Catherine Lacey: BoyStory

By catherinelacey

The headshot

The beings in the house are all fuzzy, much like the weather which hangs over us outside. I feel worn out and the boys have colds and are still off school. I hope the little waterfalls dry up and that we'll return tomorrow. On days like this, there is little motivation to move too much so I strangely decided to conquer a fear of insects by wading in the grass, happening upon a tiny dandelion upon which sat a 1mm insect, small enough to be ant fodder, almost invisible to the eye. And so I entered into a world I had never seen before: it was right there all along and the paradox of that fascinates me. That along with its beauty. Like sculpture on the highest parapet of a cathedral, forever hidden from view, the beauty of its wings was there for only God to see. And so I wanted you to see it too. And our conversation went something like this:

"Can I take your photo. I promise I'll make you look good."
"Well, you see I'm feeling a little self conscious. I don't really like my photo taken, it's just that my agent needs it. Do you have to be that close, you're making me a little nervous. And I was looking for a pro with experience in character headshots."

"It's ok, trust me. I won't take advantage of you. I'll highlight your best features. That's what I do. And anyway, you've got a great set of teeth and that's what they're looking for in Hollywood."

I didn't want to tell him I hadn't had any experience in photographing insects, he was my first client, but I think I got away with it. I'm stunned that when he opened his mouth wide, I could see his tongue spit out and he was only 1mm long.

I must be going crazy. I literally had this conversation in my head whilst studying the little fella.

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