Grading this Paper...

It happened about five months later than I expected... but she still gets an A grade.

I photographed her brother, Bo, as one of the very last seniors of the Class of 2015.

It was late March this past spring that I met Mama Val and her son.   And by the time we wrapped up the order and delivery of the images, we were just a few scant weeks from kicking off the start of the senior season for the Class of 2016.

Even with a wedding on deck for her oldest daughter Brittany, I was told that we'd see Miss Bobbi Jo Paper in June for her senior session.

June turned to July.... July turned to August.... August turned to September... and September turned to October.

No Bobbi to be found.

Going through a wedding for a daughter myself this past summer, I just chalked it up to that.   Anyone that's been through that KNOWS how that can tax a family in many ways.

Yet the call did come finally from Val... and although they took the long way around to getting to us, it was finally time to take our best shot at Bobbi Jo.

And while the outdoor foliage was barely hangin' on for our guest of honor, she hit her outfit choices on the screws and brought her A-hair game and tossed in a virtual commercial for supercute footwear, and my late season session became a piece of cake.

Oh, I didn't make things EASY on her... but she was a gamer regardless as proven by her willingness to scale down a steep rocky incline in a pair of four inch heels and white skirt... but I would expect nothing less.

For a gal that's a first team all-NICL volleyball player and a 3-time state trackster, I knew she had the brawn to go with the beauty...  So despite her mother/AAU volleyball coaches' apprehension with a district final match on tap that night against rival Grundy Center.... it was rock climbing time for Bobbi Jo!  

When asked, both ladies tabbed that moment as the one they both remembered most about the day... but after a month of waiting... they may have forgotten ANOTHER moment that happened around that same time that was MY favorite for the day.

While standing creekside and busting out that trademark dimple on her left cheek... a stray leaf fell from above and PEGGED Bobbi right in the forehead.   The before and after images are chronicled below in side-by-side fashion.

Adorable response!

So while her session didn't happen as soon as I originally thought it would, clearly Miss Paper was worth waiting for.   I only hope that after several weeks... she feels the same about her wait to finally see her previews.

On the fourth Thursday of November... we pause to give thanks for all that we've been blessed with.

The harvest, the food we're provided.  Our families.  Health.  Warm homes filled with hugs, laughs and full tummies.

And?

Senior pictures.

Ok... maybe that wasn't one of the things were all most thankful for.   But I can tell you that there's ONE gal from HLV High School who is.

Meet Kate Schaefer, everybody.

This All-American cutie wears her patriotism on her sleeve.  Lee Greenwood himself would bust out in song upon seeing Miss Kate donning her jeans, boots, cowboy hat and Old Glory.   Add in a blue shirt... blue skies and a gravel road... it oughta be a country song... and that would suit our senior of honor just fine.   Being a country fan we had lots to discuss from the concert angle, and she certainly didn't mind me blaring XM's the Highway over the studio speakers.

But there's more to Kate than just her country bumpkin side.   Lots more.

One of the Class of 2016's best athletes at HLV, Kate plays volleyball, basketball and softball for the Warriors.   Toss in a membership in the band, jazz band and dance team... needless to say... the girl stays busy.

But when she's not busy hittin' homers for the red and black, she likes to unwind by doin' a little bow huntin'.

I'm no expert in this area, but if her camo warpaint is any indication... girl takes her outdoor game seriously!

Kate plans to eventually parlay her playing days on the fields and on the court in Victor into some sort of athletic training career.   She tells me that the University of Northern Iowa will help her get there... and I wish her all the best as she chases down that dream starting next fall.

In the meantime... there's blessings to be thankful for... not the least of which is another patient client who appreciates our work.

Thanks, Team Schaefer and all our clients and friends of Stewart Photography.   We couldn't do it without you.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

Maximum Max...

There are certain kids that words just won't do justice.

And to those that know Max Upah... you know what I'm talkin' about.

We have a group of young parents... (well... I guess when we started meeting we were young... now I guess we're kinda old... ok... not kinda... we're just old) that have made up our bible study at the Ferguson Bible Church for a couple decades now.   And the funny thing is that several of us have three children.   And we've joked for years about how the THIRD kid is seemingly the ornery one.

Anybody else agree with this?

Not sure WHY this is... but I have a theory.

While it's not scientifically proven, I think that once the child realizes that the parents are outnumbered... it's THEN that they realize that more stuff can slip through the cracks.

Translation:  The third one figures out they can get away with more shenanigans.

Or maybe it's just the fact that by the time you've gotten to child number three... you realize all the ideals you had with child number one have become totally unrealistic to execute and so one tends to let more slide?

Regardless... there's something completely unique and deliciously sarcastic about Trent and Michelle Upah's third offering to the world.  

I photographed their first born as a member of East Marshall's class of 2010... you remember.... Sam... the standout Mustang wrestler who went on to more success at Wartburg.    Two years ago we saw the cat and Batman lovin'...1950's ice cream parlor throwback sportin' Emilee... and last... and certainly not least... it was Max's turn.

There was part of me for the last couple of years that wondered if there was any way I could possibly live up to the expectations that the larger than life character that is Max Upah, would have... but have no fear... between he and his Mama Michelle... they had plenty of assignments for me... and it was just my job to execute them.

Dude was all about the duck hunt... bringin' in the harvest... the wrestling and football.... the V-Star 650 Classic bike... and if we could mix in some Ray-Ban's and a little fall color... they'd be tickled purple.

Football season wasn't quite over yet at the time of his session... so the 11:30 a.m. deadline to return to school didn't allow us to get the session completed on the original date... so as if one day of Mr. Max wasn't enough... we had to bring him back for even MORE one line zingers that he's infamous for. 

Fortunately for Michelle and I, we were only subjected to Max and his father TOGETHER on the first session.   Ok... nevermind... it was my break, only.  She LIVES with them and puts up with the back-n-forth sarcasm daily.   I left Papa Trent's brainchild until the end of this blog, if you wanna see how these two minds work.   Check it out... Max mounted on top of the New Holland combine... crazy grin on his face... praising the corn gods with an ear in each hand.

Could there being anything more Max than that?

I think not.

Needless to say, when young Mr. Upah takes off for NIACC next year to work on his power lineman degree, they'll be a little less color walking the halls of East Marshall... and on Sundays at Ferguson Bible Church.   But until then... I'll just keep shaking my head and enjoying the laughs.

Thanks for visiting again, Team Upah.   Your kids couldn't have been more different...  and that's just God's way of keeping us on our toes, isn't it?

The waitin'... is the hardest part.

Tom Petty sang it., and it might be cliche'... but it's true.

Waiting is hard.

And it's especially hard when some of the said waiting is self-induced.

Let me explain.

Faithful followers of this blog are fully aware that we're at our typical end of the busy season back log that has created a several week lag on senior turnaround time.   It's a result of a whole lotta you... and only one me.

Being stubborn as I am, I refuse to change things to somehow lessen a senior's experience who chooses the fall versus, say, a senior that comes in early in June and gets his or her images super quick.

So when Michelle Charley called what amounts to half a year ago now to set up her daughter Olivia's senior session and had a request to do a split session so they could have summer and fall images, I told her as long as they were good with waiting... then I was good with it, too.

As we now sit here on the brink of the season's first snow storm, it seems like summer is a scant memory now.   But that's when I first met Olivia.

It was Wednesday, August 19th.   Her senior year of school at Gladbrook-Reinbeck hadn't even started yet... they days were still sunny and warm... and her beloved Rebels hadn't even began to play any football games that would eventually culminate into a state championship season.  (Way to go, G-R!)

But a funny thing happened along the way to our two session quest.   

Two became three.

Sessions that is.

August 19th ended up being a WINDY summer day.   (someone stop me if I'm wrong here... but has this year not been the most windy year one can ever remember here in Iowa?)    It was so blustery, that Mama Michelle and I agreed it would be best to not try to fight the conditions with Liv's long locks... so we did some indoor... and lived to fight another day.

Another day was Friday, September 11th.  This time the conditions cooperated.   Olivia killed it in her boots, her heels and her torn up jeans and as a bonus... I got to meet Snooki.

Not THE Snooki... but rather... Olivia's adorable pup, Snooki.   In retrospect, after three sessions with the young lady, I can say that her biggest smiles came when snuggling with her Snooks..

So, it took us two days to get the first "round" in the books... yet we still had to WAIT for the fall day.

A couple of scheduling conflicts with college classes juggled the date a couple times, but FINALLY, on Friday, October 16th, Olivia was ready for her finale'.

And while this Fall season hasn't been one for the ages as far as color is concerned... you take a pretty gal who's having a great hair day... and some more clothes that The Buckle should use in their advertising campaign, and you get the picture... my job wasn't a difficult one.

With three days of shooting in the can... we finally had completed the Olivia Charley Saga... except there was one more thing to do:   Wait.

I winced when I told the girls a month ago that looking at the stack of work ahead of me, that it would probably be another month before I could complete her previews... and lo and behold... I was right.

Like all the others over the years, I vowed to make sure that even though the wait would be long... that I would do my best to make sure of one thing...

That it was worth it.

I hope they feel like it was.