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]

 

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.

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.