Kristen & Nick

I've heard it said that you can tell when someone is really passionate about their spouse by the way they dance together. Being in my position allows me to see many couples dance. Kristen & Nick stole the show. They didn't have a prepared dance or do really any fancy footwork, but they danced tenderly and and lovingly. Many receptions are so chaotic for the bride and groom that they do not have the chance to dance. Even though this couple had over 200 guests (close to 300, if I remember right), they danced as though no one were there.



Kristen and Nick had a really unique wedding- what with a camouflage/hunting theme (check out those vests!) and the ice cream truck at the park, I'm not sure I've seen anything like it! It's wonderful to have a wedding party that really let's their personality show through all of the formalities of a wedding.

Danielle & Craig

Despite a threat of rain, John thought that March 29th was a beautiful day for a wedding. Danielle Hon and Craig Kuczka tied the knot at St. Dominic Savio in Affton MO at 1:30 in the afternoon. As it turned out the rain stayed away and they were able to go to Forest Park and take a few pictures.

Danielle kept her grandmothers locket attached to her bouquet. In it held a picture of her Grandparents, who were with Danielle and Craig in spirit on that special day.

Though this bride and groom did not see each other before the wedding, they did hold hands and talk on either side of a door.


Danielle looked stunning in her dress.

McKenna, a flower girl, loved to take pictures with her camera. Her younger sister Rylee, the second flower girl, was a doll.


Ryan the ring bearer had other plans for the ring pillow. It's true, weddings can be a long day for a little guy.


Craig absolutely loves the game of football, and John creatively worked that into the strategy for the day. Looks like they were a fun wedding party, ready to make memories and take great photographs!
Even the Groom's cake was a replica of a football helmet. Kudos to the baker that made that happen! The evening reception was held at the Grand Hall at the Lemp Mansion. The Lemp Brewery and Mansion are a photographer's dream, full of wonderful places to photograph. John, who is an avid night photographer, was able to capture the happy couple as they ended their beautiful day.

Emily & Andy

This past weekend, Susan and I shot a most lovely Easter bride and her charming groom. It was a flawless day with sunshine and abundant love! I feel so honored to have had the opportunity to witness such a beautiful day with a couple so full of love and emotion for each other. It is not often when the bride and groom can let go of all the little details and really enjoy the emotion of the day and simply being with their new mate. It greatly increases their ability to be comfortable behind the camera, forgetting at moments, that it is even near. I was close to tears as I edited this wedding due to the true emotion and honest facial expressions that we captured with the camera.











And yes, we saw some camels to end the day.
Emily and Andy had wonderful families who not only were incredibly nice, but also showed up in great number! The best man, Kyle, said I should win an award for getting them all in one picture.

Wedding Season Warm-up

Earlier this week, I'd been up at the church where the wedding this weekend will be to scout locations. I loved how there were so many wonderful places within just a block or two. One of my dear friends decided I needed a warm up for the wedding season, and I heartily agreed that I needed to get out there and shoot. And last minute after work yesterday, a group of 5 of my friends from church followed me around a brewery for some fun, unique shots! I did some portraits, some details, a little bit of everything. We even broke out my veil. There were so many that I loved, that picking just a few to post was impossible, so there is a link at the bottom if you want to see more.

Thanks to the ladies who participated and put up with all the honking from passersby... I told them to break out their best poses, and to "work it." I guess they knew I meant business! Great job. You were all naturals.









Click here for a more complete look at our photoshoot.

Photography Favorites

One of my favorite things about photography is that even when you are technically skilled and proficient, things always look a little different than your minds eye or in reality. I've always enjoyed taking a picture simply to see how it looks. There are often pleasant surprises hiding inside the lens. It is something that I rather enjoy.

A few weeks back I took a few pictures of the moon the night of the lunar eclipse (though I didn't know we were about to have one and I was a few hours too early). I was also just taking some dusk images of the park across from my house. Most of the images were only mediocre for what I was hoping for and I didn't really care for the batch as a whole. The crisp clear pictures didn't strike my fancy. But what did was this odd ball that I took. It was a pleasant surprise hiding in my lens... And it became even more striking to me after I did just a few small adjustments in post-production on the computer.

Baby Cooper is 1!

Our nephew turned one last week, and boy is he wonderful! These are random favorites, not really the story-telling type of photos, just bits and pieces that I'd like to share.


I had a goal to get the Coop to walk for his aunt Nikki for his birthday. My name means "easily comes success when reaching for your goals" or "victorious one"... I guess that was right.

Cozy.



I loved this candid of three generations with baby, mom, and grandpa.

Next door neighbor over for the party... she's one of the cutest children the world may ever see. No joke. No exaggeration. It's true.


Mmmm. Cake.

And for all the family & 35 friends who came to celebrate this soon to be British boy, you can view the rest of the images from the party (well, at the least the final cut). Click here.

From Okinawa to St. Louis

Recently our daughter-in-law and grandson came half-way around the world to visit. :) Hats off to Brianna for traveling with a toddler spending endless hours in air and at numerous airports. Their journey took them approximately 36 hours. We had a spectacular time! Zach is all smiles, full of energy, and quite the curious little soon to be 2 year old. On Monday, it was 72 degrees and we took Zach to the zoo. The melting snow created puddles which naturally attracted Zach. While they were here, we also visited The Magic House which he loved. As you can see, it was a hair raising experience. Zach has definitely mastered his small motor skills. Uncles Ben and Daniel enjoyed coloring with him. We also took pictures of them at the Arch and Busch Stadium and e-mailed them to Kevin. Zach also got to see his new cousin, Hayden. Grandchildren are the best! They make you want to have fun and not work. Brianna and Zach have since returned home safely to Okinawa where Kevin is serving in the Navy. We are looking forward to the next time Kevin, Brianna, and Zach can visit. Our prayers are for them and all military men and women serving our country.