For Ivy’s photoshoot, Demetrius told me to go wild and see what stuck, so I grabbed almost every costume I could imagine her wearing. There was a sexy dress from Carmen, a tight unitard from a contemporary piece, tons of different stiff, flat pancake tutus and tiaras, and a few longer romantic tutus that would softly flow down to her shins as well. She would easily dazzle in every single one of these.
I pressed play on a soundtrack I thought would ease any tension; it had a fun, upbeat vibe that would help Ivy relax.
The door opened behind me as Ivy entered the room, her subtle, sweet scent announcing her presence. She looked polished from a quick freshen up after company class.
“Hello, beautiful, come in!” My pulse quickened as I gestured her in. “We’re going to start with some headshots first, followed by some poses in costume.”
“Sounds good,” she said, smiling as she came closer to me. She looked a bit nervous, grasping her hands together as she bit her lip. Of course, I instantly wanted to take her in my arms and comfort her, tell her how beautiful she was to me, but that probably wouldn't be very professional.
I cleared my throat as I pointed to a stool in front of the camera. “Have a seat there while I adjust the lights.”
She took her place on the center stool while I quickly went about fixing the lighting, explaining the best angles for her to pose in.
“If you tilt your head like this…” I gently moved her chin. “We get a nice beam of light right here…yes…perfect.”
Heading back to the camera, I took a few headshots. “Now turn your head to the left and give me a gentle smile…perfect.” A few more pictures were taken; she was pretty natural at this.
“Now pretend like I’ve said something very funny,” I said, flashing her a smile over my camera.
“When are you ever funny?” she teased with a twinkle of mischief in her eye.
“I make you laugh all the time!” I joked with her as she softly laughed, showing that brilliant smile of hers. Perfect.
I left the camera and moved over to the costume rack. “We’ve got the headshots covered. Now, let’s get you in costume. Pick any you like. There’s a changing booth over there…unless you want to change in front of me…” I winked with a grin.
She grabbed a soft, white romantic tutu first and checked the sizing. Turning back towards me, she bit her bottom lip shyly before slowly pulling down one of her straps to change.
My breath caught as my eyes grew wider with excitement. Was she really going to change in front of me? I couldn’t tell if she was teasing or not, but my heart started pounding anyway.
“Just kidding.” She pulled the leotard strap back up before disappearing behind the curtain.
“Fuck Ivy,” I laughed. “I have work to do here, you know!”
While she changed, I took the opportunity to adjust my camera settings.
“I had so much fun this weekend,” Ivy shouted out from behind the changing curtain. “You all must have a lot of fun together, hanging out all the time.”
I scratched my head as I thought for a brief moment. “Actually, we haven’t hung out like that in a while. It wasnice to relax and spend some time together, especially with you there.”
She stepped out from the curtain, holding the front of her dress up as she approached me. I helped her clasp the back together, smoothing down the seamlines and giving her ballet skirt a little fluff.
“Get in front of the camera and show me what you’ve got,” I said.
With a little twirl, she stepped back out in front of me and started cycling through poses that matched her costume.
“Love the way that hand softly melts,” I exclaimed as I captured each of her moves. By now, I was very familiar with the way her body moved, having taken so many pictures of her in class.
She looked so soft and delicate in that long, shin-length romantic era dress. Next was the classical stiff, pancake tutu—she was elegant, poised, and polished. When she changed to the tight, form-fitting slim unitard, she was suddenly edgy, hip, and daring.
We rotated through a few more costumes before finishing with the Carmen outfit—a red bodice with a short, black skirt.
“Is this too much?” she asked, stepping out from behind the changing booth in the Carmen outfit.
“No, it’s perfect for you.” Ivy sizzled in that red bodice, and it took all my willpower not to imagine taking it off her.
I stood behind the camera, secretly wishing the camera wasn't here anymore. “Okay, gorgeous, imagine I’m over there, whispering sweet nothings in your ear.”
Hints of her scent drifted through the air as she struck an amazing pose with pouty lips.
