I've known Ryan for several years... watched him play football... wrestle... taken his homecoming and prom pictures... Just part of the territory as we fulfill our role as East Marshall's photographer. I did his brother's wrestling pictures... sister's cheerleading shots. But until last Thursday, never had I had the opportunity to get anyone in the family in the studio.
So when Ryan and his dad, Bryan (excellent first name, btw) walked in the door I kinda had an idea of why they were there.
We had photographed EM's first ever appearance in the state dual team wrestling in Cedar Rapids last winter. Ryan's folks had stopped in shortly after to get a DVD of the video we had put together. They asked me... "you did Sam Upah's pictures, right?"
Sam was a teammate of Ryan's... both members of Coach Todd Hinegardner's excellent Mustang wrestling squad. Both have made multiple appearances on the stand down at Wells Fargo at the end of the season.
Long story short... Ryan saw Sam's football/wrestling images last year... Ryan demanded some of that for himself... Ryan got what he wanted.
So... I was pumped to live up to what Ryan expected from me... it was just assumed that, unlike most guys (who just rely on mom to set it up and have lots of indifference)... Ryan was pumped too.
And if there was any doubt, up until that point... Ryan erased it when he stepped into the camera room.
He looked around... looked over at his dad... and then pointed at me and said... "I trust this guy... to make me look GOOD."
The grin of satisfaction on his face that he was actually THERE, finally, was priceless. And isn't that what it's all about? Who doesn't want to be made to look awesome? Ryan's accomplishments don't "just happen." They are EARNED. Hard work. Dedication. Commitment. He knew I'd return the exact same things to him if he could just get here.
Here's the payoff, my man. Thanks for demanding us, brother.
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