Zettl Photography - St. Louis Photographer» fashion photography

I’m going to be selfish for the moment and talk about what I love to photograph… I love photographing engagement sessions. I love it when I have wonderful couples that are excited about their photos and willing to play. I love it when I can add some editorial/fashion style work into the session. I love it when we can create something that future generations will look at and say, “wow, my parents were cool.” I really do love to photograph people.

Below are two of my favorite photos from Ashley and Archie’s recent portrait session.

We’ve been busy! (And wedding season hasn’t even started!)

zettlphoto — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 00:56:22 +0000

It’s been a busy few months here at Zettl Photography. Every year when we have a brief break from weddings, we like to invest in our education so we can improve our photography and business skills.

In January we attended Imaging USA / PPA and the Digital Wedding Forum Convention in San Antonio. In February we attended WPPI in Vegas. We also attended After Dark Las Vegas – a very hands on learning experience that is one of the best educational programs out there. (If you’re a photographer reading this, I recommend that you check out my review of After Dark Education at Photo Lovecat. The next After Dark will be May 9-11 in Cincinnati. )

Below are a few photos I took at After Dark. It’s a fun mix of Fashion Photography, Boudoir Photography and some more Old Hollywood Portraits.

Who is Stephanie Zettl?

zettlphoto — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:57:43 +0000

I absolutely hate writing about myself. Really, I do. The idea of writing a bio scares me. Do I write in first person? Third person? Do I try to be cute? Are people even going to want to read this? Will it sound cliche?

So when I was forced to write a bio, I turned to my facebook friends to bail me out.

To my pleasant surprise, David Baugher, my former editor at The Current – UMSL’s Student Newspaper, stepped up to the plate and wrote me the perfect bio. I could not have asked for anything better (and I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in my life!!)

Unfortunately the bio had to be shortened due to space constraints, so I wanted to republish the unedited version here. Enjoy!

“Stephanie Zettl is owner, operator and president for life of Zettl Photography Inc., a multinational conglomerate with offices in St. Louis, New York, Paris, Zurich, Cameroon and the middle of the Saraha Desert where she once spent a five-year sabbatical to contemplate the photographic aspects of sand weevils.

Born in a small mining village in the Andes, Stephanie began her historic career in imagemaking at age 2 when she accidentally tripped over a camera unintentionally snapping a photo which made the June 1980 cover of National Geographic under the lead story “The blurry cribs of South America.”

It was the first of many visual honors which came to include prizes for journalistic photography, art photography, war photography, fashion photography, still life photography and things-that-are-actually-moving photography. She is among the few photographers in the world noted for both her stunning wedding photography and her work in the less well-known field of divorce photography.

Stephanie is credited as the creator of the world’s only time machine which she invented only to go back and get tips from Ansel Adams. She is one of only five people in the world who actually understand what an f-stop is and doesn’t just pretend to when non-photographers ask.

Stephanie is fluent in 15 languages, sleeps only four hours a night and can kill at 12 paces using only a telephoto lens and the magnified rays of the sun. She was a key negotiator at the Treaty of Ghent, is exempt from all the laws of thermodynamics and has personally imposed a no-fly zone on Libya.”

Mentor Series Workshop: Chuck Arlund & Stephanie Zettl in St. Louis – June 7 & 8

zettlphoto — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 05:34:44 +0000

The Mentor Series Workshop with Chuck Arlund and Stephanie Zettl

June 7 & 8, 2010

How do you become a better photographer? What makes a photograph dynamic and full of life? Do you know where to find inspiration for your work? Are you comfortable using all different types of light? Do you want to connect better with your clients? Do you need practice and advice on your work?

Discover the answer to these questions at an intense two-day workshop and shootout with Chuck Arlund and Stephanie Zettl. The workshop will be held June 7 & 8, 2010 at Stephanie Zettl’s studio in St. Louis, MO. It will focus on getting those creative juices flowing and giving photographers the opportunity to apply what was learned. We’ll be shooting a whole range of people and models and then finish the course with kind, helpful guidance and advice about the images shot during the two days.

The workshop is recommended to all photographers interested in portrait, fashion and wedding work. Basic understand of how your camera works is required.

What you will take away from the workshop:

Knowing how to see, use and shape the light
Knowing how to use your flash on and off camera
Knowing how to find inspiration and apply it to your work
A review of your work and an understanding of what you can do to improve
Some sweet Photoshop techniques
Advice on how to make a better album and be time efficient.

More info…

Schedule:

DAY ONE

Inspiration: 9:30 – 12:30 Seeing, Using and Shaping the Light. (Instruction and demonstration)

Lunch & Portfolio review: 12:30 – 2:00 Casual lunch provided at the studio with a chance to talk with fellow classmates. Take advantage of having up to 10 of your images reviewed and discussed by the instructors in a safe environment.

Application: 2:00 – 6:00 Shooting. Students will be split into smaller groups and will be given the opportunity to apply of what was learned in the morning. Instructors will help coach students on how to direct people and problem solve lighting situations. There will be a lot of interaction and coaching during the shootout. The shootout is intended to teach how to create better photos, not just shoot pretty models.

Dinner: 6:00 – 8:00 (Local restaurant. Students are responsible for their own meals. Hang out with your classmates.)

DAY TWO

Inspiration: 9:30am to 11:30 pm – Life and Light – the essence of any good photograph. A conversation about what makes a good photograph, how to find inspiration and how to apply it to your work.

Lunch & Portfolio review: 11:30 – 1:30 Casual lunch provided at the studio with a chance to talk with fellow classmates. Take advantage of having up to 10 of your images reviewed and discussed by the instructors in a safe environment.

Inspiration and Application: 1:30 – 3:00 Chuck’s awesome Photoshop techniques.

Inspiration and Application: 3:00 – 4:00 Stephanie’s advice on album design

Advice: 4:00 – 6:00 Review of photos shot the day before. Photos will be reviewed in small groups to provide critique and guidance.

Cost of workshop: $595.00 for 2 days.

Class limited to 14 students.

Click Here to Register Online for the Worshop or call Zettl Photography at 314.454.6612

Chuck Arlund has an incredible amount of experience and talent and it shows in the gorgeous and stylish images. He’s been shooting commercial photography since 1999 and prior to that he was a graphic artist and a part time art and music industry photographer.
He started shooting wedding and portraits in 2004. In 2008 Chuck was hired to shoot Hootie and the Blowfish and that stimulated his passion for the music industry and fashion photography again. While he is still shooting weddings and seniors, his attention these days is all about commercial fashion and music photography.
Within the 5 years he has been apart of the wedding and portrait industry Chuck has won multiple awards and accolades for his imagery. He’s also gaining a lot of attention for his commercial work. See more of his work at www.chuckarlund.com and his blog at: www.arlundphoto.com/wordpress

Stephanie Zettl began her career as a newspaper photographer and shot everything from Ram’s football games to Pope’s visit to St. Louis. But she quickly fell in love with the powerful emotional images she could create on a wedding day. The majority of her current work is weddings and portraits. She credits a lot of her success to her ability to connect with her clients to bring out and capture the best in them.
Stephanie also has a great deal of interest in the music and fashion world and her work is often inspired by great fashion photographers, painters and musicians. She’s recently garnered a lot of attention for her music inspired fashion shoot and cover of St. Louis Bride Magazine.
She and her husband Peter have owned Zettl Photography for 7 years. www.zettlphoto.com

More news on some incredible sponsors (including FundySOS and Simply Canvas) will be coming shortly.