The photographer’s first portrait

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

The camera waited beneath its black cloth like a crouching creature. Miriam polished the lens for a third time, although no dust remained upon it. Across the room, Colonel Ames sat rigidly beside a painted screen. He drew out his watch, examined it and returned it to his pocket. The click of its case travelled through the studio. Miriam’s fingers tightened around the cloth.

Beneath it, the room disappeared. There was only a square of pale glass and, in its centre, the Colonel’s upside-down image. His left hand spoiled the arrangement. Miriam emerged and moved it from the arm of the chair. “Keep still,” she said, and this time the words required no apology. He obeyed. She uncovered the lens and counted while the afternoon light rested on his face. When the Colonel asked whether she had finished, Miriam was already preparing the second plate.

Analyse the ways in which the balance of power between Miriam and Colonel Ames changes during the passage. You should consider the writer’s use of language and structure and support your answer with references to the passage.