Page 40 of Undone

I walked from room to room in the cottage, trying to map out the best way to showcase it. The exterior wouldn’t be a problem since it was painted a bright cheerful green and had the sweetest porch running along the front. The interior, while just as cute, was completely empty and didn’t give me much to work with when it came to framing it in my pictures to make it look like a real home.

“I know you can make it work,” Carol said in a hopeful voice. “I looked at your entire portfolio, and I have faith in your artistic vision. You’re incredible.”

“Thank you, I appreciate that. The problem is that this place is very…clean. Neutral,” I said. “That makes it hard to give the rooms any pop. We need some sort of focal point in each room. At the very least, it’ll help people get a sense of scale.”

“They didn’t want to pay to stage it. That’s part of the reason why it hasn’t sold yet. Don’t the windows help with scale?”

I nodded. “The windows are lovely but we need something else.”

Carol snapped her fingers. “There’s a shed out back. I know the owners left a few things behind. They said they’re going to come back to grab it all once the sale goes through. It’s not locked, so let’s go rummage through it!”

I followed her to the adorable back yard that was overflowing with morning glories and rose bushes. The shed looked like a gingerbread house.

“This place is so magical that I want to move in,” I joked.

“I could get you a deal; especially with them not getting any bites.” Carol laughed. She opened the shed door slowly as if she were expecting something to come flying out. “Jackpot.”

I joined her and peered into the darkness. “Are youkiddingme? They left a carousel horse behind?”

“They’re eclectic people,” Carol said. “I think we’ll find quite a few treasures in here.”

We poked through the stashed items and found an oversized vintage mirror dotted with age spots, an antique washbasin, a rocking chair, what Carol had said looked like a nursing chair, a small pub-style table and two chairs, and a gorgeous quilt zippered in a storage bag.

“Are you sure they won’t mind us using this stuff?” I asked.

Carol shook her head. “They just want the place sold, by any means necessary. Let’s go.”

Thirty minutes later, we’d arranged the items throughout the cottage in a way that hinted at the size with a heavy dose of whimsy. We found some empty Mason jars that I wrapped with a bit of raffia that had seen better days, and then we picked flowers to put in our makeshift vases.

“I’m paying you extra for this,” Carol said as we made a few adjustments to the carousel horse placement.

“Stop, it’s fine,” I protested. “Actually, ask them if they’ll sell this horse to me. It’s amazing.”

It was a child’s sized black horse that had clearly been loved for many years given the worn paint. Rather than looking like a fairy tale, it had almost a goth vibe, with tack that seemed ready for battle and not a cabbage rose in sight. It had a mix of my style and Indigo mashed up into something truly different and I was already a bit in love with it.

“I’ll ask,” Carol said, giving it a pat on the back. “If your photos help sell it, they might give you the darn thing!”

“Speaking of, let me get to work.”

I hoped Carol would get the hint and leave me alone, but the older woman seemed fascinated by my process. She didn’t offer hints, and kept quiet as I snapped photos, but she was always hovering just in the background. I started to feel like I was a celebrity photographer and Carol was my fan. The old Zoe would’ve gently chased her away, but the new Poplar Springs Zoe didn’t mind having her around.

“I’m just fascinated by your process,” Carol said as I stood up and brushed off my jeans. “Like the way you got down low in the doorway. I always take my photosinthe room. I can see now how wrong that was! I’m writing down notes for the next house I have to photograph.”

“Let’s do the kitchen together,” I suggested. “Show me the way you’d take the photo, and I’ll explain how I think it should be shot.”

Carol clapped her hands as she headed for the tiny kitchen. “Ilovethis!”

I had to admit that it was fun working with her. I’d never met anyone so enthralled with what I was doing. Her questions forced me to thinkthrough my answers as I explained the advantages of framing and lighting to her. We both took photos of some of the same things and then we compared them while I pointed out what worked and what didn’t.

“When I became a real estate agent, I took a class on taking interior photos, but I can now say that the instructor was terrible. She never mentioned any of this. I’m so thankful to have met you.”

I blushed at that. Other than the Caffertys and Amy, no one had complimented my work like that before. I knew I was good, but it was nice hearing it.

“I’ve noticed that about real estate listings, too,” I said remembering what some of the photos looked like when I was looking for a place to rent. It was obvious that the perspective was set to make the rooms look far bigger than they were, which only made the rooms look skewed and unnatural instead of feeding the imagination of a potential renter.

Once we finished with the kitchen, we took photos of the exterior. With the angle of the sun, the garden was lit up with golden rays that added to the fairy-tale feel. I found a wheelbarrow up against the back of the house and leaned it against the shed. I then transferred the Mason jars with flowers to a large metal bucket and fluffed everything up before setting it next to the wheelbarrow and balancing an old straw hat on top.

Carol was delighted with all my suggestions and came up with several great ideas of her own.

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