I love to photograph the excitement, the energy,  and the planned events of the day.  But even more so, I love the quiet moments that genuinely profess the couple’s love to one another.

This photo of Meghan and Mike is very special to me.  I was watching them carefully during the speeches.  Meghan leaned closer to Mike and Mike instinctively leaned into Meghan  until they touched.  It was only for a brief moment as it was soon interrupted by the raising and clinking of glasses.  But in that soft little moment, there was a love, a connection and a energy that made me realize how perfect the two of them are together.

This spring we made plans to extend our Las Vegas trip to include an engagement session in Los Angeles with Jamie and Bill.  We had so much fun with the two of them.   I am so very excited about their wedding.  Below is my favorite photo from the session.  I absolutely love how the two of them are so into each other.  I adore the way Bill is caressing Jamie’s hair.  Couples who are so well matched warm my heart.

(Note, it’s always a good idea to keep track of the Zettls’ travel plans as we rarely travel anywhere without taking photos of people.  We don’t charge travel fees if we are already on the road.  We’ll be in Chicago the weekend of May 15th shooting 2 engagement sessions and a bridal session.  We still have room for more portrait sessions.  Contact us if you’re interested in some stylish and creative portraits that show a more intimate and beautiful view of your life.)

What makes this award special and meaningful to us is that the contest was open to any photographer in the St. Louis area and was not restricted to a certain group of advertisers or members. It was a legitimate contest of skill and talent.   The photos were judged by out of state wedding photographers, photography professors, professional artists and other working professionals. We had to submit 15 images (45 total) from three different weddings to show consistency in our body of work.

This is our first big award in photography.  We owe a great deal of gratitude to our mentors, our fellow wedding vendors and our fabulous clients.  Without your support and trust in us, we would have never have come as far as we have in the past seven years.  We want to sincerely thank you from the bottom of hearts.

Other winners include:

Ellen Gutierrrez – Bride’s Vision Wedding and Events (incredible coordinator!)
Rich West – Rich West Designs
Shelli Alred – Alred Wedding Consultants
Randall Greg Shamel – Artistry Florist
Erin Horn Schulte – Exclusive Events
Megan Kniffen  – Chase Park Plaza
Jeff Hill – Westview Media
Pat Rutherford -Sugaree Baking Company (love love love this bakery!)
James Robert Schaefer – The Coronado – winner of the 2009 St. Louis Wedding Award’s Wedding Professional Hall of Fame

We also want to extend a special thank you to Ethan Woods and Nancy Slade of St. Louis Bride Magazine for all their hard work in creating these awards.

Below are the 45 photos we entered into the contest.

[Show as slideshow]

 

Below are the 9 images I am entering into competition.  Please leave a comment in this blog post with the number of your favorite photo, your full name and email (your email address will not be published publicly.) You are welcome to solicit votes for your favorite prints. (email, facebook, twitter this post!) You may vote one time per legitimate email address.

The PRIZES:

1) The client of the photograph that receives the most votes will get a 13×19 fine art print of the photograph shown here and a 13×19 print of their favorite photograph from their wedding or portrait session. (A $300 value.)

2) We will randomly draw a winner from all the votes cast for an extraordinary portrait session, a 13×19 art print from the session and a $300 print credit. (A $550 value.)

The RULES:

1. Winning prizes are not transferable and have no cash or substitution redemption value.
2. The portrait session is for up to 5 people.
3. Viewing, selecting and ordering your prints will take place in our studio.  You are under no obligation to order anything more than your 13×19 art print and $300 print credit. Print credit must be used at ordering session and can not be combined with any other offers or specials.
4. Both the photo shoot and the ordering session must take place by September 1, 2010
5.  Photo session is good for the St. Louis area.  Travel fees will be incurred for anything outside the St. Louis area.
6. The contest ends February 18, 2010 at 11:59 pm.
7. All results are final.  We are the final arbiters in all decisions. Void where regulated or prohibited.
8. We reserve the right to add to and modify these terms if necessary. We promise to be fair in that process.
9.  Winners will be announced via the blog and contacted via email.  (So leave us a working email address. We want you to win! And we promise not to spam you.  We will only contact you once with info about the winners.)

The PHOTOGRAPHS:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

We’ll be having another contest in March of our favorite photo from each wedding and portrait session we shot last year. Stay tuned!

February 10, 2010 – Nashville, TN

Are your photos 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?

We are thrilled to announce the creation of an intense all day and night workshop / shootout to be taught by Chuck Arlund and Stephanie Zettl.  The workshop to be held February 10th, 2010 in Nashville, TN 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 night out with kind, helpful guidance and advice about the images shot that day.

The workshop is recommended to all photographers interested in portrait, fashion and wedding work.

Schedule:

Inspiration: 9:30 – 12:30   Seminar style presentations talking about and demonstrating art inspiration, lighting, style, interaction with clients, and the general feel good belief that you can create something wonderful.

Lunch: 12:30 – 2:00 (Local restaurant.  Students are responsible for their own meals.)

Application: 2:00 – 6:00  Shooting.  Students will be split into two groups that will  be given the opportunity to shoot models, shoot their classmates and have their own photo taken.  The shoot out is to provide application of what was learned in the morning,  help coach students on how to direct people and  give the students the experience of being in front of the camera.

Dinner: 6:00 – 8:00  (Local restaurant.  Students are responsible for their own meals.)

Advice: 8:00pm – whenever   Review of photos shot that day.  Unedited photos will be downloaded to instructor’s computer and reviewed in small groups to provide critique and guidance.

Cost of workshop:  $225.

Sign Up Here

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: awesome album design and production solutions) will be coming shortly.

Every year Peter and I make our way to a photography convention to learn and be inspired.  For the past two years we have arranged a shoot to photograph our fellow photographers and provide them with a new avatar or profile photo. This year’s shoot was based on David Bailey’s 1964 shoot of Mic Jagger.

What I love about these photos is that they are full of personality.  They tell you something about the people in the photos.  We shot over 57 people in about 3 hours.  To be able to make that connection with your subject in 3 minutes is an accomplishment.  Our ability to connect with the people we’re shooting is one of our major strengths.

This also applies to our corporate clients – a photo with personality is key.  In a world of social networking like facebook and linkedin, your photo is often the first impression you give to potential clients.  Today, image is everything.  What is your photo saying about you?  Are you telling your clients you’re confident, personable, friendly, and worthy of their business?

We always discuss wardrobe, location and the purpose of the image to help you make the right introduction to clients and colleagues.  We also want you to be comfortable in front of the camera.  We dedicate the time and preparation to make sure you get the best photo.  Please feel free to email us at info@zettlphoto.com or call us at 314.454.6612 to arrange a session.

What makes Erin and her production team so special is their ability to make a great space an extraordinary space with the use of special lighting and scenery.  It’s amazing what a little up lighting, colored gels, pin lighting and soft flowing fabric can add to any ceremony or reception. It can customize a space for the bride and groom and make it uniquely their own.

For a wedding photographer, the up lighting of a reception hall is a great addition because it makes the photos all that more unique and beautiful.

Lighting the reception is very common on the East Coast and we’re seeing more and more of it here in St. Louis.  The following photos were taken at a wedding I second shot with Neil van Niekerk out East.

Notice how the floral arrangements are pin spotted.

The up lighting on the walls added to the atmosphere for the mid-reception entertainment

And I personally love the splash of blue that was added to the photos by the up lighting on the walls.

Below are a few photos from a wedding I worked with Exclusive Events on in St. Louis at the Westin St. Louis Hotel.

The up lighting on the walls and the blue paper lanterns totally transformed a very dark ballroom.  I love what Erin and her team did!

Last year we met up with Beth and David in Las Vegas while we were attending a photography convention.  We’ll be out in Vegas again this year from March 4-10.  If you are interested in a portrait or engagement sessions, please feel free to contact us for more information.  There is no travel fee for any session, but a minimum purchase does apply.

We were very honored to shoot the cover and fashion spread.  It’s was incredible shoot with a incredible creative team.  And what was even more special was that we had the very talented jazz musician Jeremy Davenport as a part of the cover shoot.

The issue comes out January 10th, 2010.