Daddy's girl shines like the silver they call Sterling...

It was just a random day... either late winter... perhaps early spring... and I was mired in the silence that is the calm before the senior picture storm that begins for us annually in June.

Without notice, there he was.

A wiry and excitable fella had dropped by the studio... just lookin' for info.   His daughter was gonna need some senior pictures that summer, and he was wanting the low-down.

Perhaps it's my annual winter depression that boosted the cynic in me... but I have told people for the longest time that when DAD wants the 411 on how this all works, I usually hoist the red flag.

Fair?  Certainly not.  But anyone who's logged any time in this industry is keenly aware that portrait photographer are taught to cater to the fairer of the two sexes... and for good reason.

Females look forward to it more... they research it more... the want it to last longer... they want more products... they are the decision makers most often.   Anyone that tells you that you should be tailoring your marketing and business plan towards MEN in this gig... probably won't be in business for long.  ;)

A quick glance at my facebook diagnostics tells me that of the well over 3200 fans of Stewart Photography, 75.6% are female.

There have been years that our clientele numbers have mirrored those numbers as well.  So that tells me that we must be doing SOMEthing right.

That being said... It was winter.. I was slow.. I didn't have much else to do... So I gave Rob Formanek a chance... Took my time, and gave him a detailed explantion as to how everything works for high school seniors at Stewart Photography.

To my surprise... there were no "pfffs"  snorts, "oh please's"  or "well... I can't see where ANYONE would need THAT many pictures," type of comments that often come from fellas who may not quite understand the importance of this whole deal to a 17-18 year old young lady.

Rob thanked me for my time... and went out the door.   I wondered if I might not ever hear from him again.

It took a little time... a couple of months or so... but that phone call DID come.   And just when I thought this rare situation of dad bein' on the front lines and callin' the shots was gonna end up in a 3-outfit basic session, I was floored.

"We're gonna sign up for the RockStar package."

WHAAAAA?

Daddy had done his due dliigence, researched the topic in depth... checked out all angles... and decided that nothing less than the very biggest option we had to offer was what his baby girl was gonna get.

And upon further review... when your daughter is named "Sterling,"  I guess you really had no other choice, now do you?

So when August 21st rolled around and Sterling was back from her summer away in Europe (cashing in on an early graduation present from Dad), I FINALLY got to meet Sterling Formanek.  

I had chatted with her briefly on facebook when she chimed in a couple week prior to her session with concerns about being "ready" or "having any ideas."   I assured her that that''s why I was hired... and that she just needed to bring her outfits and her smile and I'd take care of the rest.

That's pretty much what she did.   Perhaps the least assuming RockStar session in history, Sterling brought her puppy, a a handful of outfits and the rest was up to me.

The one thing that our RockStar gal DID say was that she wasn't a big fan of flowers.   I translated that to mean that she wanted a more edgy urban look.. and I knew that left me only one choice.  

Roadtrip.

We hopped in the H3 and did what we do best, which is to take our act on the road to make sure that NONE of our seniors gets cookie-cutter images... much less clients that have a commitment to excellence that our top-of-the-line rockstars do.  ;)

I has so much fun taking with Rob and Sterling... awesome conversation... and both seemed genuinely into the process.   Rob even kept me from getting kicked out of hotel lobby in Waterloo, so I owe him for that!

In the end, I think I had to tell both Rob and Sterling several times to stop apologizing for taking up so much of my time... I assured that THIS is how RockStars roll.. and that I was merely giving them what they had paid for! 

A former South Tama student-turned Belle Plaine transplant, I finally got to solve the mystery that was Sterling Kay Formanek several months after the process was started by her amazing dad.   I think she knows that she's lucky to have him... it seemed like he would do anything for his baby girl... not the least of which was to take an entire day off to sit in with us on a Tuesday.

A rare thing... from start to finish... but with a name like Sterling... I would have expected nothing less.  ;)