For our most recent shoot together, Molly brought an entourage. It was a bit of a relief, actually, as the plan was to shoot her topless, the better to show off the hundreds of bug bites on her body. She’d recently had an infestation at her house, and gotten the idea to turn lemons into lemonade by writing an article on it for The Awl. An article that would probably need some pictures to help drive the point home.
Enter me. Now I’d only met Molly on two previous occasions, once at a film festival and once at a strange yet fun shoot the day after she’d been dumped by her boyfriend of several years.
Not exactly the best times to get to know someone.
But when she brought up the idea of the photo shoot, I was jazzed. Because I like topless ladies, yes. But ALSO because I liked the strange challenge of a photo shoot not meant to just capture a subject, but to capture something specific about the subject as well. Something like hundred of bedbug bites. Frankly, I was incredibly curious as to what that even looked like.
So there we were, Molly, myself, and her entourage, which consisted of her two good friends. I used to be of the opinion that extra people meant extra hassle, but I’ve come to realize that extra people means extra people to talk to.
And I love talking. So I talked, and we shot, and I have to say, those were some fierce bug bites. Molly taking off her shirt was made slightly less awkward by the fact her friends were there to encourage her, and when she did, my heart went out to the lady. Those bed bugs went to town on her, had themselves what looked to be some kind of Molly McAlleerFest. Hundreds of bites covering her body. Oof.
But it was fascinating to shoot. There’s more than a small degree of examination when I shoot someone for the first time, and that was only amplified here. The entirety of the shoot was me in awe of the extent of the bites, and at the same time trying to do both the bites and Molly justice in the shots.
Actually, here’s a fun fact for ya, the examination usually begins BEFORE the shoot actually starts. During that bit of conversation I engage in when a model shows up for the first time, while we’re chatting, getting to know each other, I’m also looking at their face, watching how it moves, the various expressions that cross it–boy, this sounds wicked creepy, but there it is.
THAT’S WHO I AM, MAN. You knew who I was when you met me.
And Molly? Brave dame, I gotta say. Most folks would’ve cowered in their homes until the bites faded, but Molly not only strutted out into the street, she let li’l ol’ me show the world too.
{Slow clap for Molly}
Molly’s article on her bed bug experience can be found HERE. It’ a winner, check it out.
