© Clayton Hall/drr.net

"Lady Sophie, The 14th Dutchess of Durbee" - she's not a real Dutchess but this timeless portrait reminds us of a Gainsborough painting hanging on the wall of an English country house.

Read more about the creation of this image by Digital Railroad member Clayton Hall and see more of Clayton's work in Marketplace.

"Following her discovery in a shopping mall by my wife Barbara and her Mom's
decision to shoot with us, Sophie and Mom came to our Tempe Studio for Sophie's
first styling. Suddenly, ready to change clothes into her outfit, her Mom
bypassed our changing room and dressed Sophie right in front of me. Amazingly,
free spirited Sophie didn't bat an eye. She was perfectly comfortable. This
gave me an interesting idea for a photograph. About two weeks later during
the photo session, as we finished the first look, I asked Her Mom if she thought
it would be OK to shoot a couple of classic B&W portraits of five year old
Sophie barechested. She liked the idea and gave the OK. My wife Barbara, our
hair and make-up artist and creative director, arranged her beautiful
strawberry blond curls to make her look like she belonged to an earlier time and I shot
a few frames. Then Sophie gave me a gift. Her Mom, who was standing
directly in back of me to my left started talking to her in a very calm manner. I
was in between shots and l heard Mom talking but I kept my eye on Sophie and my
finger on the shutter release. As her Mom talked, Sophie listened and looked
up slightly and to her right. She was very serene and confident almost
hauty...befitting royalty. Instantly, I saw the shot, released the shutter and
heard the pop from the strobes." - Clayton Hall