Senior Year Box Set

I smirked when Jill gave me the stink eye and snatched my shirt up off the floor. I would bet a large amount she’d be telling my brother what I’d suggested, but I didn’t care. It was all for the art, after all. At least, that was my story, if asked.

Adrienne had gone to the dressing room with Jill. When Jill came back out, she had a robe on and a little gleam in her eyes that worried me. I undid my shorts and let the front gap open just enough to show ‘Jade’ on the underwear band.

I took my spot, and Jill walked up to me and looked me in the eye as her robe dropped. All thoughts of my brother left my head. There was nothing sexier than a woman wearing your dress shirt the morning after. Jill had it unbuttoned to right above her navel. From my viewpoint, I could see down her shirt, and I caught the hint of her areolas.

Jackie had the makeup lady mess up our hair a little, and the effect was a winner. Michael loved what he was seeing. I had no doubt that one of those pictures would end up in magazines soon.

“That’s a wrap,” Jackie announced.

“That was harder than I thought it would be. How do you stay focused for so long?” Jill asked.

“You’ll get better. Just remember it’s a job, no matter how much fun they make it sound. You have to deliver on each photo, or you’re wasting their time. If you get a reputation for not being serious, you won’t last long.”

“Okay, I’ll remember that. But now, I’m ready to go,” Jill said.

“You’re not done. You still have to talk to Tyler about the proofs. She and Jackie should have the questionable pictures picked out for you to either approve or ask they be deleted,” I enlightened Jill and then explained why. “You’ll want them to delete the ones with your eyes closed, too much skin exposed, or where you look goofy. You don’t want those popping up down the road.”

“What if they want one of the ones I don’t like?” Jill asked.

“Find out what they want it for and then talk to Tyler to get her advice. If you still don’t like it, tell them you won’t sign the release.”

“But I’m not old enough to sign anything,” Jill said, showing she’d listened to Tyler already.

“Tyler will sign for you until you’re old enough, but she will only sign if it’s in your best interest. She won’t go behind your back and agree to anything you don’t want to happen,” I assured her.

“So, I’m in control?”

“To a point. You can’t tell them what pictures to use or not unless there’s a good reason. You’ll see there’s only a handful that need to be deleted. Jackie has a good eye.”

We walked over to where Michael, Adrienne, Tyler, and Jackie stood, checking the proofs. They were professionals and quickly weeded out the bad shots. Jackie deleted them without any hesitation. Jill seemed a little overwhelmed by it all. Seeing yourself on a big, high-definition screen could be daunting.

Tyler signed the release for Jill, and I signed mine, so Michael could use the pictures in his marketing campaign.

“You cost me money every time I photograph you,” Jackie complained.

Tyler and Adrienne wore neutral expressions, but Jill looked confused.

“I retain resale rights on all my photos that Jade doesn’t use. I sell them to websites that resell photos for book covers, web design, and the like. And I also sell my pictures to interior designers,” I explained.

“I have other outlets you’re missing out on,” Jackie said.

“I’m not against making more money. Call my office on Monday and pitch the idea to Scarlet. If it’s profitable enough, I have all my photos since I started modeling that you can sell,” I offered.

“Wait. The photographer makes more money on the photos than just with Jade?” Jill asked.

“I actually make more money over time,” Jackie shared. “Since these are on a blue screen, I can put in different backgrounds and target different buyers.”

I’d assumed people would prefer the blue-screen prints, what with all the photo-editing software out there. But what Jackie said made a lot of sense. My mom explained that, when selling real estate, you had to stage the house towards who your buyers might be. People had to be able to envision themselves living there; they couldn’t see past clutter or major repairs, as two examples. It would only make sense that photo buyers were the same.

Jackie saw that I got what she was trying to say. She really did have ways to make me more money because I didn’t have anyone with the time or talent to manipulate my photos into a finished product. She could also fix any lighting issues, skin blemishes, stray hairs, and the like. I’d been offering raw photographs that hadn’t been prettied-up. While I’d done okay with those, Jackie had the capability to polish them into a better final product.

“That makes sense. I may want you to take all my photos and see what you can do with them,” I admitted.

“Should I talk to Scarlet?” Jackie asked.

“And me. I have similar deals in place with other models,” Tyler said.

“Why not have Tyler manage all this for you?” Adrienne asked me.