Zettl Photography

Lara & Brian | 06.21.08

2008-08-01T23:01:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful time photographing Lara & Brian's wedding. The Sheraton Hotel made a wonderful backdrop for a beautiful event. Their families were wonderful to work with and made the evening fun with some very energetic dancing at the reception.

Lara & Brian - Peter and I wish you the very best for a long a happy marriage!

The Slide Show
(click the photo)

A few favs

Leslie & Andy | 06.14.08

2008-07-10T00:32:00.002-05:00

What a great wedding!! You could not ask for a better day to be married outside. Everything was perfect!

One of the things I loved about this wedding was the fact that Leslie and Andy saw each other before the wedding. It gave us plenty of time to take photos before hand so they could go straight to the cocktail hour after the wedding. But even better was the fact that we got some amazing photos of their first meeting. (We're seeing this more and more often and it works really well if your reception is immediately following the ceremony.)

Leslie & Andy - Thank you for having us as your wedding photographers. It was a joy to work with you and your families and a real privilege to be invited into your lives.
We're looking forward to planning your album as I know it will be awesome!

THE SHOW!

A FEW FAVORITES!

Some really cool vendors we worked with:

The Cakery Bakery! - This place really is awesome (you need to book early!!)
Distinctive Designs Floral
Charles Glenn Band - one word: Amazing
Hair & Makeup - Michelle Hadley
Alison White - Simply Elegant Events

A note about Alison - Alison and her team are an amazing group of people. They are smart, hard working people that get things done. Alison also has a beautiful eye for design and coordination and it is always a privilege to work with her. Alison and I worked on the tablescapes feature for this issue of St. Louis Bride Magazine. (I'll post about that soon!)

Something everyone will agree is awesome...

2008-07-08T22:57:00.002-05:00

Since my last post really proved what realm of dorkdom I sometimes reside in, I decided it was time to post about something we can all agree is awesome - people in love. Yes, even you somewhat bitter and jilted people can not resist the entrapments of a couple in love.

If you're not already looking for it, slow down and watch people the next time you're out. Whether it's the couple that has been together for 50 years or the giddy newlyweds giggling in the corner booth, watch how they express their care and compassion for each other. There is no way you can tell me that love isn't an awesome and beautiful characteristic of the human race.

So here's some recent photos of our engagement sessions. I personally think we've been kicking them up a notch lately. Great couples are an important factor - as is our personal understanding of how relationships work. You aren't going to find any engagement-ring-hand-on-the-shoulder-stand-up-stiff-Sears-portrait-studio shots in our shop. (Though Jen, our fab office assitant, made fun of us today because we had our engagement photos taken at Sears. She wasn't wrong for doing so... Our 9th anniversary is July 18th if you were wondering. ;) )

I met Bruce...

2008-07-03T23:05:00.004-05:00

Warning: This post contains a bit of name dropping, side comments and my normal rambling.

Yesterday I was at the Four Seasons Hotel in St. Louis scouting out a location for a photo shoot in September. The hotel lobby is on the top floor so that you get a spectacular view of the St. Louis skyline and arch as you check in. It is absolutely amazing. I can not wait until I shoot a wedding there. I already have locations for portrait sessions picked out.

So while I'm waiting to see the property I take a seat on a beautiful leather couch and try to keep an eye out for Ashley Brewer, the conference services manager. Across from me sits a older gentleman in a ball cap with a set of iPod ear buds peaking over his shirt. Sensing I was a little anxious (I wasn't sure if I was waiting in the right place) he told me to enjoy the view and we chatted a little bit about the weather and the Girl From Ipanema that played softly from the speakers above us. His name was Bruce and he was from Santa Barbara. I explained that I was there scouting for a photo shoot. (Normal constant rambling from me.)

Before I could ask him what brought him to St. Louis, he introduced me to a man that just got off the elevator, "And this is John Stamos."

Suddenly there were a thousand thoughts going around in my head. "John Stamos, wait, I know that name. Can't be, it is, it is THE John Stamos." I shake hands with him and he quickly takes a seat to chat with Bruce while I start to wonder who Bruce really is. "Bruce, Bruce, he looks familiar, where is he from? John Stamos is touring with the Beach Boys this summer. No. Can't be. really? Who are you really sitting across from, try not to stare. Be polite. Don't ease drop. Or at least don't look like you're ease dropping. You never know who you'll meet in the lobby of a hotel. I love my job."

So yes ladies and gentleman, I got to talk to Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys. I really wanted to pull out my camera and take a photo. But they were just going to breakfast and a person has a right to a somewhat normal life. I may play a paparazzi at my weddings, but I'm really a sweet hard working pro in real life. (Which reminds me, I probably need to post something someday about being invited into peoples lives to capture found images. Stalking people is never cool. It is much better to be invited in and become part of the fixtures. That's when people relax, open up and share.)

Maybe someday I'll get a press pass to a Beach Boys show and I'll be close to the stage with all the other photographers and I'll get a real photo of them. Hey, anything can happen - and I definitely have the skills to do the job well. ;)

Thank you for indulging me and reading this post. Recent work of amazing weddings soon to come.

Rachel & Nick | 6.07.08

2008-06-20T21:07:00.004-05:00

Nick has no excuse for forgetting his anniversary. 6.7.8 makes it really easy. But I don't think Nick ever will. He's quite the romantic and sent Rachel the most beautiful card and bouquet of white roses the morning of their wedding.

The wedding itself was gorgeous and full of smiles. The reception was a very elegant event and great music made for an awesome evening of dancing.

Rachel and Nick - We hope you enjoy the slide show. Thank you very much for having us as your photographers. We wish you all the very best for a long and happy marriage.

The Slide Show

(click the photo to see the show)

A few of our favorite photos

Some great vendors we worked with:
Amore Today's Bridal N Fashion
Luluthia Floral Designs
Dr. Zhivegas - THEY ROCK!!!

Nashville with David Williams

2008-06-18T20:49:00.000-05:00

We were out of town last week visiting with our friend and amazing photographer, David Williams in Nashville TN. Another great friend and equally amazing photographer Chuck Arlund hosted David's Almost Alone Workshop.

It was an incredible 3 days of learning, experimenting and fun. David will be coming to work with us personally in September. It will be a chance for us to further polish our skills and grow as photographers. Photography, like any art, improves as you search to learn and see and experience new things. And we are fortunate to have a wonderful teacher, mentor and friend like David to help show us.

Photo by Wes Hope (another really great photographer) front and center.
David is in the middle. Chuck is next to me. (You all know Peter :) )

Kristina & Ryan | 5.31.08

2008-06-07T12:27:00.003-05:00

What a great couple!
Kristina did an amazing job of planning her very beautiful wedding while going through her third year of med school. I'm impressed!

We had a great time photographing around St. Louis. She had parasols for all the girls, which made for some really great photos! It was really hard to choose our favorite photos from the evening. We hope you enjoy the slide show. The entire gallery will be up soon.

Congratulations Kristina & Ryan! We wish you the very best for a long and happy marriage!

The Show:

(click on the photo to see the show)

A few favorite photos!

The cool Vendors we worked with:

Hanneke's Westwood Catering
Truffes - great cake!
Rachel Roman Speh - Elegant flowers
Philip Johnson Salon

You can now subscribe to the Zettl Photo blog!

2008-06-03T09:03:00.002-05:00

We are pleased to announce that I finally figured out how to properly activate our subscription service for our blog. So go ahead, click that little orange square in the address bar. It works now!

It helps to check links...

2008-06-02T10:36:00.004-05:00

So I wanted to show off all my favorite vendors (see right hand side of blog) and I just realized I was putting a space in the links, making them not work. oops.

Anyhow, they're finally working.

Just another note: It's getting busy here at Zettl Photography as we go full swing into weddings, designing wedding albums and taking pictures of some pretty darn cute kids. Our portrait sessions are booking 2 to 3 weeks out, so please call as soon as possible to schedule your photography appointment.

Natasha & Brennan | 5.17.08

2008-05-26T14:38:00.006-05:00

What a beautiful wedding! The weather was perfect for the outdoor ceremony and we finally had some nice sunshine in St. Louis!

This wedding was full of perfectly planned details, from the most gorgeous wedding dress to elegant flowers to Pickles, the ring bearing dog. Special kudos go to Sabrina at Proposing Dreams for all her hard work in planning this amazing wedding. Below the photos are the links to some amazing vendors that worked on this wedding.

To Natasha and Brennan - thank you so very much for having us as your wedding photographers. We hope you enjoy the photos as I think they perfectly capture a very happy day. We're also looking forward to the post wedding day bridal / "trash the dress" shoot once you get back from your honeymoon. We wish you the very best for a long and happy marriage!!

Our "sneak peak" slide show -
(click the photo to see the show)

A few of our favorite photos -

Really cool vendors from the wedding:

The ABSOLUTELY BEST DJ in the business: Jimmy Hussey - A Rockin' DJ
Amazing Flowers: Petals Galore
One of my favorite bakeries: The Cakery Bakery
Incredibly talented wedding planner: Sabrina Torti - Proposing Dreams

Just had to add a little note about Sabrina. We worked together for the first time almost 5 years ago. We were both new to the wedding business but full of energy, drive, talent and commitment. It's a special privilege to see other young entrepreneurs succeed at their business. Sabrina has grown a successful business and she has a lot of talent at planning and design. It's really a pleasure to work with such a great person!

Hadassa & Brian | 5.10.08

2008-05-12T19:15:00.005-05:00

While the weather wasn't ideal, it did cooperate enough for us to get some beautiful photos at just the right time.

Hadassa made the most gorgeous bride and Brian was a very hansom groom, complete with a "blue steel" look that even Derek Zoolander would be jealous of.

Thank you both for having us be a part of your special day. If our images are able to capture even a small fraction of your love, no one will doubt the passion, love and respect you have for each other. Congratulations and best wishes!

Click the photo below to see our 3 minute slide show.

A few favorite photos from the day!

The entire collection of photos will be up in about one week. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Julia & Justin | 04.26.08

2008-04-30T00:12:00.004-05:00

One word for this wedding - Beautiful.

Congratulations Julia and Justin! Thank you for letting be a part of your wonderful day. We hope you all enjoy the slide show.

click the photo to see the slideshow

Delaney Jaymes - our first "e-announcement"

2008-04-29T22:58:00.003-05:00

Check out this really cool "e-announcement" we did for the birth of Delaney Jaymes.

This session was shot at the hospital the day after Delaney was born. I love these sessions. Newborn babies are so cute when they are so small!

Congratulations Jenny, Rick & Riley! Delaney is so fortunate to have such a wonderful family!

(click the photo to see the announcement)

Maureen & Nick 4.12.08

2008-04-14T21:31:00.003-05:00

The cold grey weather didn't stop us from getting some amazing photos of Maureen and Nick! They had a beautiful wedding at St. Joseph's Church in Clayton followed by a rockin' reception at one of my favorite places, The Chase Park Plaza.

Besides the two of them being great people and quite good looking, one of the things that stood out to me was how wonderful the best man, maids of honor, and the rest of the wedding party were. They really made the day fun!

Be sure to check out our sneak peak slide show below. The entire collection will be online in two weeks at www.zettlphoto.com

We wish you two the very best for a long and happy marriage!!!

The SLIDE SHOW:

A few favorite photos:

On the cover of a magazine...

2008-04-07T21:03:00.002-05:00

It might not be Vogue (yet) but we're still very proud and honored to have our beautiful bride featured on the cover of The Jewish Light Wedding Planner
www.stljewishlight.com

(Mazel tov Dena & Yehuda!)

Do you hate getting your photo taken???

2008-04-05T16:43:00.003-05:00

Today I was musing about how much I used to hate getting my photo taken in high school. I used to joke that there was a reason for being behind the camera. Because of that, I have albums full of other people. But to be truthful, I wasn't appreciating my art.

As a photographer, getting in front of the camera is just as important as being behind it. Being behind the camera I have the power to capture much more than a pretty face. I can create an image that tells a deeper story and makes a connection with the subject. When I am in front of it, I learn how that connection is made. (I also learn how my clients must feel when a camera is pointed at them.)

So to practice a little bit and have some fun, Peter and I made sure to make some portraits of each other. Below are two of my favorites.

Don't worry, we'll be posting cute babies again soon! :)

The tulips are coming!!!

2008-03-16T23:26:00.004-05:00

It's not too late to schedule your spring portrait session with the tulips in Forest Park. We still have a few great appointments available on Saturday April 5th. We also have some great availability during the week.

We recommend scheduling a session between April 5 - 25th. Please call Jen at the studio 314.454.6612 to make an appointment or feel free to email Peter and me at zettlphoto@prodigy.net

Some photos from last year:

Cathy & John 03.08.08

2008-03-09T22:46:00.008-05:00

Congratulations Cathy & John!
What an amazing wedding! It was a perfect combination of beauty and elegance, family and commitment, excitement and fun. We really enjoyed working with you all! We hope you enjoy this small slide show of our favorites. Many more photos to come in about 2 weeks.

Blogger is having some server errors. I'll post the images to the blog tomorrow. Until then, take a look at the slide show.

See the show

We're now on Facebook

2008-03-07T12:11:00.002-06:00

Wow. I can't believe it. We're now a part of Facebook. If you know us, we'd really like to be your friends. Don't worry I won't make you take any stupid quizzes. (Unless you want to know what Disney character best represents you. Is that a quiz? I'm making this up, but I bet there's a quiz out there for it!)

You can tag us as your friends HERE.

IT'S ALIVE!

2008-03-04T15:49:00.003-06:00

Forget Wednesday... our new website is live now!!!

Please feel free to browse around our new website. Constructive criticism welcomed. We want this to be the best it can be!

www.zettlphoto.com

New website by Wednesday!

2008-03-03T16:10:00.004-06:00

Just a few more things to tweak and the new Zettl Photography website will go live!!!
I'm very excited. It's been a long time coming. I needed something that would show off our recent work and style of shooting.

Check back soon at www.zettlphoto.com to see the new site!

Our new bio page photo taken by our friend David A Williams

Baby Sean!

2008-02-26T17:13:00.002-06:00

Jill and Pat recently welcomed a new addition to their family, baby Sean. It was great to see Jill and Pat again and meet the baby. We photographed their wedding in 2004 and are really happy that we will get to work with them again.

Congratulations and best wishes!
Stephanie & Peter

Courtney & Brok 2.23.08

2008-02-25T13:20:00.006-06:00

Starting the year off with an AWESOME bride and groom!!

Courtney & Brok had a very intimate and beautiful outdoor wedding at the Contemporary Art Museum. I think we got some amazing photos outside. (Thank you all who braved the cold!)

I've put together a short slideshow of some of my favorite photos. The entire collection will be available to view online in 2 weeks.

See the slideshow

See a few favs

Winners!!!

2008-02-02T19:15:00.000-06:00

Thank you to all who entered our 5th Anniversary contest. We had a lot of great answers to our question, "What is the best thing about being 5 years old?" We had so many great answers, we decided to award 5 portrait sessions - twice.

Our winners are:

Palmer Family
Lacy B.
Kelly & Randy R.
The Diamond Family
Myah M.
Amy & Brad B.
Archer Family
Trudy S.
John F.

And our favorite response comes from Susan and David (12/30/05): "You can wear just about anything you want and no one laughs--they only think you are cute"

All of our winners will be receiving a gift certificate for a portrait session and a $50 print credit ($150 value) Watch your email for a letter from us asking for your mailing address.

Cheers!

Stephanie

Baby Lydia!

2008-01-25T08:02:00.001-06:00

Welcome baby Lydia!!

Great blessings comes to those who are patient. Congratulations Shelli & Scott! What a beautiful baby you have! Thank you so very much for inviting us into her very first days.

Cheers!

Stephanie & Peter

(Shelli is the talented owner of Alred Wedding Consultants)