Morgun, with her sandy blonde hair done up like that, her flawless skin, lush lips, and high cheekbones defined by makeup, her green eyes popping with the emerald of the gossamer dress, couldn’t have been more beautiful. The photos were going to turn out freaking amazing and Laney felt the stirrings of an old excitement that she hadn’t felt in a very long time.
Morgun was going to be the most beautiful fairy or nymph, or whatever they decided the pictures should come out as, in the entire universe.
Chapter 23
Morgun
They went through the props. The crowns. The flowing emerald headdress that matched the sheer dress. They went through poses. Under trees. Against them. Shaded. In full, golden sunlight. Sitting. Standing.
There was a point where Morgun realized she was no longer nervous and could just have fun with it. She did things she wouldn’t have been able to do even at the start of the session. She stopped worrying about the dress being so sheer, which she knew could be fully edited to hide whatever she didn’t want in there. She twirled. She leaped. She danced. She bent her body into crazy positions. She laughed. She smiled. She picked an orange from the tree and held it in front of her like she was considering it for size, ripeness, and sweetness.
It helped to have Laney on the other side of the camera. She encouraged her. Whispered little words like beautiful, amazing, gorgeous, breathtaking, exquisite. Laney was so genuine that Morgun really believed everything she was saying. She believed that she didn’t normally tell her clients things like this.
Halfway through the session, Laney showed her a couple of the raw shots and Morgun was amazed to see herself transformed like that. She barley recognized herself, and not just because of her hair and makeup. Laney was a real artist and Morgun felt like a masterpiece taking shape under her capable hands.
When they were done, Morgun was relieved to be able to get back into her clothes. They walked up to the ancient barn together. It was built of cedar, Morgun thought, though she wasn’t sure. She’d just read things about old cedar barns and assumed that it was probably made from that. It was deliciously weathered and didn’t stand straight. She wouldn’t venture into it for any kind of money. It looked like it might sway violently with the slightest breeze. If a person were to lean against it, it might literally keel off to that side and tumble into a splintery heap.
It did make for a beautiful background.
Laney was stiff and awkward in her clothes, a flowing black dress with leather and faux metal accents. It was beautiful and matched perfectly with Laney’s hair and makeup. At least she was fully covered, even if the dress had high slights that showed off her shapely legs and had an even lower neckline and a scooped back.
Morgun got out her camera and encouraged Laney like she’d done with her. She suggested poses and even went to help Laney into them when she was too stiff or when she didn’t understand what Morgun wanted.
Laney eventually relaxed and got into it too. She started holding up her hands like she was playing with fire, or holding it, producing it. She danced and leaped, changed her facial expressions, swirled so that the dress flowed around her like dark water.
As the light faded, changing from that bright, sure golden to a darker, richer bronze, Laney went for the sparklers. Morgun adjusted the camera settings. She was used to shooting in low light thanks to just about every wedding reception she’d ever done.
Why people thought getting married in total darkness was a good idea, at least photo wise, was beyond her. It never failed that the bride and groom always wanted their first dance to be all dark, moody, and lit like they were dancing in the moonlight. She was okay with low light. She’d done a few sparkler photos for people before as well, so she adjusted the settings on her camera to what she could remember using before.
“Shutter speed around ten seconds?” Laney couldn’t help herself. She had the sparklers ready in one hand, a lighter in the other.
Morgun nodded. “Yeah. Maybe fifteen. It’s not dark.”
“ISO one hundred? Everyone always says that works best, but that’s when it’s just about pitch black.”
“I’ll try that.”
“Just tell me when you’re ready.”
Morgun set the camera. “How good is your friend with the overlays and backgrounds?”
“She’s amazing. She can take a normal photo of a kid running and make it look like she’s in a fantasy world being chased by a dragon breathing fire all around her. She can make it look black.”
“Okay. Just checking.”
“I think you’ll be amazed.”
“I wish I could amaze myself.”
“There are always classes. Although, I think Lisa is more of a graphic designer. I’m also sure that she went to school to make video games. She’s incredibly artistic. You should see the digital art she makes.”
Morgun felt two seconds of irrational jealousy, then realized it was totally ridiculous and misplaced. After that, she felt regular jealousy. She wished she could have half that talent, but she realized Laney was right. There were always classes, and even if she couldn’t design a video game, she could learn to play with light and backgrounds.
“Don’t get that sparkler too close to the barn. I don’t want it to go up. That would be the worst. I don’t think my insurance would cover that, although, who knows? But my premiums would be a disaster after I used it for something like that.”
“What’s one of these things even worth?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to find out either.”