for modeling tips. She said some pretty mean things to her.”
“Yes, well, the fashion world is full of divas, both in front of and behind the cameras.” Kristof sighed. “Why don’t we go ahead and get started for real?” He pointed to one corner of the loft, where a white backdrop stood in front of the exposed brick wall.
“So what do you want me to do?” Lilith asked.
“Just stand there for the time being until I get the lighting adjusted,” he replied.
As the hot overhead light came on, Lilith instinctively raised a hand to shield her eyes. “Is that really necessary?” she asked.
“Only if you want to look like something other than a shadow. Besides, you have truly gorgeous hair and the most amazing eyes I’ve ever seen, and I want to properly highlight those features on film.”
“You really mean that?” Lilith asked. Her threshold tolerance for flattery was so high that normally anything short of adoration failed to register on her ego.
But there was something about Kristof that made even the slightest compliment feel like the highest of praise.
“Hold that feeling, whatever it is!” Kristof said 71
excitedly, bringing his camera back up. “Your face looks like it’s glowing! It is sooo completely real!”
“Really?”
“I told you I never lie unless I’m in love—and even then, not until the third date!”
“You’re terrible!” She giggled.
“That’s it! Toss your head back—let me see that wonderful hair of yours fly!” Kristof reached over and switched on the fan next to him, aiming the airflow in such a way that it moved through Lilith’s honey-blond locks like a gentle summer breeze. “Okay, Lili—I want you to imagine that there’s an invisible thread pulling your head back and your chin up. No, higher. Higher.
That’s it! Stop! Perfect! Look at that long, beautiful neck!”
Lilith struck pose after pose, throwing her head back, shifting her weight between her hips, and striking asymmetrical stances, just like she’d seen the models do on Bravo and E! At first she felt kind of silly and self-conscious, but as Kristof shouted encouragement, she began to feel more and more confident.
“That’s it, girl—work the boa! There we go—there’s the shot! Beautiful! Rock the boa! There ya go! That’s good! Now, I want you to keep playing with the boa while moving around—that’s it! Keep shifting! Oh, yeah, I like that! Don’t second-guess yourself, just go for it! Hold on a second, sweetie . . .” He sprinted over to the wardrobe rack and came back with a paper parasol.
72
“Here, I want you to swap out the boa for this.”
“And do what?”
“Whatever you want—use your imagination!” Lilith frowned for a moment, then opened the parasol and began to carefully walk heel over toe, pretending she was a circus acrobat up on the high wire in the center ring. She could almost smell the sawdust and make out the faces of the spellbound audience watching her from below.
“Perfect! Absolutely perfect,” Kristof crowed, dropping down on one knee. “Okay, bring your face around to me but don’t get caught doing it. Don’t wrinkle your nose—keep your face relaxed. That’s it!” Normally Lilith despised it when others told her what to do, but when Kristof told her to move her arm or adjust her legs, she didn’t mind in the least. In fact, she followed his instructions to the letter. For some reason, it seemed important to please him, even though she was at a loss to understand why.
As she finished her imaginary high-wire act with a curtsy to her audience, the opening bars to “Freeze Frame” suddenly broke the silence. Kristof reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone.
“Excuse me for a moment, will you?” he said apolo-getically. “I have to take this. Hello—?” The veins on the photographer’s temples seemed to double in size as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line.
“What?!?” He looked up at the exposed
“Yes, well, the fashion world is full of divas, both in front of and behind the cameras.” Kristof sighed. “Why don’t we go ahead and get started for real?” He pointed to one corner of the loft, where a white backdrop stood in front of the exposed brick wall.
“So what do you want me to do?” Lilith asked.
“Just stand there for the time being until I get the lighting adjusted,” he replied.
As the hot overhead light came on, Lilith instinctively raised a hand to shield her eyes. “Is that really necessary?” she asked.
“Only if you want to look like something other than a shadow. Besides, you have truly gorgeous hair and the most amazing eyes I’ve ever seen, and I want to properly highlight those features on film.”
“You really mean that?” Lilith asked. Her threshold tolerance for flattery was so high that normally anything short of adoration failed to register on her ego.
But there was something about Kristof that made even the slightest compliment feel like the highest of praise.
“Hold that feeling, whatever it is!” Kristof said 71
excitedly, bringing his camera back up. “Your face looks like it’s glowing! It is sooo completely real!”
“Really?”
“I told you I never lie unless I’m in love—and even then, not until the third date!”
“You’re terrible!” She giggled.
“That’s it! Toss your head back—let me see that wonderful hair of yours fly!” Kristof reached over and switched on the fan next to him, aiming the airflow in such a way that it moved through Lilith’s honey-blond locks like a gentle summer breeze. “Okay, Lili—I want you to imagine that there’s an invisible thread pulling your head back and your chin up. No, higher. Higher.
That’s it! Stop! Perfect! Look at that long, beautiful neck!”
Lilith struck pose after pose, throwing her head back, shifting her weight between her hips, and striking asymmetrical stances, just like she’d seen the models do on Bravo and E! At first she felt kind of silly and self-conscious, but as Kristof shouted encouragement, she began to feel more and more confident.
“That’s it, girl—work the boa! There we go—there’s the shot! Beautiful! Rock the boa! There ya go! That’s good! Now, I want you to keep playing with the boa while moving around—that’s it! Keep shifting! Oh, yeah, I like that! Don’t second-guess yourself, just go for it! Hold on a second, sweetie . . .” He sprinted over to the wardrobe rack and came back with a paper parasol.
72
“Here, I want you to swap out the boa for this.”
“And do what?”
“Whatever you want—use your imagination!” Lilith frowned for a moment, then opened the parasol and began to carefully walk heel over toe, pretending she was a circus acrobat up on the high wire in the center ring. She could almost smell the sawdust and make out the faces of the spellbound audience watching her from below.
“Perfect! Absolutely perfect,” Kristof crowed, dropping down on one knee. “Okay, bring your face around to me but don’t get caught doing it. Don’t wrinkle your nose—keep your face relaxed. That’s it!” Normally Lilith despised it when others told her what to do, but when Kristof told her to move her arm or adjust her legs, she didn’t mind in the least. In fact, she followed his instructions to the letter. For some reason, it seemed important to please him, even though she was at a loss to understand why.
As she finished her imaginary high-wire act with a curtsy to her audience, the opening bars to “Freeze Frame” suddenly broke the silence. Kristof reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone.
“Excuse me for a moment, will you?” he said apolo-getically. “I have to take this. Hello—?” The veins on the photographer’s temples seemed to double in size as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line.
“What?!?” He looked up at the exposed
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