring an umbrella. The light at the beach is awesome, even in the mist.”
Off we went to Duck Harbor, after a bit of clowning around with Lucas, the couple's son.
Fortunately the rain let up for an hour. Two hundred photos later Steffen was very pleased with – my umbrella. It became our main prop. I don’t go walking on the beach very often in an elegant Karol Richardson gown, holding a pink umbrella, but who cares? The photos are perfect for an article about me. Problem is, I’m not famous yet. What I need right now is a headshot.
So, the next day, with the sun shining, Steffen, Christine and I went at it again. Click, click, click. I posed among the flowers. Click, click, click. I sat in a chair in the garden, with Christine holding the reflector to focus the perfect light on my face.
“Sweet! That’s beautiful. Just like that. Yes.”
By the end of the afternoon, I felt exhausted. We did one last series by the shed door. It did not seem like the perfect place to pose, but hey, I’m no expert. The “white” photo was the result. Good job, Steffen!
Right now we have this photo, the one Sven likes best, on the bio page of the new author’s site my son Paul designed. What do you think of the "white" photo?
