To all those seniors that think 8 a.m. is too early to start a session, let me introduce you to Brittney Selvog.
Miss Selvog was originally scheduled for the aforementioned 8 a.m. slot, when she thought she'd ask for something more.
"What time would I have to be there to get a sunrise image?"
Taken aback a bit, I answered, "no later than 5:30 a.m., Brittney."
"I'll be there."
I admired her passion... but I took a I'll-believe-it-when-I-see-it approach.
The earliest anyone had EVER arrived at the studio for a senior session was 5:58 am. a year ago when East Marshall's Austin Kingrey shocked me with his crack-of-dawn dedication last summer.
Kingrey was trying to avoid oppressive heat. Selvog on the other hand? She wanted that ball of fire in the sky as it came over the horizon.
So Britt and Mama Michelle pulled up at 5:20 a.m. setting the new standard for earlybird-ness and we hustled into position.
The forecast the night before called for potential rain... but when I awoke that morning... my Samsung S4 told me "clear and 72 degrees." Perfect, right?
Not exactly.
In between my 4 a.m. wake up call and the 5:40 a.m. trip to the outskirts of Montour, clouds had rolled in... leaving us just a SLIVER of clear sky in between the horizon and the pain-in-our-neck bank of clouds that were coming dangerously close to cutting off our reason for being there in the first place.
We were patient... and as the yellow on the eastern sky got brighter and brighter... ANOTHER issue surfaced.
Precipitation.
The horizon looked like it was going to cooperate (albeit ever-so-slightly) but overhead? The rain was imminent. As it began to sprinkle... I felt all of our plans starting to unravel a bit right before my very eyes...
I told Brittney to hold fast... and then the golden Sun peeked over her shoulder as the sprinkles started to fall, becoming more frequent with each exposure I made. Pushing my Nikon D3 to it's limits to grab any and every bit of light we were afforded at that point, I took a second to peer over my shoulder to the southwest.
"Better jump in the H3... and fast," I suggested firmly to Britt and her mama.
They made it with minimal damage. Their photographer?
Not. So. Much.
Having to pack up the camera and tripod in the back of the Hummer was just enough to give me my second shower of the day... but it was worth it to make another vision come to life.
Brittney thanked me for my efforts as we zipped back into town in a downpour complete with thunder and lightning. We still had lots to do... including a tribute to her Uncle J the former trucker, as well as working in her dolphin collection. The rain eventually stopped and we ended up getting our guest of honor completely finished. (doesn't she look great gang? down 30 lbs. I'm told! Great WORK, Miss Brittney!).
A special thank you needs to go out to Grandpa Bob. (those around these parts know him as Bob Bottema). A recent retiree from his post at Wal-Mart, Bob would, without fail... bring up the fact every time I bumped into him over the past six months at the store that his granddaughter was ready for senior pictures. As the story goes... it was Grandpa Bob that insisted on only the best for his grandbaby. I gave Brittney a razzin about thinking that perhaps she could just "get by" with having a friend take her senior images... but thankfully, Grandpa won that battle and Miss Selvog was another Stewart Photography success story. Thanks, Bob... enjoy your retirement!
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