2015 was a great year!
Here’s to 2016! Call now to book your date!
Tag: bar mitzvah
Busy, busy, busy
Whew, I have neglected my blog, mostly because I have been so busy. It’s a great excuse to have, if you ask me! But I didn’t want you to miss the bat mitzvah pics from Temple Israel that I have from early in the month.
Meet Jillian, the sweet, funny and very happy bat mitzvah young lady. I don’t photograph too many of the actual services but for Jillian I did. And I’m so glad I did. She was fabulous and the song her dad wrote and sang to her was just perfect. And when I say there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, I am not exaggerating!
So enjoy a few images from Jillian’s bat mitzvah!
Later this month, I will be photographing Maggie’s bat mitzvah, so stay tuned for more pics.
This! What Ben Chrisman says so perfectly!
Guest Tip – Ben Chrisman on the Importance of Print
A few years ago we asked past brides what they ever did with their wedding photographs. We weren’t selling many albums then, but were giving the high-resolution files away. Almost every single bride told us their photos were just sitting on the disc in a drawer because they were just too busy and overwhelmed to even make 4×6 inch prints. At that point, Erin and I decided we needed to change things for the benefit of everyone.
After you get married, life changes fast. You buy a house, you have kids, you move up the ladder at your job. And your wedding day you planned for so long suddenly begins to slowly fade from memory. And the technology used to store those memories becomes undependable or even obsolete. So to help reverse that worry, for them and for their families, we decided to start including an album for every wedding. We didn’t raise our prices, but we took out the high-resolution files.
All of a sudden, giving a tangible product made so much more sense. We were providing our clients a lasting memory of their wedding, and also ensuring their children and grandchildren would be able to feel what the wedding day felt like 50 years from now.
And we finally became a full-service business that took care of people start to finish, which has made us extremely proud of what we do.
…we finally became a full service business that took care of people from start to finish.
It also gives justification for our prices because we know what we are doing will have even greater value to our clients than they could ever imagine at the time of booking us.
A few weeks ago, we received the sad news that a groom from last year was losing his mother to cancer.A few weeks ago, we received the sad news that a groom from last year was losing his mother to cancer.
We just couldn’t believe the young, beautiful lady we watched on the dance floor was already being moved into Hospice Care. We had, just a couple months earlier, made both sets of parents their own album, and the bride wrote us to tell us how important that book had become to her mother-in-law. She wrote to us: “She absolutely adores her album and shows it to everyone who has visited, even today in the last days/hours with her, she asked to see the album and your photos. So thank you so much for creating it and for capturing so many moments for us that we’ll cherish more than we ever knew at that time.”
I now realize that if you don’t give your clients an album, you’re not really doing your job as a wedding photographer. Technology trends come and go faster than ever. But a wedding album is going to last. And so will the photographs you put all your heart into making for the families who choose you as their photographer. As artists, we all want to see our photographs printed. And we all want our photographs to be looked at forever. We have the ability to do both, and everyone will be better off because we took the initiative to make that happen.
So do yourselves a favor, and most importantly, do your clients a favor and give them something they may not fully appreciate now, but definitely will once life kicks into full gear right after the honeymoon ends. There is something magical about looking at a book of photographs. And it’s an honor to make one for every single wedding we are asked to document.
~ Ben Chrisman, Chrisman Studios
Spring Time
I kicked off spring with two bar mitzvahs in the month of March. Mitzvahs are one of my favorite simchas to photograph…and no it’s not because I get to go to Demolition Ball, well OK, maybe just a little. One of the great things about Ethan’s bar mitzvah is I got to spend time with his family again. Talk about three awesome kids! We were at B’nai Amoona on Friday morning for the formals and then off to Demolition Ball on Saturday for his party. We had a a blast…check out a few of his pics.
Later in March I went to CRC for Ryan’s bar mitzvah. I photographed his formals before the service, capturing a lot of wonderful images of the family. They were so easy to work with; big smiles from everyone, including his great Grandma (she doesn’t even look old enough to be a great grandma)! I truly enjoyed getting to know Ryan and his family. Ryan had his party at Westbrook Country Club where I got to work with my favorite DJ, Rick Paul. The kids had a great time too! Here are some of Ryan’s images.
Do you have a special event? Contact me, I want to be your photographer.
Sarah’s Bat Mitzvah
I photographed my first bat mitzvah of 2015 for Sarah at CRC, and then we were off to the City Museum for her party. What a great way to start the year! We met up for the formals a little before the service….this family followed the directions and they were all there early and ready to go. They were so ready that we completed all the formal images quickly, and with extra time to spare. I don’t get to say that very often. Sarah was a bit nervous but once she got on the bimah and began the service she was relaxed, confident and did a fabulous job. Mazel Tov Sarah!
Check out a few of the pics from the day.
If you are looking for a mitzvah photographer, contact me. And don’t forget to share my name and information with your friends!
We love Mitzvahs!
If you are like everyone else, you are waiting (not so) patiently for spring. I’m definitely looking forward to spring and some family portraits I have scheduled. In the meantime, this month I did a few mitzvahs (a couple of houses and some headshots too). I photographed Bella and her family. Bella was a natural in front of the camera and we had a great time….OK maybe she had a great time at City Museum crawling in all those tight spaces, I on the other hand simply waited until she and her friends surfaced above ground, thank you very much! Bella is smart and kind and she has a lot of great friends who love her bunches. I did enjoy seeing many of my own friends at her party too. I also got to photograph Mitch. Mitch has a smile and demeanor that will melt your heart. And talk about a fun young man! Of course after meeting his mom, dad and brother and watching all those stealth dance moves, I see the apple doesn’t fall far from that tree. You guys rock!
So now I will head off to North Carolina to visit my family for a much needed vacation and well, to photograph a corporate portrait session along with a portrait of a wonderful musician…my niece! So look out North Carolina here I come. I love my job!
Got a bar/bat mitzvah? Wedding? Need a family portrait? CALL 314-330-2407 or EMAIL ME!
Happy New Year from Kristi Foster Photography, Inc.
What a great year Kristi Foster Photography, Inc has had! New clients, new website and even a new blog.
Thank you to all my supportive clients and friends!
What’s in store for 2014? I am hoping to get this blogging stuff down and get more out there. I also plan to take a few continuing education classes, just to keep sharp (see what I did there?) on my photography skills. I will be working on expanding weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs into North Carolina and I’m hoping to schedule some of those near or on the beach! I might even be able to get a photo workshop trip in too….I’m thinking Tuscany, at least that is my hope anyway.
Whew, that’s an ambitious 2014, but I’m ready and excited!
Enjoy a few of my favorite images from 2013….
Don’t forget to follow my blog!
And please don’t keep me a secret share my newsletter, my website and my name with your family and friends. I LOVE new clients!
Shoshana’s Bat Mitzvah {St. Louis Bar/Bat Mitzvah Photographer}
I hadn’t met Shoshana until the morning of her formals at B’nai Amoona. But she was so relaxed in front of the camera; it took no time to get rolling. I kept thinking to myself, ‘she has the sweetest, softest smile I think I have seen in a long time’. The more and more I photographed her and her family the more I realized it was because she smiled with her eyes, all the way down to her soul. She is truly beautiful inside and out. And she has obviously been a great influence on her little sister, Ellory, because she was just as sweet, kind and patient. I am so happy I got to meet and photograph this fabulous family!
Enjoy the sneak peek. And leave a comment here on the blog to let them know how much you like their smiles too!
nothing better than a bat mitzvah or two or three….{St. Louis Bar/Bat Mitzvah Photographer}
Rachel, Sara and now Ariel. All the Berwald girls have been bat mitzvahed. I have loved every one of their mitzvot simply because they are a fun, sweet and loving family. And well, because every time we got to do a fun and crazy pic. Not too many families can get everyone on board with the silly images. I love their willingness to be themselves and to have a good time! I can’t wait to see what they do at their weddings…don’t worry, Laurie, I’m not rushing them!
Mazel Tov Ariel!
Enjoy the pics. Leave the Berwald’s a comment below, let them know what you think about their sneak peek!
And here are a few from the past…
Adam’s Bar Mitzvah {St. Louis Bar Mitzvah Photographer}
Adam was bar mitzvahed this weekend at Shaare Emeth. He made his family proud. His hard work paid off; he did a great job…and he sounded good too! I listened to his mom and dad when they blessed him and then the Rabbi as well. They all spoke of Adam’s kindness and consideration for others. I watched Adam at his luncheon right after services as well as his party that evening at Demolition Ball and you know what I saw? They were all absolutely right. Adam is so kind, caring and considerate to his family and friends. He is also a great model for his brother Jeremy and sister Ellie, they are equally as kind. Adam will surely do a lot of amazing things for our world! So here is a sneak peak of some of Adam’s images. Black and White is not dead! I chose to make this post all black and white images because I feel like in the new digital era, we forget the beauty of film and specifically black and white images. Something about these particular images said a lot to me, and they cried out for black and white. Enjoy! And call me, let’s make some black and white images for you too!
Fine Art Photographic Pet Portraits by Kristi Foster Photography, Inc. 