People ask me if I get the 'baby fever' when I photograph newborns or when my friends and family have babies. My answer is almost always a solid 'Sortof'. Its not necessarily that I want my own babies, its that I want everyone else to keep having babies so I can keep taking pictures of their teeny little faces. I love love love babies but I still don't think its in the cards for me. On that note, everyone else out there can have allllll the babies they want, and then call me to take their pictures. :)

Little Daphne is a first for my friends Sam and Sarah and I'm the lucky girl who got to photograph her at just a week old! You cannot look at these photos and tell me you don't want to just snug those squidgy cheeks! Darling little muffin also stayed away for our whole session and REALLY disliked being on her tummy. A quick cuddle from mom and dad and all was well again. And that's as it should be.

 

Fall is one of my favorite times of year in St. Louis and its not just because of the great weather rolling in again. Its amazing to me to see mother nature quite literally show her colors and take on a whole new stage of life. Its also when I get to see families again for Fall Mini Sessions! Come on... you TOTALLY didn't see that coming. :)

These sessions are just 30 mins. and are a great way to get some quality shots of your family to include in holiday giving and sending. Or just to have so you can remember the year your youngest was missing his two front teeth or your daughter started junior high - those fleeting years that go by all too quickly as our lives fill with busy. Plus I think every family should get photos taken every year. I may be a bit biased but its one of those investments that you'll never regret having made.

Here's the scoop:
Fall Family Mini Sessions
When: Sunday, October 17th - 1pm - 5pm
Where: The Muny in Forest Park
Cost: $300
What's Included:

• 30 Minute photo session
• Online gallery
• All images on CD with print rights

Email me to reserve your spot! All sessions are first come, first served. Payment is due upon booking - time slots fill up fast so don't forget to mention what time you'd prefer in your email! Can't wait to see you all!

You know, I don't get asked to shoot babies much. And that's a damn shame because I so love tiny, squishy, grunty babies. They seem to love me too. My mom is fabulous with babies and I like to think that some of that passed on to me. Just let me think that, ok?

Anyone that knows me well will tell you that I'm not too keen on having kids of my own, but who needs their own with all the new little bundles around! I'm an EXCELLENT Aunt Stephanie. Really.

This is Max. He's got skinny little arms and legs and fights sleeping like no other infant I've seen. Trooper was awake our whole session!



This is the front of the announcements I put together for Max. If a baby yawning doesn't melt your heart.... then... you've just got an unmeltable heart! 

Shams and Shazia booked me to shoot their wedding the month before it happened. That's right, kids. One month. Talk about your super-planners. Did I mention that they were also planning this whole shebang from Los Angeles? I can't make this up! And for as elaborate as their celebrations were, they put everyone they knew in charge of something and the result was nothing short of fabulous!

The night before the wedding was the Mehndi ceremony where the couple are feed sweets by various family and friends all to wish them well.There's also a rather feisty bargaining for the bride by the ladies! These girls essentially held the groom hostage until they got the appropriate payment from the groom's family and friends. It was intense!



Shams and Shazia got married at the Daar ul Islam Mosque in a short but lovely ceremony. So many people came and the clothing was beyond beautiful and colorful! After the ceremony, there was a lunch for the guests and the couple and I were off for some portraits in Queeny park and the Arch grounds. I just loved how Shams and Shazia were attached to each other once they were married. Even just walking along to our next photo locale, they strolled hand in hand and only had eyes for each other. Be still my heart! You just don't see that kind of sweetness everyday, or even at every wedding! I was so happy to be there and document it!

After a short break, they each went back to change and get ready for the reception at the Grand Hall at Union Station. Oh yeah, there's another dress! A deep crimson one, at that. Not that everything Shazia wore wasn't stunning but this one takes the cake for gorgeousness. I made sure to get some portraits and details of her after she was glammed up. And Shams was quite the catch, himself, for the evening. Shazia's mom did all the flowers for the decor and the whole place looked perfect! Check out that arch!

The reception was filled with amazing food, warm speeches, and fond memories of each of them. We even got to sneak out at the end of the night to get a few shots in front of Union Station all lit up. As I was leaving, they were taking a walk around the fountains outside enjoying one last quiet moment of their beautiful day. What a way to end the night!

I went on a trip to San Diego, CA last weekend to shoot a wedding with my good friend and stellar photographer, Kelly Park. I'd never been to SD and since she grew up there, she promised to show me around the day after the wedding. Needless to say, I was excited to see the ocean again and explore a city with someone so passionate about it.

I did something I don't do nearly enough - I photographed the day. Not just a snap from the ol' point n' shoot, but I documented the majority of what we did that day and I'm going to post these on Facebook and write a caption for each one just so I can remember. Go check 'em out if you get a few minutes and want to see the quick photo tour of San Diego.

One of the funniest things that happened that day was sparked by my forgetfulness. I forgot my sunglasses at the house that morning, and if you know anything about me, its that I'm a blind, stumbling mess outside without my sunglasses. Its embarrassing. So we stopped into a drug store on our shopping venture to look for a cheap pair to get me through the day. Being the goofball kids we are, I was trying on all the ridiculous pairs on the rack and Kelly was taking pictures. We're fun like that. In the midst of our impromptu shoot, Kelly accidentally backed up and stepped on another customer in the store, to whom she promptly turned and apologized for the stumble. Well, this lady was just DETERMINED to ruin our day, and proceeded to lecture Kelly on the virtues of watching where you're going and how this was the first time out since she broke her foot and all the puppies in the world are going to die now! Ok, I made up that last part but she was SO MAD! Even after apologizing more than necessary, Kelly was made out to be the worst person ever! I was so irritated at this angry stranger! (in hind sight, I should've taken her picture, but she might've hunted me down if I did...) I got my sunglasses and we made a quick exit.

I read a quote today from, of all people, Martin Short. He said "...if you have wonderful moments, don't second-guess them, just enjoy them." That really resonated with me since I'm the type of person to second-guess most things, but this day was so full of wonderful moments that I don't even remember feeling mad at that lady. It was a day I just enjoyed and I think I'll work on having more of those days.

Here's a pic of me that Kelly took on the shore at La Jolla.