The random facebook add of someone I don't know... To which I figure... eh... probably a potential senior... so I accept.
Only in this case... it's like November of this last year... and I see the "add-ee" is a current senior. Surely she hasn't waited THIS long for senior pictures, right?
Then comes the instant message.
"I want you to do my senior pictures."
Ok... I'd be glad to do that for you Maci... do you know what you want?
"Well... I'm not sure... but I know THIS much... they've just gotta be... like... BAM... you know? The just gotta be what I want."
I knew just what she wanted...
She wanted them to ROCK.
Lucky for Maci, we specialize in making senior images rock. :)
Come to find out, her Papa Mark wanted to kinda have a say in what we did... and after a couple months of back and forth and himming and hawing around through the winter... it was time that we could wait no longer. GMG's high school yearbook was upon us... so it was go time.
Feeling the need to make SURE that we got Team Mark and Maci EXACTLY what they were hoping for... I made a special trip out to their home before the session to see a place that was very near and dear to them.
What I walked into was a photographer's playground complete with a sweet pool table... old rustic wood walls everywhere with a feeling of nostalgia that was part old west saloon... part roaring 1920s... part Sturgis... and a car collection that would make the Good Guys blush.
Sure the outdoor stuff left little to be desired this time of year... but it mattered little because on the next day... we were gonna kill it inside with a place that was special to the Wilts duo.
So I returned the next afternoon knowing fully what to expect... but even after several "pre-planning" chats with my subject, I had yet to even MEET her!
In walked Maci and I knew I had much bigger problems on my hands than to make this girl look good. She showed me her clothing selections and, to her surprise, the old guy doing her pictures actually KNEW what Miss Me jeans were... as well as "jeggings."
Chalk one up for a child of the 80s. ;)
Fittingly... Dad then cranked up 95 KGGO on the stereo... (Mark has one HECK of a vinyl collection out there, too... AND a functioning turntable still... I may have to visit sometime and just hang out) ;) I think that place has a million stories inside it... and I actually got a few from Mark on both days... It's so cool hearing about the history that goes into making places special to people.
I was impressed with Maci's knowledge of the GGO playlist as I moved around the old work shed/hideaway-party place, trying to not sell the place short... because I could tell how much it meant to them. I bet we shot there for three hours before I felt we had exhausted every nook and cranny.
After polishing off the shed... I got to meet Mama Teresa, who I offered my hand to as a greeting... but that was simply not gonna do... so a hug it was! Who am I to argue? We then made a brief stop in Marshalltown and entertained ideas of doing some urban images... but it was simply too dreary for Maci's taste... so it was off to the studio to finish the day.
I still wanted to bang out several ideas for our girl from another generation that seemingly has been time-warped into the 21st century.
Her looks work in any era, however... so I just kept on goin'... making sure that we covered everything she wanted...
We may have saved her most personal image to the end, however. I hadn't quite figured it all out... but probably not unlike a lot of teens... she had issues burning inside that she chose to depict with a tattoo on the back of her neck.
Simple and to the point... when she lifted her hair... there it was....
"Strength."
A Hawkeye Fan and a fearless attitude... Maci busted out the black-n-gold sports bra and I took it from there to create an image of female power, persistence and pride in her ability to do things her way.
I'm confident that by the end of the day, Maci and I had undoubtedly pushed Papa Mark past his threshold of tolerance for pictures. But in the end... he knew this.... while it took some time to finally get there... his baby girl got exactly what she wanted on this day.
As they left... I offered her my hand as a sign of gratitude as she stood by the door... And just like a few hours before... a handshake wasn't gonna be enough.
I didn't need her to tell me her session was everything she ever wanted.... Her smile and hug did.
#winning.
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