A Road Trepp of a Lifetime...

 It's one thing to talk about it... another thing altogether to go out and do it.

For Gladbrook-Reinbeck senior, Bradon Trepp and his buddies... they've backed it up.

So while Mama Janet made sure that Stewart Photography was well aware that her son needed a plethora of outdoor images to fit his personality, she had to know the session might go another direction.

As in a gridiron type direction.

Oh sure, we did our job...   We kept our promise.   A quick glance through Bradon's book tells a person that well over three-quarters of it is outdoorsy images for our future agricultural science major needed.  

But while the images show one thing... what we TALKED about behind the scenes was something completely different.

And no one around the communities of Gladbrook and Reinbeck will be surprised.

In a football season that will be one remembered in Rebel lore for all time, Bradon and his teammates have written an amazing story.   And the best news?

It's not over.

After stubbing their toe in game one against a solid club two classes larger and a few key injuries working against 'em, the team that Bradon starts every offensive play for from the center position has run off eleven straight wins.

Eleven.

A quick glace at the Rebel results and it doesn't take long to appreciate the video game type numbers they've put up.  In one four game stretch during the season the cumulative numbers result in a gaudy tally of G-R 201, The Unfortunates 7.

It wasn't like this was totally unexpected.   The Marshaltown Times-Republican's annual high school preview edition featured Mr. Trepp and his four offensive linemen colleagues on the front cover of the special tab.   Inside its cover, the current group of players for the blue and silver spoke of high expectations for themselves... measuring up against  a 2004 team that many of these boys grew up watching and idolizing.  

While I can't be for sure, I'm guessing there's a whole new grew of elementary school aged boys running around Gladbrook and Reinbeck, that are now dreaming of being just like this group.

Just like the 2004 state-runners up, Bradon and this edition of Rebels have navigated their way to the UNI-Dome.   An undefeated run through district play has been followed with three impressive playoff victories including a 28-6 triumph over undefeated and perennial power, Pekin of Packwood to fulfill the goal of getting back to the Dome.

Bradon and I talked lots about what a blessing this type of season is.   How these memories will last forever.   And how, God willing... the expectation and inspiration for ANOTHER generation of young men that look up to he and his teammates... is now set.

Like I mentioned, the story has another chapter or two to written yet, however.   One of the teams that got in the way of the aforementioned 201-7 steamrolling four game stretch earlier in the season was Denver High School.   The Cyclones were dispatched 43-0 in week four by G-R, and to their credit have navigated their way back to the Class A State Semifinals.   Granted, at this point, neither team is the same as they were in week four.   However, call me crazy, but I'd rather be on the forty-three end of that previous score than on the ZERO end.

Just sayin.

I have no doubt that my bros, Bradon, Bryce, Jeff and Logan (and their biggest fans, Elise, Baliea, Jenny and Brady) will not be taking ANYONE lightly this time of year.   A beatable opponent is all that stands in the way between the boys in blue and silver and a shot at football immortality.  

Working at Oak Leaf Golf Course in Reinbeck and dreams of chasing that ag science degree will have to wait for now.   At 10 a.m. Friday morning, when the Rebel offense takes to the turf for the first time, Bradon will get it all started with yet another perfect snap... just like he's be doing since his sophomore year.

I was told earlier this week that I've been adopted by Rebel Nation as an honorary member, and I can't tell you how excited I am for your communities.   Thanks to all of our G-R clients for a wonderful year of support of our small business.

Best wishes to the whole community as you chase down your dreams.  I believe.

Autumn and all of her seasons...

Autumn and I go way back...

Like WAY, WAY, back.

We're talking before the turn of the century, back.

And her mom and I go even further.

Let me explain.

On December 15, 1997, a young business owner was about ready to complete his second full year in business when an old college friend showed up with her baby girl for family pictures.

Just over a year from her November 2, 1996 day of birth, Miss Autumn Arianna was as cute as could be as they braved the cold and snow to come visit me.

Her mom and I caught up a bit from our not-so-old college days at that point, and then the next thing you know... time passed.

And passed.

And passed some more.

Around 16 more trips around the sun occurred, and then on August 23, 2013... Autumn's mom resurfaced on the Stewart Photography radar.

In the form of a facebook message, Mama Dana wanted to know when exactly... or how far in advance should she book her first-born (who was now a high school junior) for this thing we call senior pictures.

I assured her that anything prior to the first of the year would be unnecessary, but her Newton Class of 2015 daughter would be more than welcome to hop on our books once the calendar turned to 2014.

That old clock and calendar rotated and flipped pages some more, and then on July 1, 2014... just as things were starting to ramp up, another facebook message...

"When should we get this booked?"

I ran Autumn's mom through things in a lot more detail at this point, as it was no longer in the It's-A-Long-Ways-Off category.   Yet, Dana said she would discuss it with her husband and her daughter, and get back to me.

July turned into September.... the 17th to be exact, and over a year after the initial "reunion" and almost 17 years since I last saw Autumn... she was on the books.

A little over a month later on October 20th... that sweet little baby girl bounced into my studio again... and she had changed... just a little.

In a little dress and heels and ready to turn some heads, our curly-haired little lady was finally back for more... and appropriately enough, the girl named Autumn was being photographed in the season that bears her name.

Predictably, we had to find some golden leaves for her to take advantage of as we bounced around town.   Mix that in with a healthy amount of urban looks for our guest of honor who had two looks that were on COMPLETE opposite ends of the spectrum... but both fit naturally into a hit-the-streets session that was almost necessary by the late season waning of outdoor options.

After getting caught up (now that we'd definitely fall into the "old college buddies" category) I learned that Autumn spent some time in Newton... then Urbandale schools through seventh grade and then back to Newton in eighth grade.  I learned that Autumn wants to perhaps end up in a psychology field to help those that have had particularly difficult situations... I also found out that her part time job is helping out mom at their family dog grooming business there in Newton.  (shameless plug... check out K9 to 5 Boutique if you need your pet groomed or boarded... even guinea pigs are welcome!)  

All that being said... all along the way... since she was five years old, the girl loved to run.   And while she's done other things in her spare time... cross country is where she finds her happy place.

As the varsity's No. 3 runner for the Cardinals, Autumn just recently wrapped up her high school career, but that was our remaining task yet to be completed on this day.   Oh I heard stories about how she had dabbled in track... cheerleading... the sights and sounds of the stage... but when push came to shove, the physical and mental challenge of cross country is what she wanted to document.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention someone that has always been there for Autumn.   I could hear it in her and her mother's voice that when Autumn's biggest fan was brought up, it stirred many emotions.

Grandpa Bob Goodhue, despite having issues with health, has always went out of his way to support his pride and joy.    With many obstacles now in his way, he still would find a way to Autumn's meets.   And for the lion's share of her life, when there was that unmistakable grin on Miss Hunt's face... chances are, Grandpa Bob had a hand in putting it there.   Even though I haven't had the oppotunity to meet Mr. Goodhue, I wanted to make sure that he was given props for making a big difference in this young ladies' life.   Bob knew he was called to take a leading role in his granddaughter's life... and he didn't shy away from the opportunity.  

The result, in no small way, was that I enjoyed spending time with was has turned out to be a bright, confident and charasmatic young lady that Bob, and everyone who knows and loves her, should be proud of.

Selfishly... do I wish that we could have done more business together over the past seventeen years?  Absolutely.   But what I will say is that what's happened over that duration of time is resulted in something truly wonderful.

Great job Mama Dana and all the members of Team Autumn... it was a pleasure seeing you again. :)

Not a bad couple of weeks...

 Sometimes when you're in the middle of it...  the heat of the moment... the whirlwind of wow... with the pressure on... maybe, just maybe... it's hard to see.

That being said... I hope that this afternoon, Shelby Trinkle is stopping for a bit to smell the roses.

It's little secret around these parts that in Conrad, home of BCLUW... they take their cheerleading very seriously.

A perennial participant in the Iowa Cheerleading Coaches Association state championships, the Comet juggernaut that puts the gals in black -n- gold among the most respected units across the state annually has been up to its old tricks...

Just yesterday, Shelby Trinkle, a senior BCLUW cheerleader, joined her talented teammates in Des Moines to try to do something that hadn't been done since 2007....

Win the state championship.

Having many Comet cheerleaders in our studio down through the years, I've become a fan of the program and the young ladies that make it special.  

The 2007 squad that took home the top hardware was coached by 32-year instructor extraordinaire Jeanne Ehn.    It's often been said that you never want to be the one that has to fill the shoes of the legend...

And for anyone that doubts my sincerity about the legendary status of the former Comet coach... a quick look at the ICCA state results from 1991 through 2009 when Ehn retired will find only TWO instances when BCLUW didn't finish at LEAST third place or better.   Six state titles, six runners-up, and five bronze medals for the girls in Greater Conradapolis in that span.   Who on EARTH would want to follow that???

Shelby's mom... that's who.

I had met Kelly Trinkle at a golf meet last spring in State Center as Shelby and my daughter, Breanna, were in the same foursome at a meet at Lincoln Valley.   There was a little impromptu version of the mutual admiration society  as I complimented Coach Trinkle on her squads more recent history and also how much I enjoyed watching how animated Shelby was in her flyer role when I had the occasion of watching the Comets perform in the past few years.

Mrs. Trinkle returned the praise in kind as many of her best cheerleaders had come our way over the years and she had taken notice... not only of that... but also when we took time out to photograph the Comets runner-up routine in 2012 as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer event hosted in Conrad as BCLUW's Ray Callaway, and former East Marshall girls basketball coach, Rob Drake, were both bravely fighting the disease.

At or near the top of most of stunts that night was the sophomore version of Shelby Trinkle.   Always bright eyed, smiling and never losing sight of her audience, I was impressed with the coaches daughter, as well as the entire squad.

Fortunately, it wouldn't be the last time I'd get to photograph Shelby.

A little over a month ago, Kelly gave me my opportunity when she called to set things up for mid-October for Shelby's senior session.   The slot she picked was just two days prior to when her daughter would attempt to become one of around 30 cheerleaders state wide to be named an all-stater... for the second year in a row.   And fortunately for the Trinkle family... the Friday senior session wasn't the highlight to their weekend... being named a back-to-back all-stater was!

Wow!

Add in the fact that the day BEFORE her session, Shelby surprised herself with a first place finish in Mount Mercy's math-lete competition... if you weren't impressed with her cute-as-a-button-ness... and her outstanding cheer prowess... she's just piling on with the fact she's got brains, too!  :)

If she needed any help staying grounded, her big sis Morgan was there to make sure I knew that "Shelby isn't THAT smart."   :)  

What are siblings, for, right?

Turns out the that the Comet State Squad is a family operation as the curly-haired blonde, Morgan, helps with the choreography and one of her younger sisters, Madison, is also a squad member.   Needless to say, Madison's twin sister, Mackenzie is the squad's biggest fan!

Can you imagine the amount of PEP the Trinkle dinner table has?   Geesh!

Regardless, if being a math champion, a two-time all-stater (did I mention she was on homecoming court this fall?) wasn't enough, news came down yesterday afternoon that Coach Trinkle and her Comets had earned the title of  Class 1A State Champions.   Coach Ehn had piloted the program to six titles over the years, but this... the seventh... belonged to her successor.

Two and a half months into Shelby's senior year and she's packed a lifetime of memories into just ten weeks.   A career that saw 2nd, 2nd, 4th and now 1st will never be forgotten.  Somewhere in the middle of all that, I had one of my favorite sessions of the year with Team Trinkle.   I know I can't hold a candle to all the other excitement and exhilarating accomplishment that Shelby has experienced recently... but I was thankful for the opportunity to play my little part in documenting this special young lady.

Enjoy this amazing time in your life, Miss Shelby... Very few of us ever get to have that feeling of being, at least ONCE, the best at what you do... and no matter what happens from here until the end of your days... you'll always be a state champion.  Smile those infectious smiles Comet ladies... you've earned it.  ;)

Heels and skirts, and softballs that burst...

To say this one had her bases covered would be an understatement.

Yet... literally and figuratively accurate.

A shortstop on one of the very best softball teams in the state of Iowa, Morgan Kappel had big plans for her senior pictures.  So big that she was willing to drive over an hours away to get exactly what she wanted.

She could have done something as routine as her fielding a one-hopper to short and stay around home for her session... but that wasn't gonna cut it.

This girl had done her advanced scouting.

She admitted that having many respected opponents from NICL rival East Marshall that were also on her facebook friends list was a big factor in her knowing about us here at Stewart Photography.

Morgan had lots of her own ideas... and through her Mustang colleagues... she knew just where to go to make them happen.

So she and Mama Sue were off on the 56.9 mile, and 1 hour and 8 minute journey to Montour.

With her phone full of Pinterest ideas and a closet's worth of clothes and accessories, Miss Morgan was ready for her day... but was I ready??  Only time would tell.

Most of Morgan's pre-set notions about what she wanted centered around her biggest passion in life:  sports.

As as most of you know... she was definitely in the right place for that!

But in the meantime... we had four super fun ensembles to bang out before we could get there... and I wasn't gonna lay down a sacrifice bunt there...  It was time to dig in my back foot and take a big ol' swing for the fence!

So we were off to a couple urban locales in the area... and let me tell ya... the onlookers were out in full force on this day.   

Our guest of honor nearly caused a handful of accidents with the rubber neckers trying to catch a glance of what we were doing.  Morgan and Sue got a kick out of it.   The authorities need not to worry about texting and driving... rather... Miss Kappel and her pencil skirt and heels needed to be taken away for the public at large's safety!  ;)

Morgan joked with me that perhaps her pouchy middle-aged photographer was the REAL distraction on this day... I give her high marks for modesty... and low marks for BS.  

Perhaps an eye exam is in order?

Once traffic in Tama/Toledo and Marshalltown was restored to its normal safe levels, it was time to get what she really came for...   Her Cougar uniforms got busted out and it was go-time!

One doesn't finish third place two years in a row at state softball without having a stud at shortstop.   Everyone knows you have to put your most dynamic fielder at short, and AGWSR is no different.   My task then, was doing justice to this two-time state place-winner.   With a few ideas of her own... and a healthy dose of Stewart Photography flair, we got some unique stuff... and wasn't THAT the idea in the first place???

The afternoon turned into night, which is rare for sessions (even by our ridiculous standards) to last that long.   But, in this case... it was by design.   Morgan had an inspiration to have an image made where an burst or explosion of water would be coming out of her bat (or, in theory... the ball).   With some initial hesitation due to a fear of toeing the line towards cheesy results if we weren't perfectly careful...  we focused in our execution... took the time to do thing perfectly... and the result was pretty fun, I must admit.   

It not easy pulling all that off in the dark (not too mention Mama Sue's ability to pitch the ball....err, water balloons), but we did it... and I'm glad we could make another one of Morgan's dreams come to life.

Miss Kappel knows where my heart lies in the realm of the NICL West softball pecking order, but as long as her Cougars reside in Class 1 or 2A and my alma mater stays 3A... It will be quite easy for this photographer to root for the team in blue and purple to get over the hump and win the state title next year.   And even if that doesn't happen... she should know regardless... that I'm a huge fan of the shortstop.

Thanks Team Kappel for coming all this way for your senior session... that means a lot.