2015 was a great year!
Here’s to 2016! Call now to book your date!
Tag: St. Louis Family Photographer
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
Rose and Alfred get married
If you are thinking about having an inmate, elegant wedding, then you’ll like Rose and Alfred’s wedding. They did just that. Their wedding was early evening that went right into the reception. Their guest list was small and included family and close friends. The atmosphere was cozy and relaxed….the perfect wedding for the sophisticated(but not stuffy) bride and groom.
And if you haven’t picked your venue yet, you might want to consider Miss Aimee B’s in St. Charles. Rose and Alfred’s wedding and reception was held there. Miss Aimee B’s is very cute and quaint and I can tell you first hand, the food is delicious. They know how to make fantastic chicken, creamed potatoes and fresh green beans. And the staff was very attentive. So if you love good food, a romantic ambiance, and convenient location, you might want to check them out.
In the meantime, enjoy some of my favorite pics from the wedding!
Corporate Portraits
Why is a professional corporate portrait a good investment?
Your professional image:
- is your first point of contact
- will help you to be remembered
- it is like a personal logo
- people are able to put a name to a face
- makes you look more professional
- will raise your brand significantly
Not convinced? Here is your chance to give it a try….contact me here; leave your name and email address and I will enter you in a drawing for a complimentary on location professional portrait(hurry and enter now, offer ends Friday, September 25 at 12pm). I will come to your office or favorite location, make great images of you, and provide you a copy. You can use it on LinkedIn, Facebook or any media page; you can use it for publication too.
You’ll be surprised at how many likes and comments you will receive on your new photograph!
Why? because your image means everything!
Share this blog with your friends, they can enter too!
Wanna Get Married?
Been thinking about getting married but really don’t have that dream of a large wedding? Don’t want to have to invite lots of people, or spend all the time in to planning and taste testing and then of course the money? BUT, you do want something that is special; something that you and your partner get to share between each other, witnessed by a few of your best friends and your family too?
Well, have you ever thought about eloping? You can pick a favorite spot and say your ‘I DOs’ with a real officiant. You can even wear a wedding gown (or your favorite pair of jeans). You can have beautiful flowers and rings and a professional photographer. And it is affordable.
If you want to learn more, check out Elope STL. I have been working with Carolyn for a few years now. She offers complete packages that include her services, flowers and a photographer. Carolyn is fun and accommodating and down right innovative if you need help planning. If you are looking for a low stress option yet still very special, then you will love an elopement!
Enjoy a few photographs from some of the elopements I have participated in with Carolyn.
Just a few of my Favs
Just moving August images into archives and I thought I’d share a few of my favorite images from last month.
Enjoy!
That was one hot morning! But the girls were so patient and gracious with their smiles.
What a sweet elopement this was. Were we outside the Faust Park with Carolyn Burke, the Elopement Connoisseur.
Mark is a Senior this year! First time I photographed Mark, it was for his bar mitzvah, he wore his pet snake around his neck!
Cover image for the Clayton Chamber Ensemble program at this year’s Midwest Clinic in Chicago. I can’t wait to see/hear them perform!
The Wedding….finally!
Mike and Darryl have been together for 13 years. That’s awesome. A few years ago they adopted 5 little ones, all brothers and sisters; they wanted to keep them all together. Wow, that’s even more awesome!
And finally Missouri said they could make it legal. It’s about time!
It was indeed a happy day for their family! Their church family was there too in celebration. It was a small inmate wedding with a Disney theme, of course. There was laughter, tears, good food and drinks and lots of dancing. Oh and Darryl surprised Mike with a drum solo too.
They belong to First Congregational Church of Webster Groves and have been planning their wedding with Rev. Denoon for several years. FCCWG, is one of the few churches in STL that allow same sex marriages to be performed by their clergy. I sure hope to see more churches marrying ALL loving couples!
Enjoy some of the images from Mike and Darryl’s big day!
say Hello to Marie!
I first met Marie at a wedding. That’s right, she walked down the aisle just like any other attendant at a wedding. Marie is the bride’s seeing eye dog. I’m not sure what makes a good seeing eye dog, but all I know is Marie is very sweet, social and obedient. So last week I got the chance to photograph her again. She really is good at posing for sure; makes my job so easy.
I don’t know much about Yoga either, but Marie obviously does; she is showing off her skills for me. Well after all, her mommy does teach yoga class and Marie goes with her to every class!
Enjoy the pics of Marie!
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.
Fine Art Photographic Pet Portraits by Kristi Foster Photography, Inc. 