ot Photogenic

ome time ago Baron Von Lodge was the head of a small country near Switzerland known as Lilliland.

The Baron, although a public figure, had strong feelings about not being photographed by anyone at any time during any event. There was an official castle photographer who knew just what the Baron liked and did not like. The Baron basically felt that he was not very photogenic as a subject. So he always had the official photographer pose or plan the shots so that everything looked just right.

One could only imagine his fear when any photographer wanted to take a picture of him out in public in an unguarded moment. The Baron feared he would be yawning, scratching his ear or pulling on his tie. He always wanted the pictures to show him being prim and proper.

One such unfortunate incident occurred when the Baron was walking in town with his secret attendants. The Baron spotted a woman’s purse on the sidewalk and picked it up and looked inside to find the owner’s name. Just at that moment a brazen photographer snapped the picture and disappeared in the crowd. The photograph showed up in the next issue of the newspaper to the embarrassment of the Baron showing him looking into a woman’s purse. The Baron vowed that the next time this happened he would ask his guards to pick up the dropped item, find the owner’s name and return it.

Too many of the pictures that the Baron disliked were showing up in all the newspapers and the Baron was beside himself as to what to do.

He asked his chief advisor, Professor Hamblin, and his fiancée, Lady Angela of Alpine Castle, what they might recommend. Both answered that they were in agreement and offered a recommendation that the Baron did not want to hear.

Nothing could be done about the pictures taken out in public. That was just part of the job. Being Baron meant that there would be times when not every picture would be flattering.

The Baron thought about it for a while and then decided to make the best of the situation. “I think I will have Lady Angela go with me more often when I go out in public because she is very pretty and always takes a good picture. That way I just cannot lose.”

Lady Angela and the Professor thought about what the Baron decided and had a good laugh.