In this age of networked pictures, identity is increasingly constituted by images, both self-generated and those produced by the media. We can experiment and play with our appearances, creating our own image of ourselves. The tradition of studio portraiture, however, has almost always aimed to capture the sitter's best self. Here these two approaches intersect and collide: hundreds of frames are shot, but only the failed ones are eventually selected, those that would usually be discarded. The studio environment and context are used to undermine the idea of the photogenic. Technically perfect, but imperfect in the traditional sense, there is no 'essence' of the sitter in these pictures, which defy all conventions of how to conduct oneself before the camera. Expectations about looking at younger female subjects are also challenged: geared up, long haired and pale in shimmering make up, the girls could be regarded as beautiful, but their supposed beauty eludes the viewer. Their eyes are half-closed, their mouths half-opened, some obviously chewing gum, indifferent yet aware of the gaze. Paradoxically, these pictures are a perfect depiction of being a teenager, an already in-between existence.