A Reason to Give Thanks

It's Thanksgiving, and do I ever have a lot to be thankful for. I have many exciting new projects to pursue now that I'm on my own, and I am thankful for each and every one of you who has allowed me to do what I love, capturing family memories with unique works of art.

Weddings are at the heart of what I do, but recently I've had the opportunity to go beyond the wedding day and into people's lives. 

I had the pleasure recently of shooting pregnancy and family portraits for three of my former brides. There is nothing better than seeing a family grow, especially after sharing in the couple's wedding day. 

I want to extend the offer to create imagery of pregnancy and family life to any of my former brides, or anyone else, experiencing the joy of a growing family. 

A gift certificate for a pregnancy, newborn or family portrait is a wonderful way to share your love with your friends and family.

(click on certificate to enlarge)

Mall studios can take pictures. We build memories. We also build relationships. 

Thanks to all my wonderful clients who have become my friends.
And have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Moving forward...

I have a big announcement to make today to all my brides, future brides and other clients. I am no longer with Bernie Elking photography and am now doing weddings and other photography sessions on my own.   If you have booked me through Bernie Elking, don't worry. I am honoring all my committments there. However if you are booking a future wedding or upcoming event and need a skilled and creative photographer, you should feel free to contact me directly by phone at 314-479-4090 or by email at photopaulmac@yahoo.com   I am excited about this change, and I am looking forward to future challenges and opportunities.

Some new wedding images

I've had some great weddings lately and have worked with some incredible people. Here's just a small sampling of some of the wonderful images I've been able to create.

The Continuing Adventures of Jon and Zoya

 I'm happy to say that Jon and Zoya, who's engagement session was my first blog entry, are no longer engaged.

 They are now married!

Zoya is Russian and it was an absolute pleasure to meet her friends and family that traveled to St. Louis for the wedding. They are wonderful people and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to spend a couple days getting to know them along with some Russian traditions and customs.

The couple exchanged personalized vows at the picturesque World Fair Pavilion in Forest Park.  

Unity Candles aren't a good option outdoors, especially at the always windy World's Fair Pavilion. So Jon and Zoya opted for a sand ceremony. The mixing of multi-colored sand, while a more modern "tradition" has become quite popular for these events.

Zoya is a tall Russian beauty that should looks and moves like a fashion model rather than the accountant she truly is. Her looks combined with the incredible natural light of the Pavilion certainly made my job easy. We created some beautiful portraits together.

Zoya's stature however, didn't make Jon's job easy when it came to the customary kiss. So, I arranged a little surprise. At the right moment, the best man produce a foot stool I'd brought with me. For once, Jon could be taller than Zoya. Everyone thought it was hilarious and totally appropriate for this fun loving couple. 

Considering the geographic diversity of this couple, some quick, yet unique Arch pictures were a must before heading to the reception. 

A wedding as unique as this one required an equally stunning reception. 

Kemoll's Top of the Met with it's incredible view of Saint Louis was the choice.

  Millenium Productions transformed the room into something truly spectacular with draping and lighting effects. They created the perfect backdrop for the many traditional toasts that took place.

 Have I mentioned that Russian's love Vodka? The Vodka was just like Jon and Zoya...

The Best!

Introducing: Mr. and Mrs. Shinkle

Anyone that knows me or reads my blog knows how honored I am to be part of every single wedding.  However, I was especially honored to be chosen by Jennifer and Jason because the wedding was on a weekday.  They could have chosen any photographer in town, many of which would have given them incredible deals simply to book a weekday wedding. But thanks to Jenny, the found and chose me to capture their day.

  Simply saying thank you seems inadequate.

The inscription on Jennifer and Jason's Unity Candle obviously wasn't just a saying. The fun they had on their wedding day was evidence of how much they love being in each other's company. They lit their Unity Candle, quite appropriately, at the Unity Church of Peace.

After a wonderful ceremony we went to Sylvan Springs Park for a lot of fun pictures. The love that Jennifer and Jason have just shows. They certainly made my job easy and I can't even begin to describe the fun we had together!

And although it's slightly off topic... how can I leave a shot of a flower this cute out?

It was a great day.

Thanks Jennifer and Jason. 

And without Jenny it wouldn't have happened.

Thanks Jenny! 

You've GOT to love a bride that wears flip flops and climbs on walls!

Who likes boring pictures? 

I don't.

Cate certainly doesn't!

Thanks to fun loving couples and their wedding parties I'm now creating images that truly represent the personalities of those involved. 

 

In the past, the obligatory photography sessions that accompany a wedding have been dreaded my most of those involved.

  My goal is to change that!  

Cate and Rob were incredible to work with. 

Their families and friends are equally awesome.

Thanks to everyone involved!

A Tuesday Wedding?

It doesn't happen very often but couples do occasionally get married during the week. Such is the case with Jen and Jason who's wedding is coming up in a few weeks...on a Tuesday.

Yesterday they were in the studio for their engagement portrait session which is included with all of our packages.

From a photographers perspective, the engagement session is a nice way to get to know the couple better prior to the wedding and create something special for them at the same time. We build each couple a signature board for display at the wedding. However, since we also give our customers the rights to their images, they can be used for save-the-dates, announcements as well as a variety of other uses.

I'm looking forward to shooting Jen and Jason's TUESDAY wedding!

Play Ball...

I just finished a wedding album from a great wedding. All couples want their wedding to be unique and special. Many have to work rather hard in achieve this goal while others get some additional assistance. For Brooke and Andy that assistance came in the form of a video created about their day. 

Unlike a typical videographer that might be hired to capture a wedding, the Post Dispatch decided to tell this story for all to see. As part of their Day in the Life series, highlighting baseball fans, the Post Dispatch chose Brooke and Andy as great story. Obviously you've got to be serious Cardinal fans in order to incorporate a baseball video into your wedding day and Brooke and Andy are!   

Working with the Post videographer was a unique experience. Due to her journalistic beliefs she was unable to orchestrate anything, shooting only what happened naturally or that I created. I therefore became something of a director in addition to doing creating my own images. It was new territory for me but helped me create a lot of wonderful images both for the album and for the video.

It was joy to work with Brooke and Andy and everyone else involved. Here are some of the pages from Brooke and Andy's wedding album.  

 

See the video: 

 http://interact.stltoday.com/mds/sports-cardinals/html/2561 

Sounds fun! Where do I sign up?

"What would you say if we told you the wedding is going to in Chicago on Friday night. Then on Saturday morning, everyone will load up on tour busses and come to St. Louis for a reception here on Saturday night. It's A Tale of Two Cities wedding?" 

"Sounds fun! Where do I sign up." was my response upon hearing the question. 

What followed my answer was more surprising than the original question.  "Really? You'd be willing to do that. All of the other photographers have told us no." 

Not only was I willing to do it, I was excited about the opportunity! Apparently other photographers aren't flexible enough to accommodate such a request. And am I glad they aren't! A Tale of Two Cities will certainly remain one of my most memorable weddings. 

The wedding was performed at the Shrine of Pompeii in Chicago, a beautiful historic church.  Emily looked like she'd been dropped in straight from a classic Hollywood film! Ron pulled off his part pretty well too. How could I not produce great images given these conditions?

Being a professional singer, Ron's father provided entertainment for a small, informal reception friday evening in Chicago.

As promised a fun-filled bus ride from Chicago provided a great opportunity to capture tons of candids. It also afforded me time to get to know the Culella and Estrada families better. The reception at Windows on Washington was incredible with great entertainment by Tony Viviano and an unforgettable cake based upon their theme. 

What a unique wedding and a incredible opportunity for a photographer! 

It's just fine with me if the other photographers want to stay home in the future as well. Just let me know where you need me. I'll be happy to go and create great images just like these!

A thank you many wonderful familes

 

Much of my business comes from refrerrals. That's why I try so hard to make my brides happy. Happy brides will send their friends and their sisters and their sister's friends...

I recently worked with a terrific couple named Marj and Josh Naldona. I shot their wedding last April and had a great time doing it. In November, I shot a wedding for Marj's brother, Andy.

The referral trail doesn't stop there. I can attribute no fewer than five weddings to the relationship I've built with this family. There are many other stories just like this.

So thank you to the Stecko family along with far too many others to mention. Great photographers start with great couples.

THE KNOT

A little more than ten years ago a little website appeared on the wedding scene. It was designed specifically for brides to exchange ideas about wedding plans and vendors. I have to admit that I gave it no chance of survival at the time. Of course, I thought the same about a restaurant that sold nothing but coffee. The moral of this story: I’m a good photographer but a terrible market analyst. The Knot.com has grown into the premier wedding planning site and is an incredible resource for couples doing their planning.

Jon and Zoya, a couple whose engagement photos I recently shot, are using the site so that family and friends can find detailed information about the wedding day, venues, members of the wedding party and lodging options on the site. There are also pictures and a guestbook.

I highly recommend The Knot to anyone planning a wedding.

A Change of Seasons.

As the end of February comes to an end so does the season. Sorry everyone, but we still have almost a month of winter left. The season that I'm referring to is the bridal fair season. There are bridal fairs scattered throughout the year, but January and February are without a doubt when the majority of them are held. It's not unusual, this time of year, for two, three or even four bridal shows to be happening simultaneously around town on any given Sunday. 

Why so many bridal fairs? There are a few good reasons. First of all, many girls receive rings at Christmas and during the holiday season. Naturally those newly engaged couples are anxious to begin the process of planning that most important day. There are also fewer weddings this time of year due to the lenten season and the weather, affording the vendors the opportunity to participate in the fairs. And finally, winter is simply a time when most peoples' weekend schedules have some flexibility. Once spring and summertime arrive there are many more activities vying for everyones' time. 

Bridal fairs are obviously a great resource for anyone planning a wedding. They're also an excellent opportunity for those involved in the industry to learn of new trends, products and expectations. Having the opportunity to speak with hundreds, possibly even thousands, of new brides is incredibly educational. Filling virtually every Sunday with bridal fairs can admittedly be exhausting but it's important and fun to listen to them talk about their plans and choices of vendors. The wedding industry is constantly evolving and for good reason. Each year brings an entirely new collection of potential customers. While not totally unique, but certainly rare in the business world, wedding vendors rarely serve the same customer twice. With each year's batch of brides come new ideas as well as vendors hoping to meet fill those needs or market their own new creations. 

There isn't an official wedding season but, due to Lent, the weekend after Easter is commonly accepted as the beginning of the season. Having some "down" time before the beginning of the season can be very inspirational. It's a great time to not only recharge but also to explore new ideas and opportunities. I'm certainly not too proud to look at the work of other photographers and "steal" good ideas from them when I see something especially unique or creative. Continued usage of the same locations, lighting styles or compositional elements is a formula for photographic stagnation. In an ever changing industry, the inability to evolve can't be part of the equation. 

I've always felt that the experience I provide a bride is equally important to the imagery I create. Helping guide them to other vendors with similar attitudes is important to me and I'm constantly building relationships with others in the industry. Sunday was one of the last fairs of the season and we found ourselves next to Jive and Wail. Jive and Wail is a dueling piano lounge with locations in Maplewood and St. Charles. Unfortunately the actual pianos were upstairs in the Bridal lounge, but it was still nice being next to the Jive and Wail crew. I've had the pleasure of working with the proprietor Spanky in the past doing rehearsal dinners and highly recommend this great form of entertainment. If we hadn't been located next to them, I would have never given much thought to locations for bachelor and bachelorette parties. We're rarely asked to photograph them. Hmmm... I wonder why?     www.jivenadwail.com

On the opposite side of us was another vendor new to the bridal fair scene, Build a Basket. Until speaking with Ellen I hadn't given much thought to the variety of wedding applications of the personalized gift baskets she creates. One of my favorites is definitely the St. Louis basket, filled with home town goodies such as Fitz's soda, Switzer licorice and Dad's cookies but her unique toilet paper cake was definitely an eye catcher and will be hard to forget! Her creations are artistic, beautiful and unique. Definitely worth checking out!    www.buildabasketstl.com

SURPRISE!

Last night I had the absolute pleasure of participating in an unforgettable surprise. A good friend of mine Melissa and her husband Matt celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary by having what Melissa thought was a simple dinner at Lombardo's restaurant. 

Little did Melissa know, but her incredible husband Matt had a little more in mind. When Matt and Melissa were originally married, as with many weddings, a few things weren't "perfect." The choice of whom to married however, certainly wasn't one of them!

In a single day, Matt managed to pull off the surprise of a lifetime by arranging to renew their vows at dinner. Not only did Matt manage to pull this off but incorporated a lot of fun into the surprise thanks to the incredibly accommodating folks at Lombardo's.

Matt began dinner by mentioning "introducing" that he'd love to renew their vows if only there were a ring. As luck would have it... there was the original best man with a new ring. The incredible Mike George of MSG jewelers not only managed to provide Matt with the new ring but also built it to compliment her present one.

Then if only they'd had a photographer because Melissa, now a photographer herself (shhh... she works for another studio and NO.. other photographers aren't my only customers) wasn't happy with her original pictures. I was more than happy to make my good friend Melissa cry by stepping into the room only to be followed by the... " now, if only we had a" ... minister Bob Barker.  A real minister... not the game show host. 

We followed a wonderful dinner by a rather chilly trip to the nearby City Garden for some fun late night pictures. Apparently Melissa and Matt's original photographer wouldn't go outside for pictures because it was cold and icy. It was cold last night too... but we warmed up after the session and from the look on Melissa's face... I'm guessing that later things got downright steamy!

The experience was wonderful and I'm thrilled to have been a part of it. Matt gets the kudos but I know that Matt is appreciative of all the vendors involved which is why I've named them. Matt honestly did this not only in a day but actually within a few hours. If it hadn't been for everyone involved it couldn't have happened. 

Good job Matt, both for making Melissa one happy girl and for setting the bar a ridiculously high for the rest of us guys! 

CONGRATULATIONS to both of you! 

Destination: HAWAII!

Destination weddings are incredibly popular. Often couples want something a little more unique than a traditional hometown wedding.

As a photographer it's wonderful to shoot in new and exciting locations. Places like Hawaii offer so many opportunities for great photos.

I appreciate being chosen as the photographer for every wedding I shoot. I do my best to make every bride and groom's experience a dream come true. When a couple has enough faith in me to take me along to their destination wedding, it is truly an honor.

Take a look at Laura and Matt's wedding on the beach in Oahu.

Engagement Session with J and Z

Saturday I had the pleasure of shooting J and Z's engagement session. While I truly enjoy working with all my couples, this shoot was especially pleasurable. J is a long time family friend. He grew up with my oldest son and has become quite a man. He is now engaged to a wonderful Russian woman, Z. They are a very urbanized couple and therefore elected to do an urban style shoot for their engagement session. I truly enjoy shooting urban scenes because the possibilities are truly endless yielding unique and exciting imagery every time.

We started at the new City Garden which I encourage everyone to visit and appreciate. I find the revitalization of downtown St. Louis wonderful, albeit long coming. From there, we headed north a couple blocks to find some great street and alley locations. We finished the shoot at St. Louis Union Station finishing it by toasting in the Grand Hall of the St. Louis Union Station Marriott,  formerly the Hyatt Union Station.  

I learned a lot about how J and Z interact, caught up with J a bit and learned more about Z during the time we spent together. Z looks and moves like an experienced model despite her lack of experience. She was an absolute pleasure to work with and surprised me with the admission that she'd never been in front of a professional photographer's camera before. J... well J was also a real pleasure to work with. Both Z and I agree that J is no model unfortunately. They were a lot of fun and had no reservations when it came to getting great engagement images.  I'm really looking forward to shooting the April wedding when we'll have even more time to create great stuff! 

I also now possess the knowledge that Russian custom requires a drink after glasses have touched as a toast. Don't toast with a Russian without taking a drink. You WILL be called on it. I'm looking forward to learning more Russian traditions! Under normal circumstances I limit my alcohol consumption to an occasional social drink with the Bride and Groom at the end of the night. I don't know if J and Z are going to allow me such a luxury at their wedding.  I may be taking a taxi home from Kemolls!