As he took head-shots he spoke softly: "Just look sexy" Darby's photographer said. At 29, he did his best.
What does it mean to look sexy? How? Each of the words, somber, happy, sad, thoughtful, elated, each had facial, body, or looks in the eye that had to be mastered to be great.
His instructor and newfound friend was a professional photographer and the director of the Daugherty Arts Center in Austin, Texas, where Darby had settled to try to make his millions in modeling, perhaps. The first consultant he had paid was a rip-off after several months of meeting weekly to go places like Galveston to get pictures. In the final head-shot sheets, he and other students of the modeling and fashion world were left with nothing for hundreds of dollars spent. Bill offered to help Darby get his headshots together and even had the stage at the theater that night alone to use the stage lighting and do a series of headshots. He had said Darby was more than thrilled to get help. He knew nothing of the business of modeling, but like most good-looking people, others always said you should try modeling. Once more, having tested the waters in Florida only to find he was too young and did not know anyone, nor did he find an agent. In Texas, at 29, he had an agent lined up. Still, she said he must have Headshots, a two-sided page with photos of the different looks and outfits like the business look, the playboy, the cowboy, and others that Bill was showing and dressing Darby up for as they did various shots. It was fun that night as the music helped keep him calm and relaxed. He was getting a bit nervous about whether he was built well enough for pictures when the clothes started coming off.
First, the open shirt shots, then the leather with vest, no shirt. Gradually, Bill suggested taking off more pieces until they were very scarce. Bill assured Darby that he looked great and not to worry about being skinny, not big like Frank Zane, Darby’s bodybuilding icon he wanted to look like but could not lift weights due to his scoliosis. No one could tell, and when not in pain, Darby would forget for periods until a nerve pinched, but that night, there was no pain as he tilted his head and tried the looks he thought would look sexy but did not feel he was sexy enough to pull it off.
As it got near the witching hour, nearing midnight, it came quickly as they had not started until everyone had cleared the building and the doors were securely locked to keep out others. At the same time, the flashes popped, and Darby went from stern businessman to sexy boy in leather over the hours until Bill suggested they do the towel shots. At first, Darby did not know the term, towel-shots but Bill came over to the chair in front of the black backdrop and brought a big fluffy bath towel. He said to take off the slinky leather bathing suit and use the towel to cover the private parts to let a leg, a thigh, turn into partial buttocks shots.
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