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Kearney audition leads to Chicago showcase for aspiring Benkelman model
BENKELMAN -- His photographs caught many nuances of Laura Lutz's expressions -- the high school student that she is ... a strikingly pretty young woman ... the fashion model that she could become.
Laura carried her senior pictures to a modeling audition in Kearney in October, and, although a talent agent said she could envision Laura in toothpaste commercials, she realized, with Benkelman photographer Stan Stroup's portfolio, that Laura is so much more than just a pretty smile.
Laura's mother, Karen, said recently, "Stan's portfolio of Laura's senior pictures opened a lot more doors. Stan was able to capture Laura's features so well ... that really impressed the talent scouts."
Laura was one of six of the original 30 aspiring models, singers and dancers in Kearney who were asked to a "call-back" in Grand Island, and that call-back has resulted in Laura now traveling to Omaha once a month to prepare for a "showcase" in Chicago in May. "During the showcase, I'll compete in modeling and in commercials, before ad agencies," Laura explained, and hopefully sign contracts to start a modeling career.
"I'm very excited about Chicago, and a little nervous," Laura said. "I'm hoping for the best."
Karen said her daughter shines when she's modeling. "Laura's always been very active in 4-H, in sewing and textiles and, and her favorite, the fashion review. I could tell -- she glowed on stage. She looked forward to that every year."
Karen said that even if modeling does not become a full-time career for Laura, it can provide money for college, and "it can do nothing but benefit a journalism career from the connections she can make."
Laura will graduate from Dundy County-Stratton High School on May 17. Whatever becomes of the modeling showcase, she plans to go to college -- she's always dreamed all her life of attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Karen said --where she wants to study journalism (behind the camera), or broadcast journalism (in front of the cameras).
Before Laura goes to Chicago, she'll need another portfolio of photographs, taken, again, by Stan Stroup. The owner of the Omaha talent agency, Karen said, is very impressed with the natural lighting that Stan uses in his portrait photography.
"We owe Stan a debt of gratitude," Karen said, for the portraits that are opening the eyes of the talent scouts. "Through Stan's pictures, the talent scouts are seeing so many different aspects of Laura's personality," she said. Stan said that Laura is very comfortable in front of a camera.
Senior pictures are a large part of Stan's photography business, IC Images, located in his and his wife Janice's home on Indian Creek north of Benkelman. Stan's business was a natural extension of a life-long fascination with cameras inspired by his dad, Boyd, who was also a camera buff. Stan said he was working for a company doing product and backdrop shots, when, "they wanted me to start putting people in front of them."
At the same time, his and Janice's kids were becoming very involved in sports, and, of course, Dad had to take lots of pictures, and he shared those with his kids' friends. From there, parents asked Stan to take their kids' senior pictures as well.
So Stan set out on a search to find a quality photography lab that used only the best papers and ink, and he linked up with family-owned and -operated Millers Lab of Pittsburgh, Kan.
"The photography business just blossomed from there," he said, and he now shoots senior pictures, family portraits, weddings and school pictures.
To do the best job he can, and to keep the photography business on a part-time basis with his farming and ranching, Stan does only about three seniors' pictures each week.
Stan prefers using natural lighting whenever possible, shooting at sunup and sundown, using light reflectors. Stan sets his camera manually, enjoying the creative opportunities that practice offers. "It's important that the photographer runs the camera, not the camera running the photographer," San said.
Stan said he's fortunate as well to have an invaluable assistant, his daughter, Faith. "She sees so many things," Stan said, as she helps pose a subject and make him/her comfortable in front of the camera.
It is these practices and lighting techniques that caught the attention of the talent scouts who were looking at Laura and her portfolio of pictures.
In fact, the talent scouts have asked Laura's mother Karen, "Mom, do you have any more like her?" She does, in fact. April is a junior and Michaela is a freshman. Karen smiled and explained that April prefers gym shorts and T-shirts, and Michaela is "my social butterfly."
Although they're not interested in modeling, Karen said, smiling, "they're just as pretty as Laura, but, I'm biased."