THE DREADED AUTHOR PHOTO

It has to be a local person, or the cost becomes prohibitive.  After looking at the web galleries of a bunch, I talked with several before settling on one I really liked.
 
Second came finding a venue.  This was harder.  While My Sister Sleeps has a plant nursery as its backdrop, so pictures in a greenhouse would be good, right?  Actually, when I mentioned this possibility, my publicist immediately "ordered" one greenhouse shot and two garden shots.  There and then, I was committed.

Finding just the right plant nursery was something else.  See, the thing is, plant nurseries are commercial ventures, and while a commercial setting would be good for this particular book, if I'm going through the trauma of having pictures taken, I want them to last not only for While My Sister Sleeps, but for a book or two beyond.  That means minimum six different shots, all of them really pretty.

I did my homework here, too.  I researched greenhouses and gardens, and finally decided on one several towns over from me.  My assistant and I visited.  Lots of good photo ops there.  Then I was presented with a contract.  I knew I'd be paying an hourly rate, and that's fair enough; after all, the site is regularly booked for weddings and corporate events.  But limiting my use of the photos to this book alone?  Having to ask permission each time I used a photo?  Having to credit the site with each use?  That all would have been a nightmare.

Back to Square One now, a friends told me of a botanic garden an hour from my home.  It had open gardens, lots of tables and chairs, benches and stone steps, a frog pond, and - the pièce de resistance - an elegant greenhouse the likes of which you wouldn't believe.  One look at their contract, which was totally forgiving, and I knew I had my site.

We picked a date (today, October 2).  I started trying on one outfit after another, one pair of shoes after another, before finally settling on three combos.  I wanted to be a little more "me" this time around, a little less conservative, a little more funky, as I am in real life.  I printed out the photos I'd taken when I visited the place, and decided which outfits to wear at which spots.  I studied my recent author photos, picked which facial expressions I liked best, and practiced them in the mirror.  I lost several nights' sleep when my hairdresser layered my hair way too much (it's grown out some - he and I laugh about it now).  I lost several more nights of sleep imagining a great pose with a lousy expression, a lousy pose with a great expression.

Next up, the weather.  Now easy it would be to shoot in a studio with airconditioning and artificial light.  But that wasn't what we wanted.  Two weeks ago, I started looking at the long-range forecast.  At first it was good.  Then it became iffy, then not so good.  But hey, what do forecasters know 14, 10, even 7 days in advance?

Then the 5-day forecast wasn't so good.  It got worse at 3 days.  And better at 2.  But here was the thing.  By contract, we had to shoot between 8 and 10 in the morning, before the botanic garden opened to the public.  And one weather website predicted rain until 9, the other mere clouds but high humidity and wind  Okay, so the greenhouse shots were inside, where the weather wasn't as crucial, but the outside shots needed bright skies, no wind, and low humidity or my hair would be a mess.

I monitored the hourly forecast until nine-thirty last night, at which time I called the photographer and postponed the shoot.  I mean, part of me really wanted to get it over with, rather than having to wait any longer.  The other part was thrilled.  I'd been granted a reprieve.

I slept better last night than I have in a while.  I'll sleep well again tonight.  And maybe tomorrow night.  Then the countdown will start all over again.