Once again... It's Halladay Season...

I had just blogged last week about a family that had brought us FIVE seniors over a decade period.

While this wasn't quite to that level... it was close.

Mercedes was the fourth child that Glenda Halladay has brought me dating all the way back to 1997 when daughter Nikole got the ball rolling for Marshalltown's Class of 1998. Jennifer followed in 2000 and Max helped kick off the digital era for us with the class of 2003.

Nine years later? Here comes Sadee!

That wasn't all, however. Mercedes brought with her an army of help... ok... just a couple of friends... Call 'em Smile Coaches... call 'em Make up Artists... call 'em Moral Support... classmates Jake Judge and Kelsey Forrest were there every step of the way. Hats off to Kelsey with the amazing job on the eyes... you're hired! :)

I found out real quick that our guest of honor didn't really need much help in the smile department... but hey... to each their own. The more the merrier, right? Jake and Kels musta been there to make sure that the laugh (or was it a snort? or both? I think it was both... a LNORT of sorts) was attained. :)

Thanks to Team Halladay for the loyalty and support... we appreciate it!

Secret's out... Big Red blows the lid off Montour... Twice!

I've seen her kind before...

Particular gal... from a little further away than our core market... wanting something different.

Hard to blame a gal.

That being said... I've got a bone to pick.

Some of these types... including this one... try to keep me on the D.L.

The reasoning is... if no one else "finds" the same secret they have... they are guaranteed to have unique images, right?

I see ya workin' Miss Laven. ;)

So here we are... the day she's been waiting for... the payoff... the unique images that no one else at Bondurant-Farrar are gonna have.

That's the good news.

The bad news is... due to the popularity of our blog, and the prevalence of facebook in general. Your cover is now officially blown, young lady!

So for those of you back home that have asked Big Red, (when you're 6-foot-1 and red-headed... what else can they call ya?!?!) "where ya goin' for senior pictures?"... only to get some nondescript answer that she mumbled through... now you know.... Stewart Photography... Montour, Iowa... 50173. (although finding us on a map may not be that easy now either, is it?)

Luckily for Mariah, her mother, Jill, knew RIGHT where we were at. Mom, also known back in the day as Jill Hartwig, is of Green Mountain-Garwin descent... and I have no doubt that that played a role in us landing one of Bondurant-Farrar's finest.

One look at our website, and this four-sport standout for the Lady Jays knew she had found her photographer.

The session was booked... all the athletic uniforms and gear was gathered... the "regular" outfits were agreed upon (I use the phrase loosely, as I had to play referee a couple times on the mother/daughter disagreements on style choice) and just when everything was set for complete awesomeness... there was just one problem.

Rain.

Mariah's first session turned into a second session as a rainy morning kept us from getting all the outdoor done that we needed to on the first go-around.

So, a second trip to mom's old stomping grounds was in order... and all that allowed me to do was talk more volleyball with B-F's force in the middle... hoops with their power post... track with the girl with the insane stride... and softball with the RBI-machine first basemen. Not gonna lie... I'm doing some serious arm twisting here trying to get this gal to my alma mater next year at Central College in Pella! (note to Coach Clayberg... call again... and again... and again... if she goes to Simpson I hold you personally responsible) :)

Good luck to the Class 3A No. 8-ranked Lady Jays as they take their game to the court against No. 9 Union High of LaPorte City next Wednesday night. (incidently... B-F took 'em down already at the East Marshall Tourney this season... so it's time to do it again!) Three years of Regional Final disappointment is coming to an end... I can feel it! Time to take the next step, and get to Cedar Rapids!

I hope I made the two hour drives worth the effort... Late night volleyball games followed by 8 a.m. sessions with rain... followed by COLD couldn't have been ideal. I appreciate your efforts... and your business, Team Laven.

Holy Hogwarts! Shellie shows off her chamber of secrets...

Where do I start with this one?

From the moment her mother, Debbie, had told me that her daughter might want something done with a Harry Potter wand, I knew I was in for a fun session.

So in walks Shellie with all her stuff... and what I learned was that she was like a onion with many layers... This girl was SO excited... I razzed her later about the fact that I thought she was gonna hyperventilate as she was showing me all of her stuff that she had in store for me (and talking so fast that she could hardly catch her breath). I know she's performed on stage in front of an auditorium FULL of onlookers... so I was giggling inside at her nervousness in front of an audience of one.

Perhaps that's how it is when one gets out of their comfort zone... but given some time... this one got right in her wheelhouse.

Aside from the HUGE Harry Potter collection, complete with the wand, the broom and hooded git-up... we also had to work in a TOTALLY Shellie black petticoat and adorable hat.... AND we had to pay homage to her love of the stage)... AND her love of the arts didn't end there either as we incorporated a sketchbook and an AMAZING sketch. If that weren't enough... I may have had a senior portrait first, as well... at least at MY studio... and that was a tribute to the Girl Scouts! (hats off to Mama Deb who, could clearly feel my disappointment when it was revealed that our scout had failed to bring in what SHOULD have been obvious... GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!.... a mad dash back to Marshalltown and returning with some Caramel deLites did the trick... AND the fact that I inherited that box didn't suck either). :)

To say that Shellie marches to her own drum beat is obvious... and you know what?... I really think that's awesome. While others may want to poke fun at this or that, I think my biggest compliment I got... maybe all year... was when Shellie's mom told me the reason she and her daughter came to my studio for pictures...

She told me that she knew that I would take the time to bring out her daughter's personality... and she wasn't so sure that they'd get that elsewhere.

Translation: Stewart Photography treats everyone with the Golden Rule.

<3

It may be a little known fact by now... but my love for athletics stringing all the way back to a child didn't keep me from participating in the arts, either. So I relished Shellie and I's discussion about all things drama... (the stage kind... and otherwise, right girlfriend?). In fact our blabbing got so out of control... that the next thing you know... the moon was rising... and we got one of my very favorite images for the entire year as our honorary member of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry nailed the first shot in this blog just a mile north of town as I laid in the weeds to get the moon just at the right height behind her.

I've often said that we try our best not to "cookie-cutter" people's sessions around here... and while that isn't always easy to do... sometimes I can't HELP but to fall into something really cool and different just because the subject is so amazingly extraordinary... and I guess I just wanted to send out mad props to Michelle Robinson for her uniqueness and willingness to take her personality and run with it bring out her wonderful spirit...

Don't ever change, Shell...

What's in a number? 400: And 2-for-1...

She didn't know it... but she ended up being a benchmark.

Elizabeth Anderson's senior session was unique in its own right, but what she didn't realize is that Google Analytics told me this morning that THIS blog... HER blog... is my 400th such post.

In what started on August 3 of 2008, we haven't missed a single senior session since... and each and every one of our seniors has had their internet day in the sun since then. Our society loves round numbers... and SOMEONE had to be the 400th... I just didn't know it was gonna be TWO seniors, instead of one.

Two?

Well, kinda.

I was familiar with "Elizabeth" as I had photographed her dance pictures back in the day. In addition... two months after we began our blog in '08... I photographed her older brother, Michael. So we have a track record with the fam.

I knew the artsy, thoughtful, sweet side of Elizabeth from before. So when the velvet, floor length dress... the violin and the request for conservative backgrounds and posing came a knockin'.... I wasn't phased.

So, you can imagine my surprise when, at 8 a.m. that morning... in walks "Liz."

If Elizabeth is the pillowy soft persona most of us know... you may need to stop the cover-judging of that book right now. :)

The OTHER side of this young lady sheds the violin for an electric bass guitar... ditches the dress for the leather jacket... and replaces the heels with the canvas tennies.

It begs the question then... in her spare time... is it Mozart or Megadeth? Pachelbel or Pantera? Haydn or Van Halen?

And the simple answer is... both.

How much fun is THIS girl?

Never one to be shoehorned into a box, Liz... or... Elizabeth... err... Miss Anderson is just flat out well rounded. :) Obviously music plays a HUGE part in her life and it was my job to highlight that. She told me that she wants to be a collegiate music instructor someday... and I have no doubt that she will be in just a few short years.

So while I thought I knew what I was getting into... I really ended up getting two seniors for the price of one... and that's pretty cool in my book.

A Lacey... A Lolo... and a two league title mojo...

Someone must be livin' right.

Usually high school athletes have to choose.

In the spring... it could be soccer, golf or track.... In the winter a guy could choose hoops or grapplin'.

In the fall... it's either volleyball or cross country.

If you're Jenna Lacey... it's both.

One might think that if you're the highly charged setter on the South Iowa Cedar League champion volleyball team, one wouldn't have any desire to go out and push your body to points unknown by running yourself into the ground on a 2 1/2 mile terrain in your spare time.

But then again... maybe ANOTHER conference championship would be incentive enough?

Thus the charmed life of Miss Lacey as in one short span this fall, both of her Warhawk squads garnered SICL titles.

In fact... Stewart Photography wishes Jenna and the rest of the Warhawks the best of luck tomorrow night as they square off on the road against league rival Montezuma in the regional volleyball quarterfinals.

As it turned out... the perfect 14-0 run through league play caused our session with Jenna to get off to a slow start as I got a call from Mama Janet right at 8 a.m. that morning of her big day.

"We're running a little behind... we're just outside of Gilman."

A fifteen minute delay is allowed if you're out partying at McDonalds with your teammates after an undefeated league championship, does it not?? :)

Once I finally got her in front of my lens... it was just as easy to make amazing images of her as it has been for the girls from New Sharon to mow down foes. (note to the rest of the league: basketball is right around the corner... and they are back to defend their title there, too.... No. 20 on your scorecard... senior point guard... Jenna Lacey) :)

It could be argued that with all this success, it's no WONDER her smile is so huge... but I have a feeling that that she was born with that infectious grin.

I was told by classmates of Jenna that this one was gonna be a lot of fun due to her energy... and despite her late night... she lived up to expectations. :)

I had also been warned by Jenna's mom that her daughter was a huge fan of track and field star, Lolo Jones. She brought an impressive collection of images, magazines, newspapers, and even a sketch of the former Des Moines Roosevelt prep turned international hurdling star.

Our senior has been to the Drake Relays to see Lolo on several occasions and even got to mug for a candid with her idol. (look closely at the Lolo collage below... how awesome is that!?!)

So I had my hands full between all the sports... the Lolo collection and the smile that lit up the room... If that weren't enough... I might also add that Jenna got to take full advantage of the fall color that, in retrospect, was at it's very peak that morning.

I could be crazy... but with all that going for ya, I might be inclined to get my hands on a lotto ticket if I were her. :)