Must be harvest season... Sawyer style...

Harvest has come a little early this year... my sources tell me that it's a week or two earlier than usual... and while farm kids are welcome ANYTIME of the year... we are having a run of them here at the studio.

This is the second consecutive blog with such a senior... and if our audience is patient... there's several more to come here in the next 10 or so blogs.

Not sure if it makes the most sense to wait until their busiest time of the year to take some time off from helping the family bring in the crop, but hey... if they want harvest colors... I guess one doesn't have much of a choice!

BCLUW senior Sawyer Anderson was our farm kid this time around... and his session wouldn't be complete without working in some corn, a 4-wheeler, bins, buckles, boots and big ol' dose of country swag.

I had photographed Sawyer's sister Felicia a couple years back, and if I'm being honest, I guess I didn't realize from HER session that farming was a way of life from the Anderson's... but Sawyer left no doubt.

One thing that was a constant between the two sessions was getting to hang out with the excitable mother to the Anderson kids... none other than Ferron Anderson.   (who can forget a gal with the first name Ferron?)   I think Mrs. Anderson MAY have been even MORE excited than even her kids for each session... which... I'm okay with.  ;)   Anytime you can have the gal that's making most of the decisions and cuttin' the checks pumped up for the event... it doesn't hurt the sales process... I know that much!

Ferron wanted to make sure I got a double image of her boy on a grain bin... so we did that... and other than that, we had to match another passion of the Anderson family... their love of the water... and having fun on it.

Okoboji regulars, both the Anderson kids have paid homage to their ability to tear it up behind a boat... and why not?   As I author this blog, we had our first hard freeze of the year this morning, and what better thing to do for your senior session than remind yourself of the sweet summertime?

Finally, after a nasty 4-wheeler accident took away most of Sawyer's effectiveness in cross country, wrestling and track a year ago, he's working his way back to full strength.   Dude somehow found a way to squeeze in a knee surgery one week before his senior session and now is working towards getting back to being one of the area's better wrestlers.   Some tough draws, along with the ATV injury that tore muscle away from the bone (yeah... cringe... I did), have kept Sawyer from reaching his goal of making the state wrestling tournament.

The good news is, he's got one more shot at it... and I, for one, won't count him out.

I know it sounds like a broken record, but I just wanted to take a second to thank all of my seniors, parents, families and even anxious friends for their patience in waiting what is now a 2 week+ wait for their previews.  Our presentation is unlike most... and it's our artwork, book and blog that you came for... and it's what you'll get.   Quality takes a little time, and I won't cut corners on any of you.   Hang in there... all of your rewards are coming.  You have my word.

Can't say no to Novotny...

Karla Novotny stopped in real early to do her homework in advance.

Wanted to know our system... how all the processes worked... what the options were... and what was due and when.  Oh and... there was one other thing...

"Are you willing to travel?"

Am I willing to travel?!?!!?

PLEASE!  ;)

Turns out that her daughter, Amy, works on a dairy farm nursing baby calves.  So the question was whether I could travel to photograph Miss Amy with one of her "patients."

Most folks know that I've spared little expense to get to where I need to go to get the image that's requested, so I had to giggle a little when I found out where our destination was...

"About a mile south of town here."

As in... a mile south of Montour!

So there we were... on our long-distance escapade to a farm field a mile out of town and Amy's uncle Denny met us there with a young calf.

I've photographed seniors with steers and cows before... but never a calf like this... so I really had no idea of what to expect.

What we found was that it was a difficult proposition at best!  ;)    The idiot photographer was over there somehow trying to talk to the calf like it was a responsive dog or something... the calf was clearly not happy to be there in what turned out to be a very warm fall day in the 90s... and we were scramblin' trying to get a sellable image.   Amy had a halter-like device on the little calf to keep him from getting away... but the poor thing just look whupped in most everything we tried to do.

After tugging the calf around several times trying in vain to get the pose we wanted... and having him rear up and give Amy a decent smack to the chops even, Uncle Denny got desperate.

"Let's trying taking that lead off."

At the risk of letting the calf run free in the field... we did just that... and whaddya know... we got some better images... and our country girl got her mission completed.

We weren't done there, as Cowgirl Amy had boots planned in no less than 3 of her outfits... so there were grainbins, barns, haybales, and sheds aplenty for this gal.  In a year that has seemed to be dominated by 4-inch heels and jeans that run $150 at the Buckle... Amy was a breath of fresh air with her need for the open country side air...  

So, yes... I indeed did travel, just like Mrs. Novotny had hoped I would.   I'm not sure that it was really ever a much of a question, but with gas prices hovering around four bucks a gallon... my expense report thanks you for your travel request!  ;)

He's the Steg(Man)!!

Zach Stegman burst into the studio a couple weeks back and he and he mom Sarah were ready to roll.

One was ready to knock his session out of the park... and one was... well... ready to leave.

Let me explain...

I knew from the notes on the schedule... and from a previous connection, that Mr. Stegman was bringing in his drum set.

Always a ton of work to bring in the entire sha-bang and get it all set up just so... I was notified it was gonna make the trip... and I was mentally preparing for how I wanted to approach that aspect of Zach's session.

That isn't where the surprise came in.

Mom and senior fella walked in and Mama Sarah immediate announced, "I'm just gonna help move in his drums and then I'll get out of your hair and get out of here."

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoooooah.

Ok, Mom... we're certainly CAPABLE of flying solo if we have to... no big deal.   BUT.   Do you have something else cookin'?

"Well... no... not really."

Well... why don't you stay, then?

"I just figured that maybe I wasn't SUPPOSED to?"

Wrong.

:)

Sarah, just like every senior mom, is and was welcome to stay and be a part of the festivities.  Evidently her older son (who went elsewhere for pictures) went by himself... and I assured Zach's mother that while we do have senior show up by themselves on occasion, it's rare, and actually we PREFER mom to be there.

Why?   Usually funding the deal... usually the decision maker... and finally we like having mom along for the ride so they feel part of the process.. they INVEST in the fun... and the process... and in the end... it's just a cool thing to see your child get their images made.

It didn't take much to convince Sarah to stay... and stay she did... all afternoon.

Team Zach then ran all over the county getting images in our hip pocket, before finally returning to the studio and saving the best for last as our drummer extraordinaire lugged all the stands, toms, cymbals and sticks in from the back of his pickup truck... and we were off to making Mr. Stegman look like the rockstar that he is.

Eventually the session ran so long that Sarah did REALLY have to leave before we got done with the drum images, so I guess there's SOME surprises for her... but in the end... I'm glad she stayed... and deep down... I bet Zach was, too.  They both got to see how things are done the Stewart Photography way.   I'm not saying it's necessarily the right way... or the only way... but it's the way I've been doing it for almost two decades now...  and somewhere along the line we've done something right... because we're still here... and I can count my retakes on one hand.... why?   I think it's because Mom is usually here... taking part... and that's how we like it.

A single shade of grey...

I got the question a LOT the week of John's session.

"You gotta kid coming clear from SAINT LOUIS?!?!?"

I would smile and say, "well of COURSE!"

While I would like to pretend we regularly draw kids in from several hours away, the truth is, it's a rarity.

There's usually a local connection of some sort that plants the seed for an out-of-stater to consider doing business from so far away... and this case was no different.

The Wingert family was actually making their SECOND trip up the Avenue of the Saints to eventually get to Central Iowa for senior pictures.

I had photographed sister Molly three years ago as a member of the Class of 2010, but if memory serves, a member of the Class of 2009 was to blame for all of this.

John and Molly's cousin Jessie Kunch, a  GMG grad from '09, probably unknowingly convinced the Wingerts at her graduation open house that I was worth the drive.   Convincing a senior to make the drive from the Garwin area is one thing... but all the way from the Gateway to the West?

Evidently Tim and Terri thought believed that, because we ended up photographing both kids!   Molly is now starting her junior year at Truman State in Missouri, but she made a triumphant return to the studio along with Mom and Dad on the last day of August.   Mom got me back up to speed with all things Wingert... Molly got to get in front of the lens for a few more images... and Dad and I lamented how terrible our Cubs are doing again this summer.  (stinks to be a Cubs fan trapped in St. Louis!)

I believe that seeing some family (grandma lives in the Tama-Toledo area) and some college visits were also in order on this jaunt, but the emphasis on THIS day was making some images, and we did just that.

It was great to get caught up with the Wingerts... some of the nicest folks you'll ever meet.   From the sounds of it, it's a good thing they are out of kids to bring me for senior pictures, however, because the family is now in the process of relocating to San Antonio... and THAT my friends would set the studio record for travel for a senior session if there happened to be a third Wingert.   But alas, there isn't... and with gas prices where they are... it's probably a good thing!

So where does the "shade of grey" come in?

It wasn't hard to notice the "distinguished" look that John was sporting just above his brow when he walked in.  I suppose some kids his age may be inclined to color that rare grey hair out of his locks until he was older... but not John... and somehow, I'm not surprised.

He'd be the first one to admit he marches to the beat of his own drum, and the little swath of grey is his trademark... and somehow... he wouldn't be John without it, right?

I have no doubt that some day very soon that John will be making way more money than I ever dreamed of as I just got the sense that I was in the presence of a deep thinker... and probably a dude that was way smarter than I... and that's ok.   Any guy that works at the St. Louis Bar Association in high school, is way too intelligent for his own good. :)

So, when he busted out the full suit for his session, I got to kidding him about being "Senator Wingert" and such.   He rocked that look... and even though, unlike a lot of senior guys, John's smile came very naturally to him... I insisted on some serious looks with the suit and red tie... just to make him look even MORE distinguished!  :)

Funny story... while I thought John looked like a senator, Mama Terri took it up a notch (or down as the case may be) when her son jumped into his last outfit.

At the risk of bashing my own Republican Party, I found it hilarious when Terri took one look at her son in a white oxford, topped with a sweater... jean... and tennis shoes and said... "John... you're totally workin' the Mitt Romney look, right there!"

LOL!  #fact.

So... maybe he's gonna be a lawyer, a senator... or even president some day... but on this day... he took the cake as the title holder of Stewart Photography's Class of 2013's Most Willing to Travel... and it's not close.   Not a grey area there... completely black and white.

Thanks Wingert family to your dedication...

Showin' me the Dentel work...

It's one of my stock lines...

I go to it often.

When you're shooting well over 100 images per senior... over 100 times a year... I could be Jim Gaffigan, and there wouldn't be enough jokes to coax a genuine smile out of all those exposures... every time.

So, what's a guy to do?

Well, I'm not sure about other shooters... but I have a few stock lines that I go to.

Perhaps my favorite line of all of 'em is this:   "show me the dental work!"

Not sure really WHY it usually gets a genuine smile, but it does.

All that being said, never was it more fitting than when Jon from HLV High School paid us a visit a couple weeks back.

I'm not sure if it came up during big sis's session a few years back, but about a third of the way through the festivities, I busted it out.

"Show me the dental work!"

I pulled away from the camera... and realized the irony.

I was working on Jon DENTEL's senior pictures...

It almost sounded more ridiculous than normal... it DID get the smile I was looking for... but at the risk of sounding corny for the rest of the session... I put it on the shelf.

I'm guessing Jon was glad that I did.

Mr. Dentel really had just one major request for his day with us.  He had mentioned to me in a private message a couple days before his session that he was on stage quite often at school. Whether it be musicals, plays, speech, show choir, choir, or even band, Jon wondered if there would be ANY way we could find a stage to be photographed on.

I ran through my mental Rolodex and aside from following Jon home and hoping we could bust into the school at Victor, I had one magic bullet I could try... so i did.

Through my time shooting candids for the Dance Konnection and MSDA for their dress rehearsals over the years... I've gotten very familiar with the Marshalltown High School auditorium and it's facility guru Al Paxon.

It was a stab in the dark... and totally last minute... but I called anyway.

Voicemail...

Crud.

I told Jon we tried... and maybe Al would call back... but I couldn't make any promises.

Then... about 20 minutes into the session... my cell rang.

"Come on in... I'll letcha in the door near the backstage area."

SWEET!

I prepped Jon for what he was about to see... because like Jon... I too came from a small school.. with a little stage... and probably way-too-outdated facilities with poor acoustics and sound systems.

And then there's the MHS Auditorium.

I assured Jon that what he was walking into was every bit a professional facility as you'll ever find and that making images that would blow him away would not be difficult.

I couldn't be for SURE... but I judging from the look on his face when he walked in for the first time... I think we came through... and came through BIG time for our man of the stage.

I put Jon through a series of dramatic poses in the darkened auditorium... and maybe the neatest thing was to look over at Jon's mother, Patty... and seeing tears in her eyes.

THAT's when you know you've done something special.

Patty wiped her tears away and we continued to work and finally after many different angles and options... I saved the best stage option for last...

"Tebow for me."

Jon looked at me and said... "seriously?"

Dude... just do it.

Knowing full well what he was to do... Jon dropped to a knee... executed the now famous pose and with all the soft ceiling lights almost twinkling like stars in a night sky... I too got goosebumps.

Dude... you HAVE to see this!

I could tell Jon was just as stoked about the image as I was... and I proclaimed then that we had our lead image for his blog...

And we did.

That was some serious Dentel work.  Thanks Jon and Patty.   Shout out to my girl, Abbey!  Hope all is well!