An American Braviour's Fantasy

Part 6 : Melkweg ~ A Tough Cookie

After taking a deep breath, she was able to give Sam an answer to his question...

"Being a tough cookie to crack just means... of all the guys, you are a bit more... complex. Sometimes, you know, you just put it all out there, I've seen you be a total ham, but underneath all that, you're an artist at heart with an artist's soul and it's obvious you love what you do which is why you can't help yourself - putting everything you have into what you do. But at the end of the day, you have to come back to earth, you know? And that's the hard part, remembering who you are and deciding who you want to be amid all the chaos and the crowds. The world is a frenetic place, it's easy to get lost, especially if you're wanting to hide." she said, her words pouring out of her mouth in a rush. 

Rashelle paused then and looked down at her camera before looking back at him. "And who wouldn't want to hide after so much exposure 24/7." She said and gestured around her at the auditorium and then at her camera. His expression was that of confusion, but he also looked intrigued. She couldn't be sure how much of her rambling he was actually comprehending. "Everyone hides their true selves to some degree. It's just, the more you hide, the harder it is for me to get a glimpse at the real you." she clarified. "And the real you looks better in pictures. That's what people want to see. That's what catches attention and holds their interest." She explained and slowly a sweet smile spread across her face. Sam pondered what she'd just said.

"And the cookie part?" he asked and she couldn't stop herself from giggling.

"It's just a figure of speech. I don't actually know why we say that. 'A tough cookie to crack'. Hmm... maybe it has something to do with tea and biscuits. Ooh! Maybe it's fortune cookies? I dunno. Who knows? Anyways, I just meant that you're a very private person and as a photographer, it's my job to capture the real you and not just some two-dimensional poster cut-out you see in a teen magazine. I always try to dig deeper and hopefully, if I do my job well, I get rewarded with a picture that evokes the sensuality of a moment frozen in time. It can be magical. It's hard to describe. It's not easy, but it's so worth it." Rashelle said emphatically. She was telling him the truth. Why, she wasn't entirely sure. She should probably try to shut up now! She thought.

"Did you learn that at photography school?" Sam asked her, his eyes twinkling with intrigue as he seemed to hang on her every word.

"No, no-no-no, not at all." she chuckled and fiddled with her camera settings some more. "In fact, they taught me the exact opposite. I mean, sure, they taught me the practical stuff like how to fiddle with these dials in order to get the camera to do what I want and how to properly utilize it as a tool, but for the most part, the arty parts were pretty much left out and even frowned upon and considered 'a distraction'. It was all about 'technique' and visual manipulation and lighting effects and proper posing and eye lights, etc." she said, never averting her eyes from her camera as she adjusted the lense and popped the lens cover on.

"No, my technique is kinda my own. I've never known anyone else who does it quite the way that I do." she explained. "Flying by the seat of your pants in a shoot is kinda frowned upon in photography school. I actually adopted a lot of my overall philosophy from my Mentor during my first internship. His name was Ross. Everything he taught me has just meant so much - to my work and to my art in general. He really believed in me and encouraged me to find my own way and never second guess myself no matter what anyone tried to teach me. There's nothing like that feeling in that moment you realize that the reason you're having such a hard time with something is because you're uncommonly good at it, but only if you don't follow the rules." She started to laugh, caught up in nostalgia.

"He's also the reason I love Van Morrison so much! He was always singing his songs." Rashelle said with a grin. Samuel couldn't help but smile back at her. He literally could just sit here all night listening to her stories. He was completely taken with this girl! How did that happen so fast? He wondered.