Being well liked...

A decade ago, we wouldn't have even been having this discussion.

Heck... we didn't even have a blog back then.

Clearly a lot has changed in the past five or ten years.   A large part of my job involves making this blog... posting to social media... Updating our website.

Twitter.   Instagram.  Facebook.

We've posted literally thousands of images over the last several years and your response has been overwhelming.   All the comments, retweets and likes not only lets our client know what you think... but it gives us feedback on what's working well.

And if that's any kind of accurate indicator, Triston Lasley is well liked.

Of all the thousands of images we've posted over the years, the first image of this blog takes the cake.

It doesn't necessarily have to mean anything other than in our studio's history, I can't recall any singular image skyrocketing up the charts to the tune of 400+ Facebook likes in just a couple of days.   Triston's Native American full regalia explosion of color and detail has lit up my phone for the past 48 hours since his initial Instagram/Facebook teaser was posted.   Indeed, I think nearly all of Meskwaki Nation has given it the social media thumbs up!

In retrospect, the 30+ minutes it took for Triston and his mama Nahmi to get him all warrior-ed up at the end of his senior session was certainly worth it.   Right down to taking extra time to make sure his tail-feathers stood up properly!

Sure we took the time to bang out solid senior images of Mr. Lasley prior to that point... we even chronicled his membership on one of the best Class 2A football teams in the state of Iowa... and made a sweet-as-heck collage for his real love... hoops (it's almost time to hit the hardwood, Triston... bet you can't wait, can ya?)   But at the end of the day, the most eye popping images we made that day were when our senior paid tribute to his heritage.

It should be interesting to see what number of likes that Triston's image eventually settles in at, but for now we'll just safely assume that we did good on that day.

Thank you all for your interest and support... and hats off to Team Lasley for their efforts and for choosing Stewart Photography!

 

Good Lourdes...

I don't hear it very often.

On most occasions, it doesn't even cross their minds.

But on this day... it did.

Typically when we sit down before a session with a senior, I'll ask if there's anything specific that they'd like to do on that day.

"I brought my car."

"I want to work in some with my guitar."

"Could we do some in water somewhere?"

"I want one of your sports collages."

All answers I hear on a daily basis... and not unusual.

So when I asked South Tama senior Lourdes Avalos what SHE wanted for her session?

"I want my grandma to be in some with me."

Far more often is the case that I'll receive requests for images to be made with mom.   I wouldn't call it a regular occurrence, but a few times a year we'll see the mother/daughter image request.

Only in this case... sadly it wasn't an option.

We all lose our parents sometime.   Last I checked, death has an undefeated record lately.   But for young Miss Lourdes... it came far sooner than most.  That means Grandma Agnes has become a big(ger) part of her life... her support... her rock.

So at the ripe young age of...  actually I didn't ask... and Agnes probably preferred it that way... so let's just say we had TWO seniors in the camera room that day.  Fair enough?  :)

After running around with our super sweet senior and future psychology major (and possible social worker or probation officer) and having all kinds of fun on a cloudy  Friday morning, I waited patiently as our two seniors got dressed up in native regalia and it was time.

I asked Lourdes afterwards what the best memory of her session was, and without hesitation she said, "including my grandma."

Judging from the smile on Agnes' face, I'll go out on a limb and say that it was her favorite part of the day as well.

Thanks for choosing Stewart Photography, ladies.

Knowing Noah

If I know Noah... he'd probably prefer that I just skip this part.

You know... the whole senior picture thing... the inevitable bringing of attention to oneself... the blog...

All the extra words.

For you see, from what I've been able to gather about the guy... he's a man a few words.   And when he does use them... they have impact.

Meaning.

Like when he shows a great example for my seventh grade son at youth group, or when he leads a group of students at a function they call "See You At The Pole" where they gather to pray around the flag pole at East Marshall High School.

Or when he speaks with his guitar every single Sunday like he has for several years when as a young teen he's gotten up in front of our church and help lead the praise band in worship.

No, you won't see the second son of Pastor Darren Young and his wife Dawn yelling and screaming to command respect from his teammates tonight as they play their final high school football game at East Marshall as seniors.   You'll see him busting his tail on every play like I've watched him do for four years now... largely on teams that had fewer W's than they would like.   Yet... there's number 10 running that fullback dive like it's the last time he'll ever touch the ball.

And that's not a bad way to look at things.   Because, like Noah knows... we aren't promised tomorrow.   So it's probably best that you make the most of your todays.   Make a difference.   Lead.    Set the standard.

He'll probably be ticked at me for bringing so much attention to him, rather than Him... but the fact is... pointing out this young man and his example is doing just that... Bringing glory to where it belongs.

A guy that Noah knows very well once said... "This is my beloved Son... with whom I am well pleased."  

From where I stand, I think Darren and Dawn have every right to watch their #10 run out on to that field one more time tonight, look at each other with a smile and say the same thing.

Toree's Two-Tiered Torrent

Normally it's pretty easy for me to find my wheel house quickly.

My groove.

The sweet spot.

Get in the zone.

With a wide variety of experiences back when I was in high school, I've always prided myself in being able to relate with a wide variety of seniors that we see at Stewart Photography annually for the past two and a half decades.

Everyone knows I'm a sports guy... but I've done the band thing... the choir thing... the speech and drama thing... the plays... the musicals... I can relate to the academics.... the artists... the leaders and the followers.

So when Miss Victoria Grace Benson showed up for her senior session, I was well aware and informed as to what to expect... but that didn't mean I was gonna find my comfort zone any time soon.

Of all the things that I've had the opportunity to experience over the years (and back in the day), DANCE and HORSES were not two of them.

Aside from the extremely robotic box-step I busted out in the high school swing choir days, I cannot claim to even fathom the level of dance that Miss Benson can pull off... and I can honestly say that I've never been on a horse in my lifetime.

Clearly, I've photographed dancers many-a-time... and I've seen y fair share of horses as part of my job... but the point is...  it's not something that's in my immediate area of expertise.  

Now, everyone knows that one doesn't have to be a world renowned chef to be a solid food critic.   Nor do I have to be able to be capable of doing the splits in mid air to be able to photograph it well.   But being able to RELATE to your client in a way that they know that you know what they know is something that helps built rapport... trust and confidence.

Unfortunately... I didn't have that luxury here.

What I did have is a life long friendship with Toree's mom... a long history of photographing her daughter(s) despite my ignorance of their passions, and a track record that hopefully put them at ease with my ability to deliver.

So when I was asked to meet the Bensons at Bill and Cherie Strunk's property between Marshalltown and Albion to photograph Toree with four horses, I knew I was gonna hafta lean on them to lead the way with their wants and needs in that realm.   Similarly, I knew the same would be the case when it came time to photograph arguably the best dancer in the area.

And I was totally good with that.

Sometimes it's nice to let the client be the expert... and then to take the ball and run with it from there.   And that's what we had here.

For the first three hours of the session, I was totally at the horse expert's mercy at Casa De Strunk.   Refreshingly, Toree had plenty of specific ideas of what she wanted to attempt to pull off... and I merely just had to pull it off.

I let her be the judge if she feels like we did that.

The same could be said when we maid yet another visit to the MHS Auditorium to take advantage of that beautiful facility.   Auditorium Czar Al Paxton was his usual accommodating self, and between the years of knowledge that our senior mom/studio director has, paired with the nearly unmatched physical abilities of her second born... I found myself in a dream scenario of capturing a postcard image one after another... and another... and another.

Let's be honest.... just look at the images... the girl is ridiculous.

It made my non-dancing butt look pretty darn good, did it not?

We took the ladies' talents to the streets as well... and the magic just kept on keeping on.   We were several hours into this thing, and I felt like we had nearly zero "meat-and-potatoes" images that would suffice as solid senior images of regular Toree.... but that's what you get when you're dealing with a special talent like Tor-Tor.... anything but  regular.

Eventually, we did have to break down and do some regular senior images, but even then Victoria was her usual amazing self.  It's been a treat watching this young lady grow up... and I feel honored to be the guy that's been chosen to capture most of the meaningful still images for her along the way. 

Reality is... I'm not sure a split second click of the shutter does this girl's motion poetry justice, but that was my task.   I hope I lived up to the high standard she sets by living her extraordinary life on a daily basis.  Hyperbole?  Maybe so.  But I think she and her family are the bomb.com on many levels.

I hope the images we captured reach those levels.

Thanks so much for your loyalty to our studio, Team Benson.   I hope you realize how much your support means to us.