I go to it often.
When you're shooting well over 100 images per senior... over 100 times a year... I could be Jim Gaffigan, and there wouldn't be enough jokes to coax a genuine smile out of all those exposures... every time.
So, what's a guy to do?
Well, I'm not sure about other shooters... but I have a few stock lines that I go to.
Perhaps my favorite line of all of 'em is this: "show me the dental work!"
Not sure really WHY it usually gets a genuine smile, but it does.
All that being said, never was it more fitting than when Jon from HLV High School paid us a visit a couple weeks back.
I'm not sure if it came up during big sis's session a few years back, but about a third of the way through the festivities, I busted it out.
"Show me the dental work!"
I pulled away from the camera... and realized the irony.
I was working on Jon DENTEL's senior pictures...
It almost sounded more ridiculous than normal... it DID get the smile I was looking for... but at the risk of sounding corny for the rest of the session... I put it on the shelf.
I'm guessing Jon was glad that I did.
Mr. Dentel really had just one major request for his day with us. He had mentioned to me in a private message a couple days before his session that he was on stage quite often at school. Whether it be musicals, plays, speech, show choir, choir, or even band, Jon wondered if there would be ANY way we could find a stage to be photographed on.
I ran through my mental Rolodex and aside from following Jon home and hoping we could bust into the school at Victor, I had one magic bullet I could try... so i did.
Through my time shooting candids for the Dance Konnection and MSDA for their dress rehearsals over the years... I've gotten very familiar with the Marshalltown High School auditorium and it's facility guru Al Paxon.
It was a stab in the dark... and totally last minute... but I called anyway.
Voicemail...
Crud.
I told Jon we tried... and maybe Al would call back... but I couldn't make any promises.
Then... about 20 minutes into the session... my cell rang.
"Come on in... I'll letcha in the door near the backstage area."
SWEET!
I prepped Jon for what he was about to see... because like Jon... I too came from a small school.. with a little stage... and probably way-too-outdated facilities with poor acoustics and sound systems.
And then there's the MHS Auditorium.
I assured Jon that what he was walking into was every bit a professional facility as you'll ever find and that making images that would blow him away would not be difficult.
I couldn't be for SURE... but I judging from the look on his face when he walked in for the first time... I think we came through... and came through BIG time for our man of the stage.
I put Jon through a series of dramatic poses in the darkened auditorium... and maybe the neatest thing was to look over at Jon's mother, Patty... and seeing tears in her eyes.
THAT's when you know you've done something special.
Patty wiped her tears away and we continued to work and finally after many different angles and options... I saved the best stage option for last...
"Tebow for me."
Jon looked at me and said... "seriously?"
Dude... just do it.
Knowing full well what he was to do... Jon dropped to a knee... executed the now famous pose and with all the soft ceiling lights almost twinkling like stars in a night sky... I too got goosebumps.
Dude... you HAVE to see this!
I could tell Jon was just as stoked about the image as I was... and I proclaimed then that we had our lead image for his blog...
And we did.
That was some serious Dentel work. Thanks Jon and Patty. Shout out to my girl, Abbey! Hope all is well!
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