St. Louis Wedding and Portrait Photography - Stevie Photography

Baby Daphne

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 12:14:03 -0600

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 Mini Sessions - October 17th!

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:57:44 -0600

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!

Max - Brand New!

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:39:20 -0600

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 got married!

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:48:09 -0600

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!

To see more of their day, check out the slideshow!

San Diego, angry strangers and wonderful moments

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:12:00 -0600

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.

Monica and Bill's Engagements! (and some other stuff I've been doing...)

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 20:57:54 -0600

So I'm finally getting around to blogging and I have soo much to tell you all! This past wednesday night, I was at the famed St. Louis Photographers Shot Party with featured speaker Jasmine Star! I KNOW, right!? I was TERRIBLY late but made it just in time to meet some awesome new people and hear Jasmine speak at the end of the night. What an inspiration to anyone starting a new business, not just photographers. She's really made an impact in this industry and we were so lucky to have her come chat with us!

Here's a picture I snagged from Kelly's facebook page of Me, Kelly Park, Jasmine, and the hostess with the mostess - Kelly Manno. So stinkin' cute.

Oksonow the REAL reason for this! Monica and Bill!! Woo! I'm terribly late blogging these but if you like me on Facebook, you'll notice that the album has been up for a while now. I don't have a good excuse and I honestly thought I had blogged them until I went looking for it and couldn't find it.... blonde moment. Monica and Bill came out in some dreadful heat to do their shoot in Lafayette Square Park, one of my favs. I just love the diversity in the settings there! Its never too crowded and its kept up pretty nice. We had GORGEOUS light and these two were fun and fabulous to work with. They're so at ease with eachother that it made my job so easy and I know their wedding day is going to be pretty spectacular as well. And far more temperate. :)

Stevie's Boudoir Series 2010

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:33:46 -0600

Girls, its that time of year again - time to bring your sexy back! I'm gearing up for another fantastic boudoir marathon next month and would LOVE for you to get in on fun! These are fantastic for gifts for your wedding, anniversary, Christmas, Valentine's Day or just because! Plus it gives you an excuse to hit up Victoria's Secret, raid your closet and feel your most beautiful for a day. Its an experience you'll never forget!

Stevie's Boudoir Series - $350
Date: Saturday, August 21st, 2010
Time Slots Available: ~~1pm~~, ~~2pm~~, ~~3pm~~, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm

Package Includes:
Loft space for the shoot (Westgate Lofts Downtown - with roof access for the daring!)
Professional hair/makeup (bring your own lipstick shade)
45min - 1hr session w/Stevie and one (female) assistant
Light refreshments, music and an awesome fun time!
Finished 20 side magazine-style album OR 20 high res images on CD with copyright release.

Only three slots left so call or email ASAP to secure your spot. Its gonna be epic. :)

Christy and Steve are engaged!

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 07:50:44 -0600

July is my favorite! Mostly because its my birthday month but it also means that half the year is over. Which would be a depressing thought, normally, but I like to think of it as a good reflection point. What have I accomplished this year so far? What do I have left to accomplish? Are there new goals to set and achieve by the end of the year? By this time, wedding season is well underway and I'm pouring over gorgeous dresses and shoes and flowers and venues on a weekly basis and being blown away by the creativity and uniqueness of my clients and the people I meet and shoot.

With that in mind, I have a couple engagements on the way to show you and first up is Christy and Steve! This darling Kentucky import was bringing the gorgeous in 102 degrees and she's my hero for it. I was a hot mess (quite literally) by the end and both of these guys were awesome to shoot and up for anything no matter the proximity or mercury count. Here's hoping your wedding this fall is a smidge more temperate. :)

Layne + Terry

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:17:13 -0600

I'm not sure if I had more fun AT this wedding or EDITING this wedding. Seriously, what a fun group! And the chemistry between Layne and Terry was simply magic. Its one of those weddings where you have a hard time moving from image to image because they're just so darn great together, you want to spend oodles of time on every one. Laynie was a beautiful bride and Terry just lit up when she was around. So happy their wedding day was finally here.

Thank you thank you to Kelly Park for shooting with me! Your talent blows me away!
And thanks to Rachel with Luck You Productions for making the day run smoothly. :)

Enjoy the slideshow!

Miranda and Jonny are Married!

Mon, 24 May 2010 21:14:58 -0600

Its so appropriate that Sex and the City 2 comes out this week because this wedding has some of the most style I've seen in a long time. Miranda had 3 dresses, 2 cakes and 1 ultra-fabulous pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes that Carrie would be proud of. A girl after my own shoe-loving heart!

The wedding and reception were held at Ces and Judy's in Frontenac and had beautiful event lighting courtesy of Exclusive Events. The flowers all came from Petals Galore and were there ever! All the details of this day came together perfectly for Miranda and Jonny and having their family and friends there to celebrate made it all the more special.

Miranda gets gorgeous from Lisa.

"Hello Lover..." so gorgeous!

Not too bad in a Calvin Klein suit

Dress #1 - We did a short pre-ceremony shoot with this short number to show off the shoes and get a little time with the bride and groom before the craziness started.

Sharon's angle as we began. Love it!

Looking fierce!

Dress #2 was the main ceremony dress. It was PER-FECTION on her!

Gorgeous flowers and so unique for bridesmaids

Sweetheart table with pin lighting makes it so classy!

Married!

The guys in tilt-shift wonderfulness.

Love the moody feel of this. The entryway to Ces and Judy's was the perfect backdrop.

The bride's own cake design. Not too shabby, eh?

Such a beautiful room! Amazing vision carried out by amazing vendors.

Apple cake!! Homemade, even. Yum!

A smooch for the new mother-in-law!

Oh, and here's Dress #3. Girl had more wardrobe changes than a supermodel! She rocked them all, of course.

He got the garter. His fiance was pretty happy about that. :)

Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your day! And thanks also to Sharon for shooting with me. It was so much fun! For more of the gorgeousness, check out the slideshow!

Congratulations Jessica and Tim!

Thu, 06 May 2010 20:54:19 -0600

I'm so excited for this year's weddings. I have some stellar clients and I just know that each wedding I shoot is going to be a reflection of each of their individual styles. This day was no exception. Jessica picked the 'Tiffany Blue' color for her wedding and ran with it! I loved all the ways she incorporated little dashes of color here and there. The ceremony was at The Journey church on Hanley Road and along with gorgeous flowers from Tina Barrera, Jessica and Tim's cool sense of style and class really made for an unforgettable event. Tim even serenaded his new bride with a song from their first date! So cute! Say it with me "Awwwwww.....". Having a reception at the Coronado Ballroom helps, too!

Congratulations Jessica and Tim! I hope you guys enjoyed Disney on your honeymoon!

Thank you thank you to Dan Watkins for his super second shooting skills! See more of their wedding day in the slideshow!

Jenny and Greg are Married!

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 23:20:03 -0600

First wedding of the year belongs to the gorgeous Jenny and her perfect match Greg. Jenny works for Orlando Gardens so you KNOW her reception is going to be something perfect. Turns out, the whole day was perfect. Sometimes I can appreciate an April withOUT showers. :)

Thanks to Karen for lending her talent to shoot with me!

For more of their beautiful wedding day, take a peek at the slideshow!

Christine and Kyle's Engagements

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:54:24 -0600

So funny. I don't think I've laughed that much at an engagement shoot in a while. Christine and Kyle have my kinda humor, so it works. And they manage to keep each other laughing, too. All the way down the aisle. :) See you guys in October.

WPPI 2010 Recap!

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:37:25 -0600

I've been back from WPPI for over a week now and I'm happy to report that the energy I felt from just being in that space still hasn't faded. I went having ZERO expectations and not much of a clue as to what really happens at a convention like this. I decided after I got there to go ahead and get registered for all the classes available and folks, I'm SO glad I did! I think my experience would be radically different had I just gone to the trade show as planned. How often would I get to see and hear such a variety of talented professionals in one place? Crazy girl, why didn't you think of this before? Armed with trusty, fun and bubbly Instax - we set out!

The first night we went to a party given by Becker. My roomies Jenny, Kelly, Von and me with Becker.

Jen's excited about the casino.

And Mojito Madness at the House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay! Yummiest mojitos ever.

In the next couple days, we saw Joe Photo, Jesh de Rox, Susan Stripling and Jasmine Star give incredible, inspirational talks. I was especially impressed with Jesh and Susan. Both gave very different presentations (Jesh had a giant 400+ person platform class, Susan spoke to about 20 people at a booth at the tradeshow) but I came away from both encounters feeling challenged and charged to take on my shoots this year. They were both so real and genuine and all about getting the best images for their clients and that really speaks to the kind of photographer I want to be.

Jen, Kelly and Me with Susan after her presentation. Loved meeting her!

No photo with Jesh. Busy guy. :) But here's Becker again. He [hearts] St. Louis! :)

Enough of my rambling! Here it is: WPPI was awesome. I can't wait CAN'T WAIT for this year's weddings and engagements and portraits. There's so much creativity out there and I'm more excited than ever to explore it and make the best art I can for my clients. Ask me about it sometime. Don't let me slouch. Challenge me. I'm ready.

Kristin and Zac

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:19:30 -0600

If you've been following me on Twitter or Facebook lately, its pretty obvious that my trip to WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) Conference in Vegas this year was nothing short of awesome. I met some incredible photographers from all over the country, heard some insightful and inspiring talks and classes and got to peruse a trade show FULL of the best the industry has to offer. A lucky girl, I am. I'll go into more details about all that along with some fun pictures later.

For now, more pressing (and way more lovely) matters are at hand! Namely, Kristin and Zac. The beautiful Kristin and I only ever chatted on the phone because she happens to live in LA. We were trying to schedule some engagements for when they'd be in STL over Memorial Day weekend when (only about a third joking) I mentioned that I would be in Las Vegas THAT WEEKEND and we could do them there. 'Yeah that sounds good!', she says. (blink blink) YAY!!! I forget that LA and Vegas are within driving distance so a few hastily made plans and a couple more phone calls and texts and we're shooting in Sin City. Now, I know that I'm not the first outta-towner to shoot there and when there's 3000 other photographers in town, I'm sure NOT the last. But I gotta say that for my first time even BEING in Vegas, we had the best time and got some beautifulness from the strip. I'm down.

So happy these guys picked me to shoot their wedding and even more happy for spontaneity. Oh and that FABULOUS jacket and hat that Zac brought to wear. Swoon! I know Kristin is jumping out of her skin to see these so here you go!