What a beautiful Edwardsville wedding! Julie & Dawood tied the knot on August 1, 2015 at Leclaire Christian Church in Edwardsville, Illinois. It was a beautiful ceremony with a vintage, rustic vibe. After a ride on the trolley to Julie's family home, the wedding party stopped to take some photos at the historic Colonel Benjamin Stephenson House in the Edwardsville LeClaire district. After that we continued to the reception at The LeClaire Room at the Lewis & Clark Community College.
This slideshow is a sneak peek of the images from the day, provided by Glennmade Films. Stay tuned for more pics coming to the blog soon!
Congrats to Julie & Dawood! The wedding was stunning, as was the couple!
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To learn more about the Pepper Lounge nightclub or their Sunday Skool industry night, visit them on Facebook.
]]>Drummer Derek and I attended Webster University together, and we quickly connected via the local St. Louis music scene. It's hard to believe we've been friends for over 14 years! In our college days I met my husband through their mutual metal band Freak Accident. Over the years I've photographed musicians; I was unofficially the Freak Accident "band photographer" and promoter through college and beyond. In those days I used to photograph musicians all the time as a budding photographer.
Even though it used to be commonplace for me to shoot a live show, it was very special to photograph the Bluesmen at the Sheldon Concert Hall. I had not photographed a live performance in quite a while and it was a fun break from the usual portrait work I do. The space is acoustically pleasing and the ambiance of the venue brings an authenticity to the performance and sound.
Before the band took the stage we took some time to take a few promotional shots. The Sheldon is a beautiful venue, and I tried to capture the historic detail of the building as well as the personality of the band.
At 7:30pm, the band took the stage for a two hour plus set. Paul Bonn & the Bluesmen have years of experience touring regionally, nationally and worldwide with St. Louis, Missouri as their home base. The band plays on a regular basis at Hammerstone's, located in the historic Soulard district of St. Louis. They play on both sides of the Mississippi at various locations and events throughout Missouri and Illinois. This band is best experienced in a live setting where you can enjoy their energy and show. Their show at the Sheldon was no exception.
To learn more about Paul Bonn and the Bluesmen, please check out Paul's Facebook page for show updates and event appearances.
]]>Matt Holliday and his wife Leslee hosted the 2015 Uncork for a Cause charity program to benefit Siteman Cancer Center. The May 28 event at the Schlafly Tap Room raised funds to bring awareness about colon cancer prevention and to support cancer research at Siteman. The event also served as the release party for Holliday Red Lager, a limited-edition beer brewed specially for Matt by the Schlafly team.
The night before the event, Holliday hit his way into the record books at Busch Stadium when he singled in the fifth inning of the Cardinals' 4-3 win over Arizona, becoming the first National League player to reach base in his first 43 games of a season.
Tickets to the benefit included a free collectible large format bottle of Holliday Red Lager, each individually numbered and limited to 1200. Matt signed bottles and other items for an additional donation to Siteman.
Attendees enjoyed an enticing culinary menu prepared by Schlafly Executive Chef Andy White, a large selection of Schlafly’s award-winning beer including their beloved Pale Ale and Kolsch, wine and a silent auction featuring Cardinals gear, local and national sports items and wine lots from many of California’s elite producers.
This year's event had a great turnout, and guest enjoyed meeting Matt and Leslee as well as the food, drink, and silent auction. You can see a video on the event below, which features an interview with Holliday and more information about the cause. You'll also get a glimpse of me working as well. :-)
Here are some of my favorite photos from the Schlafly Tap Room event:
I also received my own signed bottle of Holliday Red Lager, which I promptly posted on Instagram. So cool and perfect for our Cardinals and Saints-themed family room!
Holliday Red Lager will be available for a limited time in individually numbered, large-format bottles and on tap. You can find Holliday Red Lager at The Schlafly Tap Room and Schlafly Bottleworks.
Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine is an international leader in cancer treatment, research, prevention, education and community outreach. Siteman is ranked among the top cancer facilities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and is Missouri’s only member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
The Saint Louis Brewery™, maker of Schlafly beer, is proud to be Missouri’s largest locally owned independent brewery. Each year, they brew more than 50 styles of beer, available at their two brewery-restaurants. The Schlafly Tap Room, the first brewpub in Missouri since Prohibition, opened in 1991 in a beautifully restored wood and brick building on the National Register of Historic Places.
Thanks to Blake Niehoff of Uncork for a Cause & Matt Holliday for raising money for this great cause, and for asking me back to photograph the event.
]]>When Zach Miller of Ziller Reptiles asked me about photographing his designer ball pythons for his website, I jumped at the opportunity. He specializes in breeding and selling ball python and crested gecko mutations, and the reptiles he produces are truly beautiful.
However, if you know me, you know that I have a slight phobia of snakes. I didn't want to pass up the assignment as his collection of animals are gorgeous and unique. Zach assured me that he'd do all of the snake handling and that they were very tame and used to being handled. Along with my assistant Lauren (who isn't afraid of snakes), we met on an afternoon at his place to set up a makeshift macro studio for the shoot.
I'm pleased to report that everything went well! The pythons were easy to work with for me and I didn't get too worked up about being so close to a snake. All of them were very docile; you could tell that Zach works with them every day and that they are healthy and well cared for. With the exception of a few hisses that made me breathe a little heavy, I kept my cool, concentrated on my work, and got some incredible macro reptile shots.
Sometimes overcoming your fears and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is the best thing to do creatively. With the images that resulted from this shoot, I'd have to say that it was a successful session, and I'm proud of myself for confronting my fear of snakes!
The moral of the story: don't let your fears or preconceived notions get in the way of doing or creating something really awesome.
To learn more about Zach Miller and his designer ball python strains, please visit the Ziller Reptiles website.
]]>That's why I was so pleased by how these images turned out! This is my "dad's side" family photos, taken along Long Lake in Pontoon Beach, Illinois. This past Christmas, I got everyone on that side custom Cardinals t-shirts with the plan of doing a family portrait in the spring/summer together. We had a shower for our cousin earlier in the day and it was also my brother Bill's birthday, so we were all able to get together in the same place for once. It was a fun day!
I actually took these with the self-timer and jumped in the frame within the ten seconds it gave me to get there. Considering I wasn't able to time the shot myself, I was pleased that it only took about four frames of each shot to get a decent photograph. I did very minimal retouching on these and called it a day. Don't we all look great? :-)
It's so hard to get everyone together sometimes, but isn't it worth having a memory of your family hanging in your home forever? I'm so glad we took the time to do this, even if I had to take it myself to get the job done!
One of the reasons I love photography so much is because I'm able to create these timeless images for families to keep forever. We mark a point in someone's life with a professional, flattering portrait. When printed and shared, it creates a cherished heirloom.
Even if it's just a quick snapshot with your phone or a professional portrait you set time aside for, it is so important to get those family group photos. Stop putting it off, get the entire gang together and make sure to set aside time to get a picture in. You'll be so glad you did! Those fleeting moments captured on camera of the people you love will be treasured forever. And you'll also enjoy a great day spending time with your favorite people.
Of course, you can contact me to photograph your clan for you, no stressful "selfie" action required from you. Not only that, when I'm behind the camera I can ensure your entire family looks their best, creating a customized, on-location family portrait you'll love.
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