Go Big Or Go Home...

The old saying is go big or go home...

Or in this case... maybe do both.

In a season FULL of big senior sessions that have involved nearly everything under the sun... Mikaela Simpson's upped the ante.

And while we offer just one step up from where Miss Mikaela ended up on session size, no one has committed to more thus far this senior season.

If you subscribe to the more is better theory... this session falls in the better category.

And even if you don't believe in that theory... we know this... Mikaela's session was the biggest of the year to this point.

So, we've taken care of the Go Big part... make no mistake... the girl got in her practice with changing clothes.

What about the Go Home, part then?

It was Team Simpson's desire to bring me to Conrad to make some images happen at Casa De Mikaela and surrounding areas.

There you go then... large session AND at the homestead.

Why make it an "OR" when you can have an "AND?"

And that's exactly what we did...  So at 7:30 a.m. that morning... I was off to Conrad to make Mikaela's "and" come to life.

I had dealt with the Simpsons a couple years back with brother Mackenzie (BCLUW Class of '13), so I knew I'd be reunited with Mama Tambra and Papa Stacy... and just like for Mack's session, both parents took active roles in helping with the day's events.

When I arrived that Monday morning, Stacy was smoking some cheese on the grill (which let me tell ya... I'd gain 20 lbs nearly overnight if I lived with that guy... dude can prepare food).   No. Lie.    I got to sample some of his morning's work around lunch time (when we were also visited by long time friend and fellow Conradite, Heath Rhinehart and his son Keegan Chum Bucket Rhinehart).

But this day wasn't about cheese or chums... it was about meeting Mikaela, and making amazing images.

One never knows what they might walk into when going on location to photograph, but in this case, we hit the jackpot.   I had the Simpsons all over their front and back yards... covering every angle... uprooting fences... leaning on the old Sac County jail bars... working in the family German shorthair, Dixie, and did I mention the girl shoots bow and arrow?   Check out THAT image.   Don't. Mess. With. Mikaela.

After exhausting the property... we did make a brief appearance out and about downtown Conrad.   We hit the fire escape... the bank... the alleys around Ritchie Industries.   It doesn't get more urban than Conrad does it?   Answer?  Yes it does... but we got the looks we needed, regardless.

After doing downtown... it was back to the countryside feel, but this time, we paid a visit to John and Jane Katzer's farmstead west of town.  The proverbial jackpot was found again.   A big ol' barn was our focal point while we were there, but I found lots of other gems while we were there at the grandparents of two other former Stewart Photography seniors, Logan Simpson (BCLUW, '12) and sister Nicolette ('14).   Special thanks to the Katzer's for letting me barge in on their property for a couple hours.  :)

With all that in our hip pocket, we had most of this ginormous session covered with the small exceptions of a couple sports and a brief soiree at the studio back in Montour.   

Mikaela's home sits just west of Oakwood Golf Course on the southwest side of Conrad... so it only made sense to do a few images there in her Comet gear before escaping town.  When we got back to Montour, Miss Simpson just wanted one set inside in combination with one set in our creek, and then we wrapped up with some BCLUW volleyball images.

Early morning had turned into mid to late afternoon and our future journalist had turned the old journalist into one tuckered out dude.   I don't know how the Simpsons felt, but after looking at the images we came up with, it feels totally worth it.

Thanks for trusting in me, Team Simpson.   Great to see you again.