Pretty wise for a sixteen year old, huh?
I was informed that our West Marshall senior from a week ago Wednesday just turned had her 16th birthday on February 2, which puts her at least a year younger than most of her contemporaries that go through the senior picture process. Vaulted ahead a grade at a young age, Miss Toszegi certainly showed me no ill effects from the advancement... if anything, quite the opposite.
While most parents do the calling, fact finding, date picking, booking and general question asking... I was surprised this time, that most of that, fell on Alex's shoulders.
Not that she HAD to... but because she WANTED to.
A take charge kinda gal, Alex asked all the right questions, got her ducks in a row and during the course of our initial conversation, I discovered we had something in common.
Photography.
Alexandria spoke to me knowledgeably on the topic and how to maximize her opportunity with me... and while Mama Tami did eventually have to step in with the credit card to take care of the business end of things, nearly everything else was Alex's department.
Needless to say... I was impressed.
And when I tell you that she wanted to maximize her session... she did just that.
While she stopped just short of our RockStar package, make no mistake, Alex was rockin' it right out of the gate that Wednesday morning.
I found out quickly the reasoning for Alex's most excellent disposition as I got the treat of meeting both of her folks. Her mother, Tami, like most moms, was there... and native Hungarian, Papa Sandor was there as well. I discovered that both of them were almost into the experience as their daughter... which i find very cool. Daddy mighta been having the MOST fun of all of us! AWESOME!
Wanting to a lend a hand whenever possible, Sandor was my right hand man from stem to stern... holding exterior strobes, umbrellas, reflectors, straightening backgrounds... he could NOT get enough. I wish more dads had a chance to run through this process with us. ;)
So we were off an running out of the gate, Team Toszegi... attacking Alex's sweet Mitsubishi Spyder GS from every angle... Sandor working the strobe, Alex workin' the heels, and Tami keeping us all in check.
The session "accessories" didn't end there. I got to meet Alex's boxer pup, Ceera. She was a laid back gal that wasn't quite sold on the entire senior portrait experience, but we did get some priceless images... just look at that FACE!!! Awwwww.
Next up in our line of "have-to's" was another educating experience for me. While most around here are certainly aware of Alex's school's propensity to field a football team annually that's among the state's elite, little did I know that their drill team/color guard takes a back seat to no one.
A quick glance at the internet confirmed what I was told... The most recent Iowa State Dance Team Championships found West Marshall High School sitting a top the rankings in the Class I Color Guard category. Stuff like that doesn't happen by accident... it's from putting in a LOT of time, practice, fine tuning, teamwork and undying dedication to the cause.
I wasn't surprised just yesterday when I photographed Alex's BFF and she had to back out of attending her friend's session... Why? Because she couldn't miss color guard practice, of course! THAT's what it takes to make a champion.
So, my job was to find a way to rock the flags and the rifles in a way worthy of a state titleist. I spared nothing... shimmying up on top of my H3 a couple of times to get the high angle images. I may have even impressed Tami a little with my ability to pose with a flag like it was my job. ;)
I was told that Grandma Toszegi back in Hungary may need some translation to read my ridiculous ramblings on this blog... but one thing I do know is that after hearing stories from Sandor about how little his mother gets to see her grandbaby... and how when the rare opportunity arises and she lays her hands on her granddaughter's cheeks as if to somehow freeze time and soak in Alex, I have a feeling that seeing pride and joy, draped in the Hungarian flag, may bring tears to grandmama's eyes. While it certainly isn't as good as getting to hold her Alexandria, it's my best effort to bridge the gap across the ocean in a photograph.
Finally, the session would not be complete without busting out Alex's Canon Rebel. It was was I was most looking forward to. She has some amazing stuff here... and perhaps my ornery-ness combined with Alex's inspiration let to a couple off the wall images, I couldn't have had more fun creating with another artist... It was fulfilling to say the least.
"Live in the present, not the past... regret nothing you do."
More excellent advice from a 16 year old.
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