A couple of netkeepers in a pod...

One was the Class of 2005... the other, a member of the Class of 2014.

Both Bobcats

Both played the same position.

Both have the same first name.

Now both have something ELSE in common.

The same senior photographer.

Did I mention they both also have some of the fastest hands you'll ever see?  So fast... that they combust and catch fire?

Ok... let me explain.

Creighton Jenness is a Stewart Photography alum dating back to Marshalltown's Class of '05.   In a come full circle moment, Mr. Jenness returned to his alma mater a year ago to coach Bobcat Boys Soccer after playing Division I at St. Francis College in New York.

Jenness was a goalie back in the day, and as part of his session with us nine years ago, we took the bold step of lighting his goalie gloves on fire to pay tribute to his quick hands.   No computer effects... real fire... with his gloves ON his hands.

Fast forward to 2013, and MHS has another standout netkeeper by the same name, but THIS all-conference version spells his first name with a K... as in Kreighton.

Kreigton Miller may be the second Bobcat goalie with that first name to grace our studio over the years, but he's the THIRD member of his family to visit us in the past six years.

Stephen and Brenda Miller brought their daughters McKynlie ('09) and Cassidy ('10) to Stewart Photography for memorable sessions.  I've stayed in touch with Mama Brenda in the gap between the girls' sessions and Kreighton's, largely through facebook and Mrs. Miller and I's propensity to lament our plight as long suffering fans of the Chicago Cubs.   Maybe sometime before Brenda's yet to be born GRANDKIDS end up coming here for senior pictures we might actually have a World Series championship to celebrate... But I'm not holding my breath.

Regardless, it was great catching up with Brenda, and getting to know Goalie Great #2 from the Bobcat pitch.   Kreighton didn't demand nearly as big of a session as what his sisters did... but I knew ONE thing he was gonna want.   Killer soccer images.

We did the formality of banging out a couple of "regular" outfits before getting to the thing he really came for.  

At that point, we trekked into Marshalltown and began our quest to get Kreighton doing his shot blockin' thing.  With the help of buddy Eli Devine we wore out the grass at the 18th Avenue soccer complex on a scorching hot day.  Hard to believe it with as cool as it's been of late... but it was brutally hot that day and after the barrage of takes and re-takes that I put Kreighton through before I got what I wanted, Mr. Miller had quite a lather worked up.

I was tickled with what we got there, and Kreighton wanted to make sure we used a few lines that he has had drilled into his head by another of his coaches... this time from his club coach, Chris Fuschen.   Whether it's telling Kreighton to, "put in the work," or "take it to the next level," Coach Fuschen words needed to be the final touch on his epic images... so we did just that.

In an ultimate tribute to both his club coach, and his high school headman... the final image of the day was a throwback to Coach Jenness' senior session as we lit Kreighton's goalie gloves on fire just like his predecessor did back in 2004-05.   Take that red hot image and toss in Coach Fuschen's words, and BAM... the best of both worlds.

Schuler wanted to be sure...

Diana Schuler made the call...  and then the compliment.

She was calling to set up a senior session for her daughter, Jauna.

I began by going into an explanation about our services... what Stewart Photography had offer, and how we are different than some other places.

That's when Diana stopped me.

"I appreciate you telling me all this, but our mind is made up... we're coming to you no matter what."

High praise to be sure, but then she took it a step further.

"You're the only one who gets it right."

That could mean lots of things, but the message was clear to me.   The Schulers hail from Haverhill, Iowa, but Jauna was born far far away in Calcutta, India.   Evidently frustration over images of Jauna being too dark over the years left Diana with the impression that only one place consistently made her daughter look... well.... like Jauna should, and we take that as high praise.

Anyone who's been through a session with me knows I take my lighting as seriously as anyone.   I would trust that all of our seniors will never forget what a grey card is... have seen my neurolizer (also known as a light meter for those blog followers who haven't seen Men In Black)... and are well versed in my "five points of light" theory for indoor portrait lighting.

All this results in perhaps a maddening over-anal perfectionism that would threaten to drive some clients to the brink of wanting to steal the H3 and drive it off of a cliff, but I'd like to think that THAT's one of the reasons we get paid the big bucks!

In this case, Mama Diana was only going to trust one studio to make her daughter look natural.... but my task went beyond lighting... way beyond.

Jauna would be the first to admit she was extremely anxious about her session.   I'm not sure that there isn't a little bit in all of us that worry about "looking good."   Especially with something like senior pictures, where you're trying to make a statement about who and what you are... to your peers and your loved ones.

I told Jauna to put those worries and tension aside and assured her she was in good hands.   Most people that have had the privilege of getting to see me and my 250 pounds demonstrate how a 110 pound female should stand will tell you that after the reality of having nightmares from seeing Bryan Stewart "get his girl on" subsides, they sure are glad that we insist on getting the pose correct, too.

So while Jauna's nervousness manifested itself into getting her left and right mixed up a few times (don't YOU laugh out there... 3/4ths of all-ya'all get it wrong, too!) in the end she looked like a posing pro.  

We were trusted to get the lighting and the pose correct... so the only thing left to do was to bring out that natural expression.   Part of the job is to take even the most anxious of seniors and after a few images, make THAT person feel at ease and just like they were hangin' out with an old friend.

Judging from Jauna's smiles, I think we succeeded there, too.   Jauna was pretty quiet for most of the session, so it was difficult for me to tell what she thought of things because she didn't wear her excitement on her sleeve like some gals will.

But when I got home my daughter, who attends school with Jauna, said she received a snap chat her that told me all I needed to know.

It was Jauna... still at the studio... with a super excited expression and it merely said... "your Dad is the best!"

If that's not #winning... I don't know what is.

Thanks for your trust in me Team Schuler!

Hoppin on the Tama Tennis Train with Tori...

Turns out, April 25, 2013 was a pretty important day for Stewart Photography.

I can't be for SURE... but it's my best guess.

A client of mine had strongly suggested that South Tama Girls Tennis Coach Steve Bearden check into our studio for his team pictures for the first time.  Mr. Bearden listened and the wheels were set in motion.

Only one problem:   The weather.

With the beautiful week we're having and suddenly drought conditions again... it's may be hard to remember that back in April we were still dealing with frigid temperatures, rain and even SNOW on a couple of occasions, but we were.   Mother Nature caused a couple of postponements of our maiden voyage to the STC Tennis Courts, but on the 25th of April... I was given my chance to give a photographic forehand smash.

Now sports pictures are just that.... sports pics.   It's our quick stuff... our assembly line down-n-dirty run-'em-thru images.  Even with that in mind... I got the distinct impression from the Trojan ladies that what we were doing was somehow different that what they were used to, and whatever that was I wasn't about to apologize.

So then, what does all this STC tennis talk have to do with a senior blog?   Maybe nothing, but maybe it does?

One after another, several of the JUNIORS that were in that team shot that day have lined up for our SENIOR services just a couple of months later.   Sure... a couple may have come our way without our performance in late April, but I know a few senior sessions are direct spin offs from that day.

The first of what i count as five members on the squad to call and line up their sessions was Tori Appelgate.  Mama Laurie mentioned the tennis thing when she booked the appointment and the fruit from our previous labor was starting to, well... come to fruition.   Tori's mom runs Laurie's Hair Affair in Toledo (shameless plug) and needed a Monday since most hairstylists have Monday's off.  (So do most photographers... but not THIS guy during the busy season!).   So a Monday it was.. and our senior with amazing hair showed up curly... and not surprisingly, transformed quickly to straight.

We covered all our bases that day... not only with the epic hair... not only with tennis... but the ladies asked for... and got... my entire life story.  There was also a blast from the past as Laurie's sweeter-than-sweet 1986 Chevy Camero made an appearance.   And I found out that despite beauty and athletic ability... Miss Tori is a future Bio Medical Engineering student at the University of Iowa.   (Last I checked... they don't let dummies into that program)

We finished the day, as we often do, with our sports collage.  Besides tennis... Tori will be a hitter on Coach Bradley's volleyball team here in a few weeks, and she just completed a summer full or roaming right field for the Trojan softball squad....   But, in the end... it was tennis that she told me that she loved the most... that needed to be the focus.   So what had begun on April 25 had come full circle and we couldn't be happier about that.

Special thanks to Sandra Svacina for suggesting it.   Coach Bearden for listening and agreeing and the slew of this year's seniors for taking it to another level by trusting us with your images, both on and off the court.

Game. Set. Match.

The wobbly world of the walking wounded...

I woke up the morning of Peyton Mannan's session wondering how I was gonna get it done.

I had been struggling mightily with back pain for a couple of days... and despite dialing down my personal afternoon workouts, the tightness between my shoulders was getting worse, rather than better.

After contemplating calling the Mannan's and seeing if we could reschedule, I decided to load up on ibuprofen, slap on some Bio-Freeze and take one for the team.

It was Friday... and I wasn't about to let Peyton down.

Peyton and her mama, Julie, came in ultra anxious and excited.   They had a few ideas of what they wanted... Jeans... shorts... a dress... and a sporty idea.  Perfect variety!

Now if their shooter's back would hold out.

As tried to hide my wincing from the ladies... I suddenly found out that I wasn't alone.

Like many senior gals, Peyton had packed a pair of 4 inch heels for her super cool urban look.   I find that why many young ladies look amazing in them... they also really STRUGGLE with the walking around in them part.

Case and point?   Peyton Mannan.

Miss Peyton was doing her best impression of a person walking around on stilts and then the confession came...

"I really twisted my ankle good."

A multi-sport athlete at GMG, Peyton was attending a basketball camp at Grinnell when it happened... and after thinking about how she was gonna get through the remainder of softball season, her NEXT thought turned to something ELSE extremely important...

SENIOR PICTURES!

So, there we were... a couple of cripples hobbling around.   Peyton, trying to look amazing... and me... trying to put on the show she came for, despite feeling below par.

Somehow there was comfort in the fact that we were both struggling in some form or fashion.   Call it misery loves company... instead of crying about about it... it became more fun to razz each other about how pathetic we were!  :)

As hurt as she was, you woulda thought that making a serious face may have been easy, but it wasn't.   Peyton is one of those kids that can't pull off the "smoldering" look.   She'll be the first to admit that.   So, when I asked her to try... it inevitably ended up with her busting out into a laugh... knowing full well of her own supermodel imitation shortcomings.   Want proof?   Check out the double-image below where she's full-blown laughing at herself.   Priceless!

To cap off our day, Peyton and her mother wanted a different approach to sport collage idea.   Using inspiration from a senior image we did a year ago of East Marshall's Josh Wilson and his collection of Nike T-shirts, Peyton wanted to represent all of her GMG activities in a similar fashion.

We had both nearly made it to the finish line of her session.   My sore back looking forward to the weekend... and her ankle, well.... looking forward to the 5k Color Run in Des Moines???  (Peyton is a glutton for punishment!)   So we ran through the prevision of how to stack up Peyton and all of her evil twin sisters.   The result?  Totally epic, hilarious an awesome all at the same time.

Not bad for a couple of walking wounded.  ;)

Making memories in Weltonville...

It didn't take long to tell that this was one I'd not soon forget.

Lauren and her mother Madaleine burst in the doors of Stewart Photography, and before I could even come around the corner to greet them, mama was announcing "WE'RE HERE!!!"

I couldn't help but grin as I saw both of their wide smiles as they stood there with their arms FULL of outfits.  Clearly they were excited.... and that's an awesome thing!

I had bumped into Lauren Welton at East Marshall events over the years, but never had officially met Madaleine.   I now see why Lauren is the fabulous young lady that she is, because she has an amazing role model.   In her still audible Philadelphia accent (no... she doesn't have a brother named Vinny), Mom insisted I call her Maddi... I agreed, and we were off to make epic memories.

The first of which happened exactly ONE exposure into the session when I took image of Lauren on a white background... looked down at the camera... looked up... and there they were...

Tears.

This phenomenon of a parent seeing 17 or 18 years passing by in the blink of an eye hits some mom's pretty hard when this thing called senior pictures starts.   Denial, disbelief... yet full of joy and pride... it's a special moment to be sure.   The stoked up senior doesn't quite get it as the tears seem to kill their vibe, but despite the twinge of embarrassment they can't help but know that they are cared for... just THAT much.

It wasn't long and we were hittin' the road to track down some urban looks, a piano on location, and a trip to Grandma Welton's

It didn't matter WHERE we were, it seemed that after the initial crying episode, it was full scale "assistant of the year," mode for Mama Maddi.  During the course of our conversation, Lauren (who attends youth group with my only daughter, Breanna) asked me HOW IN THE WORLD I was planning on topping myself NEXT summer for Bre's session.  I assured her that I had little control over that impending fiasco... and that I would merely be a minion marching to the orders of the wife and daughter.  I suggested that perhaps a flight to parts unknown may be in order... tropical parts, perhaps... but I really didn't know what was in store yet.

And THAT's where the running jokes began.

Most senior mom's know after being through the process with me, that they are going to be pressed into service during the session.   Holding a reflector here... a strobe there.  Helping me with clothing and hair placement.   Make no mistake, mom's extra set of hands and eyes are being put to use.

Seeing that this was the case... Maddi's wheels started churning.   From that time forward... I was no longer "Bryan."   I was "Boss."   Like an over anxious rookie, Lauren's mom had suddenly thought that if she was GOOD enough at this helping thing... maybe, just MAYBE she could parlay this into bumming along for the ride NEXT summer for Breanna's session!

She was kidding of course.... Or WAS she??

One thing I do know is, I could do a whole heck of a lot worse in finding an assistant to help than Maddi Welton.   As long as a guy can see past her incessant insistence that every pop song on the radio that has a male lead singer must be Maroon 5, you'd be okay.

"Is this Maroon 5??"

"No mom... it's NOT Maroon 5."

After finishing up our work (or play) in Marshalltown, we zipped off to what the girls called, "Weltonville."

Just north of Highway 30 on Country Road T-47 is a cluster of homes that are all owned by Weltons.   We were headed right into the heart of Weltonville as Papa Tim's mother, Joanie was expecting us.

Yet another bubble-bubble-bubbley personality greeted me as we entered Jo's home.  Just like Maddi... Joanie was subscribing to the anything-you-need-boss mentality.   I spied a nice available light area to use for what I knew might be another emotional spot for Lauren's session... A planned tribute to her Grandpa Gary.

It had been three years since Gary passed as a result of a tragic chemical explosion while operating a bulldozer, but the emotion was still palpable.  With a couple of symbols of Grandpa by her side, and the soft light shining  down on Lauren... the images couldnt have been any more perfectly clean.  As I sometimes will do, I shared the vision on the back of the camera with Lauren and her mom... Of course, Grandma wanted to see, too.   I looked up to see that Jo had put on a pair of sunglasses, and it wasn't because it was too bright.

Seeing her beautiful granddaughter...  nearly all grown up now... paying tribute to her husband of 52 years... the man she misses everyday, was overwhelming.   No one in the room could blame her.   And just like the first exposure of the day, I was counting my blessings to be a part of something so special.

We made several images on Jo's property before heading out... but before I did, I heard Lauren's Grandmother lamenting the fact that she had allowed her American flag in the front yard to become so worn a top the flag pole.  Since I had a pole very similar to it at my own home... I knew that it was NOT easy to lower and raise the heavy telescoping pole.  As a thank you for letting us bust in on her day, I figured it was the least I could do to get down Old Glory so a new one could be raised.

We made it back to the studio... now many hours since we had left that morning, and we still had lots to accomplish.  Lauren's Dad, Tim, joined us for a few sets and got to see what all the fuss was about.   He was informed that his wife was trying to earn a trip to Hawaii with the Stewarts next summer... and probably heard his wife guess (incorrectly) about whether Maroon 5 was currently on the radio.

Dad then headed out and we weren't far behind him because we still had one thing left to do. 

A trip to East Marshall's football field.

If you haven't seen them already, the school has installed a new set of grandstand style bleachers that are now ready for football here in just over a month.   They evidently are ready for senior pictures as well, because Lauren wanted to take full advantage of them.  Evidently her mother asks her every time they drive by the field now, "when did they put THOSE in???"   And, right on cue... the question was asked yet again when we pulled up on the north end of the field that day.

If you're getting the idea that I thought a lot of Lauren and her mom, you'd be right.  I had already been told that Papa Tim had been a great influence on my kids' lives at weekly youth group meetings (and TRUST me... they need all the help they can get!)   Add in the experience of Lauren's senior session, I think it's safe to say that I sure am glad that Tim and Maddi decided to open enroll their children into East Marshall three + years ago and become a part of our community.

Our Class of 2014 senior slogan has been "Unforgettable."   The idea is that this should be more than just great images... more than just another day.... It should be special... a day to be remembered.   Unforgettable.   Thanks Team Welton... you were exactly that.