This morning I received one of those phone calls you never forget.  It was from the grandmother of one of my brides.  She called to make sure that I knew how much she loved her granddaughter’s wedding album. “So many people call to complain, but I wanted to make sure to call you to tell you how impressed I am with the book.  It’s beautiful.  It brought tears.  It’s a complete story.”  (It made my day!)

Later this afternoon I was forced to take shelter in a Wal-mart as tornado sirens started going off.  There was a sense of uncertainty and even a bit of fear as we weathered the storm.   Several tornadoes actually touched down in the St. Louis area causing severe damage but thankfully no fatalities.  A fitting analogy for 2010.

And tonight I am filled with a great deal of hope with the direction Zettl Photography will be taking in the next year.  This past year has been challenging – probably more challenging than even my first year in business eight years ago.  But it has also brought some of the greatest rewards and accomplishments of my career.

A few highlights from 2010:

• Peter and I were named The 2009 St. Louis Wedding Awards Winners for Photography.  It was quite an honor for our work to be chosen  as the best from among  the top photographers in the St. Louis area.  We were praised for our great capture of expression and emotion and our beautiful use of light. This meant a lot to me because it is the basis of our work – photographs full of life.

• While we worked a few less weddings than we normally do, we still had 20 wonderful couples I am proud to have as clients.  Each wedding brought with it a sense of wonder, joy, love, beauty, excitement, laughter, style, and even a little sass.  To all our clients – our deepest thanks to you.  You are the reason I get excited to pick up a camera.  Being a part of your day, even in a small way, is a  great privilege.  Thank you.

• We’re booking very strong for 2011.  It’s mostly from the kind recommendations and referrals from past clients and the talented vendors we work with.  Words can not express our gratitude for your support.  It means the world to us.

• We won four Accolades of Excellence from Wedding & Portrait Photographers International in Vegas.  Less than 10% of thousands of entries receive such high marks. It was a great privilege to have my work hang in a gallery with some of the best photographers in the world.

• I taught my first photography workshop with acclaimed photographer Chuck Arlund.  My portion of the workshop focuses on teaching people how to find the inspiration to create artistic photos that are full of life and helping them with the technical knowledge and proficiency to do so.    (Chuck and I will be teaching a 3 day photography course at the PPA New England school in April 2011.)

• An article I wrote for Neil van Niekerk’s Tangents blog (a world renowned instructional resource for photographers) was picked up by Gizmodo USA, Australia and Japan.  See the original article here and the Gizmodo article here.

• I also started writing my first photography book.  It’s going to be a big undertaking,  but I’m up for it.  I like challenges.

So what can you expect from Zettl Photography in 2011? For now, that’s for us to know and for you to find out. :)  Keep up with us on our blog and on facebook (www.facebook.com/zettlphoto – go ahead, like us! ) as we announce all the new promotions, projects, and contests we will have in the new year. It’s going to be a great year!

Thank you again for all your support and kindness in the past year.  We look forward to 2011 and wish you all the best in the coming year.

Stephanie & Peter

And since no post is complete without a photo – here’s one I hope everyone will apply to their goals and dreams in 2011.  Cheers. S&P

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.