Double Barreled Sarah

Just when I thought I had learned nearly everything I needed to know about facebook... I found out something new...

And Sarah showed it to me, and didn't even realize it.

The very fact you are reading this shows me that most of my current audience is aware that I use facebook like no other as an accent to our business.

An added perk, our blog is. Something to look forward to... an extra special touch to what we like to think is already a good experience here at Stewart Photography.

So one of the first things we do upon a senior picture inquiry is a facebook friend request.

Not that unusual, right?

I didn't get an immediate response from Sarah... Maybe she wasn't that into facebook? Maybe she was busy? Maybe she just said no? It was hard to tell.

What I wasn't aware of, however.... was that despite not getting an acceptance on the friend request... that doesn't stop the news feed from suddenly picking up that requestee's status updates.

Translation: even though Sarah wasn't my "friend" yet, I could see her musings on my news feed.

Learn something every day, huh?

So when it came across the wire that Sarah was "SO EXCITED" about booking her senior pictures and it WASN'T at MY studio... I just figured that it was one that got away. She hadn't accepted my request... and she hadn't gotten back to me with an address as to where to send our materials.

No big deal, right? Happens all the time.

Then came the email response.

"Hey Bryan... here's my address... can't wait to get your brochure!"

My spidey senses were tingling.

She didn't KNOW that I knew... but I KNEW.

My response?

"Hey, Sarah... thanks for the request... but it's come to my attention that you've booked somewhere else, which is certainly fine. Best wishes!"

I figured that would be the end of it.

But it wasn't

Turns out that Sarah and her momma had a change of heart... and despite booking somewhere else, they really felt that OUR studio was the best fit for them!

I guess things aren't always what they seem...

So this country girl traded in her session in the big city and chose the small town fella and his rural settings and judging by her jeans, boots, rifles and plaids... I can't say that she made a bad decision in any way. :)

She and her cousin Amanda (who was a TROOPER the entire session walking around on a broken toe) got here and we were busting it thru every outfit to avoid what looked like an unavoidable pouring rain that was headed our way.

All the outdoor was done... in a row... outfit after outfit.

Then something funny happened.... the rain just dissipated and we never did get poured on.

I guess I must have jumped to conclusions once again. And on this day... Sarah and the weather taught me that while you THINK you may know it all.... often times... you really don't.

Thanks for your change of heart, Sarah. Enjoy your images, "Brewski." :)

The Dog Days of Summer...

This one took me back two decades...

Even BEFORE I was a photographer.

Melissa and her mom, Pat, were in for senior pictures and I had seen Pat with Melissa's sister, Deb, a decade ago as a member of the class of 2001 from East Marshall.

That much i KNEW.

What I DIDN'T know, was that Melissa had an older sister YET! Not just a year or two older than Deb... but ten YEARS older!

Let's just say that Mama Pat spaces out the kiddos!

So 1991, 2001 and now 2012 for the graduation years of the three sisters. I was asked to pull the negatives (yes... you know, film?) from 1991 for Stacy... and let me tell you... 6-foot-2, 230 lb Bryan doesn't fit well in our 3 foot high crawl space at home that the old negs are stored in... but I triumphantly found 'em. And the two decades of waiting for the long-lost matching images on the wall will soon be over for Pat. ;)

I remember Deb bringing in a GANG of eight friends to her wild session back at the turn of the century. This one was much less crazy.

Just Melissa, Pat and trusty "best friend," Shiloh, the basset hound, this time around. (don't kid yourself, Deb... i had the old EM chant of "Deb, Deb, Deb.. hit the ball!" echoing in my head, regardless).

It was warm, to be sure,... but Shiloh stole the show with the top image in the blog. I would hate to ever compare a senior girl to looking like a dog... but when Melissa gave her best aloof hound impersonation... it was hard to deny that old saying about pets looking like their owners on this image at least!

Melissa had two other obsessions that she wanted me to highlight before the end of the day that Thursday. One was her love of all things Japanese (she wants to go there someday very soon)... and the other was a wolf fetish.

I like the results we came up with on both fronts.

So, Melissa... like many others currently... has seen her nearly two week wait come to a end. You'll all probably get sick of hearing it... but I'll say it again anyway... Thanks for your patience, and ENJOY!

Now come and get your book!

:)

Clearin' the hurdles... Kyle style...

We both wanted a chance to prove ourselves...

Kyle wanted the chance to show a classmate how it was done.

I wanted a shot at redemption.

Let me explain...

Back in June we photographed Kyle's fellow GMG hurdler, Emily Havelka... and when we posted her images, like the jokester that Kyle is... he proceeded to critique Em's form and technique.

It was on like Donkey Kong.

The verbal warfare was fun to follow between the competitors... I enjoyed it thoroughly... Oh sure... it was playful in nature... but it brought out the zingers from both sides of the fence.

So when Wednesday the 10th rolled around... it was Kyle's turn to show me how it's done.

While Emily "borrowed" BCLUW's track for her hurdle action, Team Barloon made it's way over to the GMG "home" track at South Tama. (the GMG Relays are hosted there annually).

I did some hurdling in high school... but was all kinds of terrible at it, so I couldn't tell you if Kyle was technically more correct that Emily (who has "scoreboard" by qualifying for state) but I can tell you that he didn't come as dangerously close to having an epic wreck on the track like Miss Havelka did back in June.

Perhaps it's a draw then?

I'm sure if you ask both seniors... they'll still claim superiority, and I've already photographed yet ANOTHER GMG hurdler (stay tuned for THAT) but I give them both mad props for nailing sweet images with the pressure on.

Speaking of pressure... I have to admit... I was afraid we may have hosed our chances of getting Kyle in the first place.

We had already photographed older brother Joe a couple years back... and in the midst of prepping for our biggest job of the year... I dropped the ball.

Spring is crazy around here with a couple proms... a couple dance studios... senior reorders.... and graduation announcements.

Kyle's mom, Anne had ordered brother Joe's invites... and I THOUGHT I had sent the order out... when I got the call...

"Are Joe's invites ready?"

Oops.

They weren't ready... and I admitted that I screwed up.

The order was still sitting on the desk.

Going into full damage control... I sent the order away... gave Joe envelopes we had on hand... ordered 20 extra invites... upgraded to metallic paper.

Those that know me... know I don't make mistakes like that very often.

Within two days, the order was complete... but the damage was done... and I learned a lesson.

Don't lose focus.

Many of my GMG peeps had informed me that I had probably lost Kyle's senior business due to the error. And I was disappointed... we've photographed a PLETHORA of cousins from the Barloon/Parks/Boege/Strohbehn clan... but I didn't blame Anne and the Barloons.

It was my bad.

Somewhere along the line, I must have been forgiven... because I got the call... I got the shot at redeeming myself... and I can guarantee you this... Kyle's grad announcements will be back lickity-split this spring!

Thanks for the opportunity, gang. I don't take it lightly.

Hurry up.... and wait... :)

One of the best things about my job is doing something that people truly get excited for...

Some more than others... but it's usually there.

Anticipation.

Especially among our senior girls.

They've looked around... they've planned... they've schemed... they've shopped... they've studied.

They book... and then they wait...

And sometimes they wait some more...

As excruciating as anticipation might be at times... that's half the fun.

Keya contacted me before the end of the school year. And wanted to wait nearly ALL summer before finally coming to see me in mid August.

I'll call her a "Blog Stalker"... Keya is a regular "liker" and "commenter" to my stories and images, which is great to see. However, it only served to ratchet up her excitement level for nearly three months.

Only July 21st... with nearly three weeks remaining until her session date... I get this post...

"So just saying....but seeing all these amazing pictures you've taken...makes me wish it was my turn. Like now! lol :)"

Finally on August 10th... it WAS her turn... and the wait was over.... or WAS it?

We banged out another fun session with the help of Papa Paul (always good to see a DAD along for a session for a change!). And while I felt good about how things went... and what we got.... I felt bad about something.

More waiting.

Faithful followers of our blog (including Keya) realize that it doesn't get any busier for us than August... and the work has started to bog down our normal turnaround time. So... when one shoots from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily without so much as a break for lunch... it doesn't leave much wiggle room for art/printing/blogging. Long story short... I knew Keya was in for more waiting.

She, like many others, have been totally understanding and, in fact, encouraging as I try to plow my way thru this mountain of jpgs daily in my 18x7 weekly schedule. (that's 18 hours... seven days a week... my Central College Math Minor tells me that's a garden variety 126 hour work week). Anyone that doubts that gauntlet can follow my H3 out of the garage daily at 4 a.m. after the 3:30 a.m. wake up call.

So, all the following... the encouragement... the blog stalking... and the excitement and anticipation... it makes it hard to NOT want to do all you can to put a smile on their face...

The payoff?

This morning's facebook post after seeing a few teaser images on www.stewartphotography.net.

"BRYAN!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!! I LOVE THEMMMMM!!!!! :D"

Worth waiting for.... for both of us.

Thanks, Keya. :)

Fire, Feline, Footlongs, Fair, Freckles and Following the Yellow Brick Road

And I haven't even mentioned Fun, Friends, Football Field or Fire Escape.

Alliterations aside, last Tuesday was another in a long line of epic sessions we've had this summer as Marshalltown's Fine Freckled Female, Hannah Thomae, was killin' it all day long.

I had photographed older sisters Jess and just last year, Hillary... so it was time for baby sis to take her turn.

Let's put it this way... she left no stone unturned.

The day started at Leonard Cole Field on the campus of MHS and the goal had already been discussed...

Hannah is the Bobcat Marching Band's Majorette. So our baton twirling gal needed some trademark images where she does her thing on Friday nights.

With the team that included mom, sis and sis's boyfriend, we did that sequined outfit and baton justice. Special thanks to "fire starter" Luke Rebik who was my right hand man for the duration of the day.

It was up to the urban areas of M-Town where perhaps my favorite image was found on a fire escape. Check it out! Ow Oww! :)

We had to take a bit of a break for lunch at Casa de Thomae and my old friends that live there treated us all to one of my favs... a footlong (and then some) from SubCity. Ok... Rebik and I split a whole #25 on white... ;)

Replenished... it was off to a friend's house for some more images. Special thanks to the Mohon's as we knocked off some sweet pics in their back yard. Check out the feline going for a piggyback ride!

We did actually make our way back to the studio at some point... where it was time for creation of images honoring her obsession with all things Wizard of Oz... and we busted out a seemingly endless amount of county and state fair ribbons and we wrapped it up with a couple of special effects back in the majorette outfit.

Whew! Hannah, I know you've been waiting patiently.... but before I go, one more F....

FINALLY! :)