Sure I might go overboard... be prone to hyperbole... but I go to bed every night knowing that I've done much more than just pushing a button.
In the grand scheme of things, you're right... it's not a NECESSITY. It's frivolous. It can be silly. Perhaps self-indulgent.
But if there's one thing that I've been accused of over the years, it's been the ability to bring out someone's personality. It's a seminal moment that I'm blessed to take part in 100 plus times a year... every year.... for the past 20 years. A crossroads. A culmination of 17 or 18 years and all that went into it. Time after time, senior (and usually senior mom) step into the camera room. And it all rushes back.
The first steps. Kindergarten. Trick or treating. MFL games. Parent/teacher conferences. Jr. High dances. Learning to drive. That first serious girlfriend. The broken hearts and the big wins that you'll never forget.
All of it is standing there right in front of me waiting to be showcased. A childhood that is nearly complete... and almost without fail, I marvel at what a great job mom and dad did. They did the hard part... now I just have to portray that with millions of tiny colored dots we call pixels.
So, where is this all going?
Jake Pippin is a member of East Marshall's senior class of 2014. Like most of the seniors that call LeGrand home, I've watched him grow up. His sister grew up shoulder to shoulder with my only daughter. Mama Jackie and Papa Rob are good friends.
It didn't surprise me in the least when Jackie was one of the very first to call to begin discussions about Jake's experience here at Stewart Photography back in February. She was excited... and unlike many senior guys... so was Jake.
If there is one word I could use to sum up Mr. Pippin... it would be CHARACTER.
I chose this word because of its dual meaning... and both apply here.
Jake is a character because he's ornery... he's delightfully funny. He's an All-State speech performer, and he and his friends brought home an extremely rare Critic's Choice banner a year ago to prove it. He's got a great sense of comedic timing and sarcasm... and the dude LOVES movies. So much so... he wants to make it his life as he plans on attending the University of Iowa to pursue a career in film making.
How freekin' cool is that?
So, it didn't surprise me that he had a couple of specific requests to symbolize that cinematic tract that he has planned for himself. The iconic Tom Cruise "Risky Business" DVD cover emulation was one of the request... and the other was allowing Jake to channel in inner Wolverine. While I wasn't completely sure of what our result might be... I was willing to try it... You can be the judge... but I think together we hit 'em on the screws.
But we didn't stop there. Jake not only IS a character, but he HAS character.
Through being a member of this community and my wife's own recent struggles with losing her father, I was aware that Jake had lost both of his beloved grandfather's during his high school years. Jake's mom has been there for my wife and I recently as we try to cope with the hole in one's life that somehow will never be completely repaired. Jackie Pippin is always a calming voice in the midst of a whirlwind of emotions, and I personally can't thank her enough for always lending an ear when we've needed it... and a seemingly knowing just what needs to be said during tough moments.
Naturally then, when it was requested that we go to First United Methodist in Marshalltown to pay tribute Jackie's Dad... Jake's Grandpa... I couldn't wait to go make some images with my like minded friends. So with "Papa Max's" Bible in his hands and a heart and mind full of memories, we kicked out image after moving image in that picturesque sanctuary. I didn't know Max Patterson well, but judging from how all the workers and church members that still fondly spoke of Mr. Patterson, it left little doubt that Max left his mark on many a heart before he left this Earth.
Grandpa Gene, or Robb's father, got a tribute of his own as well when I found out from Jackie that Jake has recently taken up blacksmithing in Gene's old shop back home. Initially hesitant to have me photograph in what Jake felt to be a "not-tidy-enough" shop... I assured him that if it were perfectly clean... I wouldn't want to shoot in there. While it was a crazy mess in there... I'm almost positive that Gene knew where everything was in there... and I think it's awesome that Jake's in the process of carrying that torch in honor of his Grandpa.
Oh we also did our trademark sports collage. We ran around the riverbed in the sand... and shot through that beautiful tunnel of trees that welcomes Jake home everyday after football practice. We mixed in some Andy Warhol tributes, and we also realized we are Brother's in Eyebrow Crime (fear the eyebrow, my brutha... fear it).
But more than that... even after another marathon session in a season that seen a plethora of them, I went to bed that night knowing that, with the help of another ornery visionary, we had made more than just pictures. It was more than just pushing the shutter release. It was doing things our way... the only way that I've known how for the greater part of two decades now... and that's to treat people the way you would want to be treated. And that means that even after a seven or eight hour session... you give your senior and his mom a lift home when their van won't start outside the studio. That's just what you do... because at this place... you're not just a client when you leave here... you're a friend.
Much love, Team Pippin. God Bless you all.
No comments:
Post a Comment