"Lauren's Laughs"
"Glitter Wars"
"Lauren Anne West... #layindowntheLAW"
"West-side Story"
All good angles for her blog, to be sure... but the one thing I just kept coming back to?
The fact that I've been doing this gig for almost 20 years now... and I told several people in the weeks leading up to Lauren's session, that I don't think that I had ever had a senior be MORE excited for their session.... maybe ever.
Take out the maybe.
I've written recently about seniors using social media to make it clear how much they are anticipating their session. They take to facebook and twitter like it's their job telling friends and followers about their excitement level.
And then there's Lauren.
I have little room to talk, as I channel my inner-teen on the same mediums like a boss, but following Miss West's nearly daily chatter about her excitement about coming here for senior pictures was not only flattering... but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't inspiring.
I told several close friends... look out for Lauren West's session... because we are gonna kick some major hindquarters on that one.
Ok, maybe I didn't say hindquarters.
How could I NOT? Her folks already had gone overboard for their baby girl by getting her our ROCKSTAR package, and that only served to ratchet Lauren up from a simmer to a raging boil.
So... we had her booked... she was excited... now the hard part.
Delivering.
How in the world was I possibly gonna be able to live up to this TwitterQueen's lofty expectations?
Things had gotten REALLY busy here, as usually happens in late July and early August... but I knew what I had to do.
Go overboard.
This time of year... Sunday's are definitely a work day... finally having a chance to chip away at the massive pile that has accumulated during the week... but it didn't matter. I had to make sure that Lauren knew that I wasn't taking her session lightly... and if I had to make her an example as to why Stewart Photography does it like no one else... I was gonna do just that.
The solution? Get your stuff ready a day early, Miss Lauren... we're shootin' Sunday night, too.
Defcon 5.
A quick check of her facebook wall brought me this...
"I have been waiting for this day for years! Ready to kick off the FIRST day of pics with the one and only Bstew!!!!! :)"
I knew I was well on my way to making good on my promise that I make to all my clients. No one outworks me.
Naturally then, we headed WEST for her Sunday night kickoff. A brief stop in State Center was followed by a trip around Iowa State's campus... We squeezed every last bit of daylight out of that first night... but I think the highlight was on the very last set of images (after the sun had already set)... and we're on a side road... just down from the Student Union... by a bridge... and Lauren is nailing yet another pose with her size zero figure. (no lie). A car drives by... and a voice from within hollers...
"Call me!"
If you scroll down about halfway thru this blog and look at the sepia toned image with Lil' Lauren leaning back again and iron fence with her hand on her chest... overcome with laughter... THAT is my vision of Miss West... Always laughing... always having fun with life... There's no fewer than three images on here of her lost in her happiness. How could I not feel like she was having the time of her life?
That's #winning.
Day two was a blur of images at her grandparents, her dance studio and then finally back at our studio. Most that are taking the time to actually read this ramble are already aware of the buzz her glitter image has created. I was so impressed with our collaborative effort that I made it our facebook cover image... all by itself. She really DOES define rockstar in that image... no doubt.
It was the last image of her I took that day... and sure it made a mess... there's still glitter in nooks and crannies around the studio... and i swear.. it may NEVER come out of the carpet in the hallway here. :)
But you know what? It was all worth to me. I took one more image after Lauren left the camera room one last time... and that was of her grandmother, "Gami" as she affectionately called her... until 2008.
Being a member of the same community Lauren has always called home... I am privy to knowledge that Lauren's life, like lots of ours... isn't always easy. I know she and her mother have had struggles... not the least of which would be the loss of Gami.
Diagnosed with lung cancer in early 2008... Lauren's "second mom" and Mama Jennifer's first mom... was gone before the end of the year. Finding out too late never gave her a chance... and I know that both ladies still struggle with the loss of their dear mother and grandmother at the far too young age of 57.
Jennifer had asked me to make one more image of Lauren with Gami.... in a combo of some sorts... She had one original image of her from her 18th birthday... and while the quality of the image had suffered over the hands of time... if you take one look at the very last image at the bottom of this blog... the resemblance is striking...
Lauren is a spitting image of her grandmama... and while I don't think I ever had the opportunity to meet this woman... I have little doubt that she would be extremely proud to see her own likeness portrayed in the form of her very own granddaughter... Lauren Anne West. #TheLAW
Thanks kid... it was an amazing couple of days. ;)
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