Syd puts trust in us...

Sometimes I'm guilty of this.

And it probably comes as no surprise to those that know me.

I've been known to go a little overboard.

So when East Marshall's Sydney Rogers came to us a few weeks back and was traveling light with just a few outfits and very little requests.  Did that mean a quick 90 minute session, in and out... crank it out and move on to the next one?

Please.

Her mom and step dad and I have ran in similar circles the last few years as our son's have played MFL football together... played baseball together... shared the same AAU hoops team... (and guess what?   that means all the practices together, too)   So when this blonde beauty chose Stewart Photography, I wasn't about to let her leave without showing her the time of her life.

Her only request was to make a trip to East Marshall's football field for some cheerleader images at the tail end of her session... but other than that... It was my call for the rest of it.   She seemed just tickled to be at our studio.

Getting to hang with her posse for the day, which included her mama, Beth... former Stewart Photography senior Savannah, and old friend Kylee kept things lively the entire afternoon.   Whenever things got a little quiet... I could count on Team Sydney to take over the conversation.  (translation:  Bryan got caught up on all the latest drama on a variety of topics!)

In the meantime, I was just doing my thing, trying to make sure the afternoon was one that Syd would never forget, and before you know it, the session probably took three times as long as it should have.  But that's what happens when you're having fun.

Sydney is a lifeguard at the Tama/Toledo Family Aquatic Center (I think I've photographed half of the guards there recently, incidentally) and in addition she's the captain of the East Marshall football cheerleaders.   She's a great kid, and furthermore, she's made no bones about her love for our work at Stewart Photography, and that made it easy to bend over backwards for our bombshell senior.

I've been apologizing for weeks to our seniors-in-waiting as the normal August crush of late summer appointments squeezing in right before school started has been amplified with additional work by obtaining a second school contract at nearby South Tama, in conjunction with new work for Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa.  One thing I always promise to seniors at the time of their session... and that promise is that just because we fall behind with workload... doesn't mean we're gonna cut corners to get caught back up.   It'll be worth the wait, and quality takes time.

It's my hope that Miss Sydney feels like her wait was rewarded.

Thanks for your trust in us.