Photo: Sunshine Girl

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It was cloudy out, but Michelle makes it seem sunny anyway. The highlights on her hair and eyes turned out well.

She also has a beautiful smile. A lot of people are afraid to smile. I’ve noticed most fashion models glower at the camera nowadays, but it’s all an act, and it’s getting tired.

I found Michelle studying for her history exam at a picnic table at the college. Not minutes before the test, but days in advance.

What do all her bracelets mean?

I brightened the highlights in her hair, and made her eyes a bit lighter. The blue table and green trees frame the image nicely, on three sides at least. Most portraits are best below eye level. Here, that had the added advantage of excluding the cars and buildings behind her; crouching down makes the background become a plain-white sky.

I get all my models to sign model release forms. I’m not releasing all images as free stock photos anymore; you can use Michelle’s likeness from Fotolia [2] or SnapVillage [3], which I get a commission on.

Canon Rebel XTi [4], EF 50mm 1:1.4 [5], 1/200, F3.5, 50mm, ISO100, 2008-10-10T12:32:02-04, 20081010-163202rxt