remember us?

Re-meet the twins. Cute keeps getting cuter ... just look at those eyelashes!

photography = ...

Today, we're giving away The Secret. More than the camera. More than the lenses. More than the lighting, location or angles.

Yes, this season we have discovered the magic formula: Photography = one part stress + one part timing + two parts pure joy. Seriously. Busy? Yes. But we love what we do. Especially when you get to watch a person or a family--like the Streichers in this case--grow so much and change over time. It just helps put it all into perspective, that you're doing more than just snapping photos. We record history.

megan and the morning sun

Sunrise or sunset... that is the question. Which time is better for a senior shoot? It's one question that may be unanswerable, but Megan's morning session sure helps us form an opinion. Love that morning sun.

Maddie

We love this wall in Tower Grove Park. Of course, it's just another wall without the stunning Maddie Hemming in the shot, too.

It's a guessing game.

Having fun in the post-production processing and just had to share...

So, here's a quick game. Which settings go with which photo?...
A) 32mm, f/4, 200 ISO; B) 85mm, f/2.2, 200 ISO; C) 85mm, f/2.2, 400 ISO; D) 85mm, f/2, 400 ISO. My favorite image here is the one on the far right. It's Becca's. So stoic and cold yet so vibrant and lively.

meet marissa, for whom summer is no match.

On one of the hottest, if not the hottest, nights of summer 2011, this super-cool head cheerleader and senior-to-be braved the high temperature and humidity in her cheer gear for this fun shot in Tower Grove Park.

Shot at twilight, you should have seen our team of three working to light the scene. Rather comical, but definitely well worth it!

hello, my name is...

... Jamie. Photographed in Tower Grove Park. 100 mm at f/3.2. Gorgeous.

And you feel like it's a beautiful day

Last Saturday we had a double location shoot with Lafayette High cross-country runner and class of 2012 senior Hannah, who was fresh off a college visit to Loyola. We started off at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, one of Hannah's favorite places in the 'Lou (especially the Japanese Gardens). After the Botan, we headed 1 mile south to Tower Grove Park, dodging kickball games and farmer's markets, to find some new, unique places that we LOVED. Thanks for a beautiful day, Hannah and mom Chris!

Kim and Doug

Kim and Doug braved the 32 degree weather and even the snow that began to fall toward the end of the shoot- all while managing to not look cold. The colors of the flowers and trees make one believe that it is a warm, spring day... only we know better. But come July when the wedding occurs in hot, humid St Louis, I am certain we all will be longing for this day's weather once again.

been to tower grove park?

Fall in St. Louis was a bit short this year as far as color goes. Except in Tower Grove Park, where I guess the buildings nearby and the tall perimeter trees protect some of the smaller, vibrant inner ones. If that's why Craig and Marianne chose to have their engagement photos taken there, it was smart. If it was by pure chance or for convenience based on that evening's plans, then good fortune is simply on their side.

It's been dry in St. Louis this fall, which is why the color was more muted than it has been in other years (again, I assume). Still, the locations they chose didn't necessarily need the vibrancy of a traditional fall shoot -- that park is great because of its unique structures and trees and lake. And, on top of it all, when it comes down to it, it's probably 1/5 location and 4/5 the attitude and the people involved. Congrats, you two. Not on the 4/5 part, but on the engagement... this is a somewhat-stressful-but-oh-so-exciting time!