Zettl Photography - St. Louis Photographer» St. Louis Bride Magazine

Considering I have an ever growing collection of photography books, it was no surprise that I was asked to give some advice about what a fellow photographer might want as a gift. I have photography books about every thing from the technical to artist portfolios, from street photography to high fashion.

As I was compiling the list, I thought about how it really was a list of books that all photographers should have on their shelves. I was going to make this a top 10 list but I decided that I would probably continue to add to it. So let’s call this Stephanie’s List of Favorite Photography Books. (Book Covers link directly to Amazon) I hope they are a source of inspiration and enlightenment to you.

My most recent purchase is a book of Vivian Maier’s work. Her story is exceptional and I encourage you read her story and view more of her work at www.vivianmaier.com Her work rivals any of the great street photographers of the twentieth century.

Vivian Maier: Street Photographer

While we’re on the topic of street photographers, no collection would be complete without a book by Henri Cartier- Bresson. This book was given to me by a cherished friend. What I love about it is that it contains a lot of the well know Cartier-Bresson images but also a lot of them that I had not seen before. It is a beautiful book.

Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Man, The Image & The World

Richard Avedon – If you don’t have one of his books on your shelves, you are missing out. Here is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite artists.

Avedon Fashion 1944-2000

A lot of my fashion work is influenced by the elegance of Norman Parkinson.

Norman Parkinson: A Very British Glamour

I am drawn to the photos of performers and musicians, which is why I love the work of Herman Leonard. (My B&W Jazz cover of St. Louis Bride Magazine was my homage to the artist)

Jazz

No collection is complete without the quiet humour of Elliot Erwitt. The man sees the world in ways I wish I could, always with a bit of mischievousness, always with a bit of a smile.

Personal Best

Nick Brandt is one of my favorite nature photographers. His warm black and white images of African animals are second to none. This book is large and properly highlights his beautiful and majestic images.

A Shadow Falls

Now on to the technical photography books… Let’s start with books on lighting.

This list wouldn’t be complete without a self serving plug for my own book on the Nikon Speedlight System. I’m really proud of this book. It provides a lot of great information and is visually appealing.

Nikon Speedlight Handbook

Another great lighting book is by the well known New Jersey Wedding and Portrait Photographer Neil van Niekerk. His Tangents blog and books have been very influential to my work as a wedding photographer. I highly recommend them. You will definitely have some ah-ha moments while reading them.

Off-Camera Flash

Joe McNally ‘s work with speedlights is extraordinary. His book falls in the same category.

The Hot Shoe Diaries

This list should give you a good start. I’ll continue to add to the list as I find more books I believe are valuable to our education and inspiration.

Hope you enjoy them!

xoxo

Stephanie

Erica & Larry | Four Seasons St. Louis Reception

zettlphoto — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:14:47 +0000

The Wedding Experts

St. Louis Wedding Ceremony | Shrine of St. Joseph

St. Louis Reception | The Four Seasons Hotel

St. Louis Caterer | The Four Seasons Hotel

St. Louis Cake | The Four Seasons Hotel

St. Louis Florist | Rich West

St. Louis Gowns | Stardust Bridal

St. Louis Musician | Charles Glenn

Liz & Ben | Whittemore House Reception

zettlphoto — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:27:34 +0000

The Wedding Experts

St. Louis Wedding Ceremony | Faith Des Peres Presbyterian Church

St. Louis Reception | Whittemore House

St. Louis Caterer | Catering St. Louis

St. Louis Cake | Sugaree

St. Louis Florist | Botanicals Design Studio

St. Louis Gowns | Brides by Demetrios

St. Louis Band | Spectrum Band

Christina & Drew | Jewel Box Wedding | Windows On Washington Reception

zettlphoto — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 10:22:55 +0000

The Wedding Experts

St. Louis Wedding Ceremony | Jewel Box

St. Louis Reception | Windows On Washington

St. Louis Caterer | Windows On Washington

St. Louis Cake | Lubeley’s

St. Louis Florist | RW Designs

St. Louis Gowns | Clarices Bridal

St. Louis Stationary | Murphy the Printer

St. Louis Jeweler | Shane Company

St. Louis DJ | Bob Constantin-Music Box Productions

Let Them Eat Cake!

zettlphoto — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 08:33:00 +0000

Nothing makes a pretty cake look more delicious than pairing it with a gorgeous bride and a great location.

Below is our “Let Them Eat Cake” feature as seen in the most recent issue of St. Louis Bride Magazine. To fully complete our Marie Antoinette look, we photographed the feature on location at The Magic Chef Mansion.

The article features the beautiful and delicious work of Blue Owl Sweet Shop, Sarah’s Cake Shop, Lubeley’s Bakery, The Cakery, Nadoz Euro Bakery, La Bonne Bouchee, Sugaree, Encore Baking.

Special thanks to the wonderful team that helped make this shoot a success!

Styled by Yara Holt, Plume Events

Hair by Chrissy Stojan

Makeup by Emily Miller, Delicately Bold

Enzoani gown from Simply Elegant Bridal

Nancy Slade from St. Louis Bride Magazine

model Jody Wynen from West Model & Talent Management

Jody was an incredible model to work with. It made choosing images for the feature difficult. Here were a few of other favorite photos from the shoot.