Alexis
(head shot for modeling portfolio)
After photographing this sweet young girl I really 'saw' what is meant when someone is "photogenic". When Alexis and her mother first approached me about shooting Alexis for the numerous beauty contests she enters, I had grave reservations. In my opinion, Alexis was a nice, but average looking, slightly plump little girl, still with baby fat, and new, big, uneven front teeth that were just starting to come in. I think she was eight or nine at the time. I also had reservations about doing this type of photography. I've always been against beauty contests for little girls. But they both assured me that this was about Alexis having fun, and not about the mom's ego. Alexis proudly showed me her room that was filled with trophies and tiaras and told me she couldn't wait for the next event. So I reluctantly agreed. The day came for the shoot and Alexis came with her hair done up and just a bit of powder and lipstick on, and still, I did not see what my camera was going to see. What I discovered during the shoot, however, was that Alexis was a natural in front of the camera. She loved every bit of it. Her poses and facial expressions were natural, and I just recorded what she did. I think she would have posed and let me take photos all day. She was happy, and fun, and loving every minute of our time together. And when my photos came back from the lab, (this was back in the film days), I couldn't believe what I saw. The young lady in my photos was stunning! I could hardly believe it was the same little girl. During the next few years, I went on to take several more head shots for other contests, and I was always blown away by how beautiful she was. Then the family moved and I lost touch, but it wouldn't surprise me if Alexis is headed for a career in modeling, or something else where she is in front of a camera.
