Maybe ever.
But Justin Koppes wanted to, so I was along for the ride.
More on that later.
Justin is a senior at Iowa Falls/Alden High School so when his mother called to set up his session with a studio over an hour away, I felt compelled to ask her how in the world did they track me down in Montour?
Simple she says. Her son's girlfriend came to Stewart Photography last year!
So, we have one Kaelee Matney to blame for this. :)
The now Marshalltown grad talked her Cadet beau into coming our way for a different twist on things than what they're used to seeing up there way... so it was off to Iowa Falls that Friday morning to photograph in three areas close to his heart.
The first was the Meyer Aquatic Center just off of Rocksylvania Avenue in the 50126. A life guard there, it's Justin's home away from home in the summer, so it was my job to capture that for him. Strangely, it was a chilly August morning, but the water was plenty warm, so all three of us, Justin, Mama Brenda and myself were all in it at one point or another.
In fact, I nearly ruined a brand new Samsung S4 cell phone by forgetting it was in the pocket of my khaki shorts before going in the drink nearly up to my waist. Oops. A quick trip to the Iowa Falls Hy-Vee and a box of rice seemed to do the trick as the cell phone survived it's bath with a fortunate revival later in the day.
I photographed that aquatic center from every angle I could dream up before we were off to photograph something else special to our senior guy... his dad's car.
A blue 1968 Corvette was on the docket and we ran it over near the golf course to get it photographed. Justin insists that he will be OWNING that car very soon. Mom wasn't so sure. :)
Eventually, we had to end up back at Montour to get some studio stuff and get a sports collage created to highlight his soccer career with the Cadets (in addition to some part time soccer refereeing and a role on the football team), but before we got back to the home of Rube's Steakhouse and Stewart Photography, we had one more stop to make.
And that's when I found out.
Just 12 days ago marked the third anniversary of the day that Justin wished never came.
Sept 1, 2010 was the day that Justin lost his father.
He was just starting his freshman year at Iowa Falls and he was there when it happened. Dad was a hog buyer for Tyson Foods just south of Hubbard on Highway 65. And on that first day of September three years ago, a undetected heart condition took Justin's dad, and Brenda's husband from them at the way-too-early age of 36.
I can't pretend what it would have been like to have been there, like Justin was... and I have no idea what it would be like to go through all of high school without my dad. But Justin does.
And as I watch my own wife struggle daily with the loss of her father just a few weeks back at the age of 73, it made me appreciate even more Justin's strength to want to return to the very site where it all happened.
His smiles all day told me that he's found a way to move on... and for that, I'm sure Scott Koppes would be glad to know of the young man that Justin has become. A glance today at Scott's obit from three years ago showed me that his son is a spittin' image of pops - only with red hair and freckles.
It's days like these that make what I do, and how we do it... special. While time can never completely eliminate the void that was left in the fall of 2010, a legacy was left. A special son, a daughter and a wife are carrying on... and for that, I'm sure Papa Scott is somewhere full of pride.
Thanks for going the extra mile to share your story with me, Team Koppes.
God Bless.
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