Ivan sat looking through the portfolios on the table, each displaying work from some of the finest graduates from around the country. With the help of his existing photographic team he had now reduced the selection down to six candidates to fill the two new posts.

Though the studio operated all year round, the school term and half term breaks were short in comparison to the summer break, due to the historical reasons of the country's high dependence on agriculture. Running from the last week of May through to the end of August, in those three months they would create a high percentage of the sets of the girls who lived furthest from the studio, who would only make two or three brief visits over the rest of the year.

In previous years the photographic team had been rushed off their feet during that time, then over the rest of the year with a quieter schedule, would edit down sets taken over the summer to spread out their workload. Now with more of their time gainfully employed in capturing additional material for banking sets for future release, and with the extra models they now had on the books, it was necessary to take on more staff across the board.

Studios one through to four had the latest lighting rigs, and the kit from five and six that were not too far behind would be replaced, and that older kit would move to seven and eight that had only previously been used mostly for experimental work, or shoots that might be messy. This would bring more of their capacity into regular use. Other divisions of the studio network had been growing over the past six months, but it was with a sense of pride Ivan knew his studio was the leading the pack, the others were just following in his wake.

This reflection on the current state of affairs wasn't solving which candidates to choose. Each of these people, or at least their families had invested heavily in their education to reach this point, and they were now pursuing every possible job lead. He had to find the right people, the ones with the artistic bent that would suit the studio output, that would flourish in this atmosphere, and with this subject matter. He wanted these posts filled by this time next week, so that the selected photographers had time to settle in before the summer splurge when the place would become a madhouse.

Not wishing for the unsuccessful candidates to learn more about the studio than necessary, a commercial studio on the other side of the city had been rented so that they could test out these final prospects in realistic conditions. A couple of their earliest models who had since retired would be showing up, the girls now aged eighteen and twenty, had gone on to find jobs in the media industry, and were glad to take a little time off from their jobs to help out and pocket some extra cash. Ivan chose Anna, as he was sure Marta would also have some insight or comments when it came down to the final cull.

The plan was for each prospective candidate to be tasked with taking several sets of glamour and nude shots, each time with progressively younger girls to see how they reacted to the situation. It was doubtful even if they were uncomfortable with the situation that they would say anything, by the time the decision was made it would be a mute point.

They had decided to seek fresh blood, in that the studio network as a whole had already vacuumed up the best of the photographic talents available who had been working around the country. Rather than take on less talented staff, they would trawl through the best newcomers, and bring them on within their studio.

When Anna had got the call from Ivan she had immediately agreed to help, though it would just be a nice one off fee for working the whole of the next weekend, but that was the main problem, it was the whole weekend, and she wouldn't get to see Silver. She could always visit after school one day in the week, she might not have time to ride him but at least he wouldn't forget her. She could see how important Ivan thought this job would be, choosing a couple of new photographers, and with John there to supervise the shoots, so she would feel totally safe.

There would be three older models, two of whom didn't work at the studio any more, but she had seen their photo sets, and Oxana who she had worked with recently, so Anna was to be the youngest girl there. Ivan wanted all the girls to fill in a form after each shoot to say how well the photographer did, and notes about what they thought about each one, to help decide who would be the best additions for the studio.

They wanted to get the get all the sets done over the weekend, three photographers each day, starting at eight in the morning with the oldest model, who would do her own make-up before she came in, so Anna wouldn't need to be there till ten-thirty for Valya to get her ready for an eleven o'clock set for the first candidate. There would be a lot of down time with her next calls being from three to four, then from seven to eight o'clock, so they would take revision work for school, and current work they were doing for future scripts.

Marta and Anna looked over the timetable that Ivan had directed them to on the network server, each girl would do about a forty-five minute set, then in the ten to fifteen minute breaks between sets. This format would be repeated for each girl in turn, keeping each photographer under pressure for about four hours, if there were no clear winners, they would be called back in the week to see how they coped with editing the pictures they had taken over the weekend.

Getting the right staff was as much about how well they related with the models, as well as their artistic flair and technical competence. Without the former, the models would not give their best, so it was imperative the girls felt at ease, or all the photographer's other skills would be wasted.

Anna and Marta cooked up another idea then phoned Ivan back to check if it was feasible, dependent on the rental studio having an internet connection. After a little negotiation with girls on the weekend for early afternoon in Europe / early morning in EST zone, and the early evening in Europe / mid-day in the USA slot, a new schedule was devised for those slots on both days. They quickly updated the timetable the members referred to, to see who was on the TTMF.

It would be a change from the regular themes, talking live to two current models either side of actual photo shoots, and talking with two retired models, with the aid of the newer girls acting as translators. Shortly after posting the changes Marta got a call from Alina, as to how the issue was already the subject of discussion on the members Forum, as she kept that constantly displayed on one of her desk screens in order to follow any current trends.

When the sisters arrived on Saturday they found Valya with the two older models set up in an adjacent room to the actual photographic studio, so they could peek out to follow the progress on set. They weren't doing any fancy hair designs, and Valya was only applying a minimal amount of make-up for each of the models. Once Anna was done they peered out from the shadows at the back to see the first victim working with Oxana.

Back in the make-up room the older girls were saying how nervous this guy had been, but as each successive model had become younger they thought he was going to wet himself, and when the age had dropped from eighteen to a girl of fourteen who definitely looked under age he had began to look worried, checking with John if he was supposed to be taking the same type of shots as with the two previous models.

While Marta hooked up and tested the link for their studio laptop, that they would be using later in the day, Anna looked through the costumes she would use on set. There was a curtained off dressing area to one side of the set where the models could perform rapid changes of costume during their appearance. Anna had a generic schoolgirl uniform with a short pleated skirt, another outfit consisted of skin tight shorts and a thin tube top, then a very skimpy two piece bathing costume, and finally a see-through nighty and panties, that she could remove for some nude shots for the last part of her set.

Her instructions were to be professional, but to be neither over helpful or obstructive, in order to see how well each candidate was able to give out instructions to the girls they were working with. Anna wondered how this guy would react to find his next model was to be even younger than the girl currently on stage, as she looked out to see the set coming to a close.

When Oxana came in she greeted the new comers, thanking them for the work they had done on the shower video, saying how grateful she and Sofia were, of course they knew that from seeing Sofia at school during the week, but by some quirk Oxana hadn't bumped into either of the sisters during that week at school. Without yet having seen the other five contenders Oxana was sure the current guy out front didn't have what it took to work at the studio, and joked that Anna would be the last straw, and frighten him away.

When John came in to join them he had a similar view, but said they should give each one a fair crack of the whip, and it would also give the girls practice for what to expect over the rest of the weekend. While he took some refreshments out to the set, Anna got into the schoolgirl outfit, and Valya took the rest of the costumes out to the dressing area.

When the two men on set were ready, John called for Valya to send out the next model, as they had a schedule to keep. Anna grinned at what was to come, stepping into the brightly lit area, the surprised photographer nearly dropped the camera he was holding, not a good move as it belonged to the studio, and was worth as much as a luxury car. Anna witnessed the hushed conversation between the two men as she walked up to the central area to start her turn in front of the camera.

After his little discussion with John, the newly graduated photographer still looked flustered by the continually diminishing age of each consecutive model, but his discomfort brought out Anna's natural smile as she saw the humour in the situation. He introduced himself, and for a lark Anna who had been told to chose any random name told him she was called Marta, and watched as John tried not to laugh.

Each applicant had been chosen due to being in the top ten percent of the graduates from their collage or university, and for having a reasonable set of figure studies in their submitted portfolios. They had all received the same instructions for the practical part of their interviews, in that they would turn up at an appointed time, use the digital camera equipment provided in a professional studio environment, and photograph four models.

The prospective employer wanted each model photographed in a range of outfits that the girls would wear, ending in semi-naked, and naked shots of each, that could be described as being glamorous, or sensual in nature. The first two girls might be what they were expecting, and would help them get used to the setting and equipment, so that when the younger models turned up on set they would be in the right frame of mind, and it would be down to their skill and professionalism to handle the situation.

Anna missed the sense of connection she felt when it was John behind the lens, but tried her best to be accommodating even though she didn't think this recent ex-student was giving her the courtesy of treating her as a professional model. Communication had been awkward and stilted, with Anna doubting the pictures so far would even rate to go in a clothing catalogue, and hoped with the first costume change he might see the fun loving character that John seemed to find when looking through the camera.

Anna was quick to change in the dressing area, checking her hair and outfit in the full length mirror before reappearing on stage. The shorts and top in a tight stretch fabric could have been painted on, and Anna had been careful to ensure she had pulled the shorts up to form a distinctive camel toe that left nothing to the imagination. Anna fully understood the importance of her role in this process, if the candidate couldn't appreciate, and display the emerging sensuality of the younger models then they had no place at the studio.

With the first two models he thought this mysterious job interview could be for one of the classier top self men's magazines, with glamorous young women on location in penthouse apartments, or exotic tropical islands. The previous model had knocked that idea sideways and now this confident young girl was on set in a very provocative getup for a girl of her age. She couldn't be more than ten or eleven years old, yet with her self-assured manner he felt she was at home in front of a camera.

His confidence had waned with that last girl, and if he didn't concentrate, and pull something out of the bag this job was going south fast. He couldn't even imagine how many others they would be interviewing for the post, but he knew many of his fellow classmates who had the language skills were looking to find work abroad.

The brief had stressed the type of shots they wanted, and the guy overseeing the shoot had confirmed that point when this latest girl had turned up, so he would try and ignore her age and treat her the same as the first two girls, in the hope he could redeem himself.

Anna noted the change when he started to put more of an effort into the set, explaining the moves he wanted, being positive, perhaps now at last realising he was dealing with an experienced model. John looking on, couldn't decide if fear or desperation had prompted this guy's urge to connect with his final model, or if it was Anna herself who had inspired a sudden surge of creativity, as she did when he was behind the lens. Checking the time John suggested they move on to the next costume.

She was amused by the bikini, three white triangles of fabric none of them big enough to hide a businesses card, held together with thin cords which she tied in bows. It was difficult to stop the lower triangle from disappearing between her pussy lips, and it could only be worn by a girl who was either naturally hairless like herself, or totally waxed.

He had another shock when she emerged wearing the tiniest bikini he had ever seen in real life, any girls he had seen on the beach with that much confidence, either went topless or didn't bother with a suit at all. After running through a gamut of poses, he asked the girl how many changes she had left, on finding she had one more costume left, he decided to go for broke, first suggesting she untie the top, then with some promising shots in the can, he asked her to toy with the bows of the remaining part of her suit.

She knew what she was doing as she slowly pulled out the thin cords, teasing the knots, and the audience, just as he would expect from a seasoned glamour model, un-fazed by his instruction to run the now free scrap of material back and forth between her legs.

Now concentrating on the job in hand, it was almost a disappointment to be interrupted, to be told it was time for the final change. Within seconds she was back, her previously naked sylph like body draped in a brief wispy gossamer thin nighty, but clearly without any panties, that gave her a more erotically charged appearance than when she had been naked just a few moments before. He had her spin round, flaring out the fabric, raising the hem, to catch shots of both her cute tight butt, and her tiny smooth girl cleft, then going on to have her laze about on the sofa, chairs and other props on the set.

This girl seemed so carefree, sharing her sensuality, not withholding it, and rationing it out as it appeared so often with older women. This brought back a time in his youth, when he had first taken up a camera, finding the joy in each special moment he was able to record. Then it was over, where had the time gone, he wished he could reset the clock, just as he was beginning to find his mojo it was time to go.

All to soon he had gathered up his belongings, and was ushered out onto the street, with cash to cover his expenses, and those fateful words - "We'll let you know".

After saying goodbye to prospect number one John spoke to the receptionist to find their second photographer had already turned up and was waiting in a meeting room down the corridor. Rather than hang around for three hours the oldest of the four models had been shopping, and had eaten while she was out, bringing back lunch and snacks for all the others. John talked to man number two, showed him the studio and equipment, then made sure he was clear on the brief for the shoot, and that there would be four models over the course of the next four hour marathon.

The pressure to produce the goods over an extended shooting schedule, was a real world test, as although at the studio sets weren't packed quite so tight, back to back, they could be working long hours at certain times of the year. Once the first set was under way John ducked out to meet with Valya and the girls to talk of their first round, and grab a bite to eat while still keeping an eye on proceedings, poking his head round the door now and then.

The girls knew there would be long boring bits up until two o'clock when the first TTMF session was due to start, so Anna had shown the two eldest models how the forum worked, translating some of the earlier sessions from the archive logs. By the time it was Oxana's turn to go on set, the first two models were of the opinion that the current bloke was technically competent, but artistically uninspiring to the point where they wondered how he had got this far in the cut, thinking he had maybe stolen someone else's portfolio.

Oxana left the room to a chorus of, "Go break an arm", which was a current joke at the studio having replaced the standard theatrical epithet of breaking a leg, since Sofia's little mishap that had lead to a very successful video sketch that she had shared with Oxana.

'Natasha' signed on and greeted her anxiously waiting audience, getting numerous replies from those wanting to take part. She followed on by talking of the two retired guest models that were sitting in, and how she would be translating the conversation, as English was not a language with which they were familiar. Fortunately many of the Platinum members were familiar with the girls in question, and were delighted to have the opportunity to ask them about various old sets, and about life after modelling.

A good many questions skirted the bounds of what was normally deemed acceptable, but they nevertheless had fun talking about the time they had spent modelling, and how it had given them the self-assurance that had helped in the careers they had since taken up. When at last Anna broached the subject of that weekend's event, interest was high among those on line, with innumerable offers from members who would love to come and snap pictures of models past and present. From there the debate was self sustaining, after the first member who offered to do this'hard job for no pay', from there on in it was people saying how much they were prepared to pay the studio in order to secure the coveted job.

Keeping an eye on the time Anna drew in the girls who were going to hold the fort for an hour while she was due on set, and they fielded the members questions while Valya redid her make-up, then she slipped back into the schoolgirl outfit for her second set of the day.

Oxana arrived, and expressed a different view than the older girls, in that victim number two did show some promise, in that they had got on quite well, and if that had been a real set she felt they would have some usable material. After a short break Oxana would be joining in on the forum, but she would page back first to find out what had been happening while she had been out on the set.

Jakiv looked up, startled at the latest model he was due to photograph, he thought the previous girl had been pushing the boundaries for the scope of the brief he had been given but this girl couldn't be older than eleven at most. He was quite good at estimating how old girls were, as they were his favourite subjects, his ideal job would be on a nudist beach at a resort popular with adolescent girls. Since he first picked up a camera younger girls had been his main focus, but in the portfolio he submitted he had needed to show a wider range of content in order to approach the job market.

If truth be told, he found this girl the best yet, as girls in that transitional phase held a magical fascination in his view, though heroes of his like Hamilton and Sturges had been vilified of late due to the age of the models they chose to photograph. He was of the opinion that it was a criminal waste not to capture the metamorphosis from girl to woman, an amazing stage in a girl's life that should be recorded in detail. Being realistic he never expected to get a job as a fashion photographer on a teen magazine, or any other post that would lead to him taking pictures of his favourite sort on a regular basis.

John had noticed how this latest guy had made a greater effort with Oxana, and now after having been introduced to Anna, who was still using her sister's name as a wind-up, he was trying to find a rapport with her, and checking that his model was comfortable with the type of pictures he had been tasked to produce.

Anna felt straight off this set would go better than the last, the tentative way he had asked if she was happy to pose for the type of pictures called for, then asking about her hobbies, and the things that made her smile. She couldn't help thinking this was how she imagined John to have been when he was just starting out, having the conversation to draw out the model, and form the bond that seemed to work between them.

Jakiv had been unfazed by the first two models, it was fairly easy to find older teens at college willing to pose for figure studies or for glamour type pictorials, always needing some additional cash. Other than a few girlfriends when he was younger, he hadn't often had the opportunity to photograph girls at the most interesting stages of their development, so he had been pleased about the last girl, and this one was even more intriguing.

It seemed even at her young age she was at home in front of the camera, no hint of shyness, or reticence to take on any revealing pose, though so far it hadn't gone beyond opening up her school blouse, and flashing her panties, but he felt there would be no difficulties in progressing further. In less than five minutes she was off to change, and came back in shorts so tight her little cleft was highlighted, and a tube top of a plain thin stretch fabric, that clung to the triple A contours of her chest.

Jakiv was inspired to have the girl do some tumbling about in a tomboy manner, to get a variety of shots, and so her hair became wild and untamed, a sort of feral child look that should have some appeal. Now she was looking more dishevelled he asked her to pull the top down a little lower on each shot until her little peaks made an appearance, the stretch material on the lower slopes pushing them up to look larger than they were. Soon the top was round her waist as a belt, then going down over her slim hips, so he had her lay down and pull the band of fabric slowly down her thighs, then her shapely calfs. Holding up the discarded garment he did some close ups of her face looking through the circle of cloth, coaxing her to try different expressions for him to capture.

He was about to suggest inching the shorts down a little when time was called for the next outfit change. Anna liked the bikini, but any place where it would be acceptable to wear it, would probably be somewhere that permitted naked bathing anyway. As she adjusted the three small triangles, she rubbed the lower one backwards and forwards several times trying to get some of her wetness to soak into the thin material, wanting to make a show for this guy that was trying so hard.

Having got this girl topless with the last costume, Jakiv soon had her playing with the ties, and the top was soon hanging loose to display her nascent breasts again. With her back to the camera, only the T shaped cord that disappeared between her butt cheeks, and the two white bows at her waist broke the delightful aspect of soft girlish pink skin.

Anna was enjoying this session as this new guy was much easier to work with, and he was polite in the way he was concerned he was not asking Anna to go past the type of pose that she would feel comfortable with, of course he would be unaware that this was within the range of her normal modelling work. As she slowly pulled the long cord that made up the bow on her left hip, he asked if she could tilt her head, and pull the cord with her teeth instead. Anna could see the loop get smaller as she raised her head, smiling round the cord gripped in her teeth as she winked at the camera, to the sound of rapid fire shutter release as the knot at last came free.

Jakiv had come to the conclusion that this girl was no stranger to the camera, nor to being naked for the camera, though she was at that awkward age where girls often got body conscious, either leading to flirtatious behaviour or excessive shyness, but here was a girl just comfortable in her own skin. She was a little extrovert, bubbly and joking, easy to talk to as they worked together, and he could see how a job working with models like her would be a dream come true. He had given up trying to guess the true nature of the mystery job this try-out interview was for, he would just give it his best shot, at worse case they had paid his expenses and travel costs for the day, and he would have some fond memories of a great shoot, even if he didn't have any prints to take away from the day's work.

As she went to change for the last time, he took a moment to look around him at all the equipment in the studio, the camera he was using must be phenomenally expensive, and linked via a cord to all the computer equipment that was recording the image each time he pressed the shutter. It looked to be hooked up to some sort of modem and telephone cord, so maybe they were being sent directly to the company that was looking to hire some new photographic talent. The best kit he had was a single Russian SLR camera, with a couple of east German lenses, along with supporting him through college he owed his parents big time if he could ever get a job to repay them for the sacrifices they had made.

Before going back'on stage' Anna peeked out to see her current photographer looking around the set at all the equipment, that she knew from talking to John and the others that it could easily cost hundreds of times more than any cameras owned by the college graduates that they would be seeing this weekend.

Despite her age he couldn't help thinking that this girl in a way looked sexy in the thin nighty she now wore, he was sure it was a theme his photographic heroes tried to display in their images of girls growing into their new bodies, and the new emotions that went with them. He wouldn't ask her to take off the flimsy garment, as even through several draped folds it still did little to obscure the girl it covered, instead it just emphasized her sensuality.

John looked on as the second contender started to talk Anna through the poses of the last part of her set, though at first he hadn't rated the guy very highly, he had shown a lot more promise with both Oxana and Anna. At first John had thought it was down to some initial nervousness, but now he was sure that Jakiv just related better to his younger models. That being the case, it could be they had found a likely prospect for a new member of the team, but there were still four more people to test before the weekend was through.

Jakiv was getting on so well that he lost track of time, and was disappointed to hear John say it was nearly time to pack up. He was glad to find this girl was happy to try a few more adventurous shots to finish the session, and he thanked her sincerely, saying how much he had enjoyed working with her.

Rather than change back into the schoolgirl uniform, and risk getting it all creased while working on the forum, Anna just donned a robe to wear until her next call. Back in the make up room the girls were crowded round the laptop where Oxana was taking turns with a few other models from around the country who were'talking' with the members.

Between bouts of typing and translating they talked about the chap who had just left, and how much better he seemed to work with girls in the usual age range of the studio as they waited for the arrival of the last candidate of the day.

Jakiv shook hands with John as he prepared for his long journey home, hoping that he had made a good enough impression, for if the job really did entail taking photographs of girls like the ones he had seen today he would be in Nirvana. Of the few interviews he had been to so far, this had been the most intense, submitting a portfolio was quite normal, but then there had been a really long and fairly odd questionnaire, and today a long session in the studio with four models from nineteen or twenty down to pre-teen.

John collected today's last applicant from the waiting room, all of them had arrived early as had been anticipated, with jobs so thin on the ground it was essential to make a good first impression. This guy had an aurora of confidence, but the next four hours would test his mettle, and hopefully they would find out if any of this weekend's crop had what it took to join the studio team.

As it was just past four in the afternoon it was still an hour short of one of the regular slots in the TTMF schedule, but members had been forewarned of the changes to the normal timetable. It was convenient for their live European audience, and east coast USA, but others would catch up later by following the the history of the current conversations taking place. On an additional studio laptop that had been brought in, Anna caught up with what had been happening while she was on set, and was pleased to note that members still had an interest in those girls that had retired from the site, thinking that if the banking scheme had been in place earlier these older girls could have now been reaping the benefit.

The older of the two was now out on set meeting their last candidate of the day, and Anna got ready to take a turn at the keyboard to talk of her latest session, and say what she had thought of the second photographer with whom she had spent the last hour. It seemed a good few of the people online were keen to know just what sort of relationship existed between models and their photographers, with a distinctive undercurrent of naughtiness.

Anna chided those making veiled suggestions, stating how important it was that the model felt both safe, and confident that they could work well as a team to make images that their audience would appreciate. One person mentioned how her vocabulary would be more on par with an older girl in his own country, and that was without taking into account she was using a foreign language. This started a debate on how highly the models rated having a good education, as they wanted to go on to university when they left school so they could later find good jobs when they grew up.

Oxana finished her set a little early, then at last it was Anna's turn, she went reluctantly, for each of the other girls had not had anything nice to say about number three. She could feel it herself from the moment they were introduced, as if she wanted to wash with soap and hot water from shaking hands with the guy. She had changed into her first outfit back in the make-up room shortly before it was her turn, as she had taken the outfit back with her earlier, and now she felt a sense of unease that was hard to define, but she couldn't see the point of spending the next hour on set with a person who made all of the girls so uncomfortable.

After the first ten minutes she caught Johns attention, and he could tell Anna wasn't happy, so he called her off to one side where they had a whispered conversation.

"John I know it sounds odd, but the others said they didn't like this guy, and I feel the same way, so is there any point in going on, if four out of four models feel he isn't the sort of person they would be happy to pose for?"

He thought he had sensed a bit of an atmosphere, but wondered if he was projecting his own bias against the latest applicant. With the overwhelming opinion he could see it was pointless to continue with the charade and would call it a day, suggesting that the guy might look to pursue another branch of photography. Of course the reply he got back was to blame it on the snooty attitude of the girls saying he didn't think were experienced or behaving in a professional way. John was well aware of who the professionals were, and he couldn't see this guy ever becoming one in a field where interpersonal skills were vital.

John hung about near the front of the building as he watched the young man stork off towards the station, to head back to wherever he hailed from. John realised he was partly at fault for not bringing the session to a close earlier, as he should have noted the lack of rapport, but he had been studying the shoots coming up on the monitor. In retrospect it was likely that the better shots were due to the girls trying hard regardless of how they felt about the guy holding the camera.

The two older models would have left for the day, each having filled out a sheet on the last photographer, but instead they had become involved in the Forum, and they had found it fun to take part. When John returned they talked about the first two candidates of that day, and it was agreed that Jakiv the second guy was pleasant to work with, and John said he had captured some good images that showed promise. They were undecided about the first applicant, but he had not yet been ruled out, it would depend on the talent of tomorrow's crop of hopeful contenders.

At last they all said their farewells to the Forum participants, and it was decided they would eat out together after such a long day's graft, with John feeling very lucky to have six nice female dinning companions; best of all the studio would pay.

To be continued in Chapter 56

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Will Jakiv land his fantasy dream job? What's in store in the next instalment, as Anna and her friends face three more hopefuls? What new lines of enquiry will be sparked in Marta's analytical mind? And at this point you're thinking what stunt is SQ going to pull next?