Hey!  This is Angela.

I am messing around doing updates on the blog, so I thought I’d do a quick post and say hi.

Here’s a little something that I have recently started to work on… DIRTY MUGGS

It is a lot different than our normal photo  shoots but I have to tell you, I’m loving every minute of it.

I have never met a more genuine, loving group of people and they PERFORM.  I’m talking old school, take down the house PERFORM.

You can find them on Facebook and check out their website at www.dirtymuggs.com and maybe you will see me at a show!

Come say hi!

Have a great week.

~Angela

Well, here we are.  It is February.  And we are hanging our heads in shame.    We have not posted on the blog since October.  One would wonder what the heck we have been doing.  Well, I’ll tell ya.  Nothing.  LOL.  Well no that is not true.  We had a whirlwind end of the year as far as our business goes.  Thanks to all our awesome clients who helped make 2011 such a successful, enjoyable, and just an all out fun year for us.  But once we got to December we did something we don’t normally do.  We closed for business.  That’s right.  We stopped shooting, and editing, and marketing, and bookkeeping, and we spent time with our families.  And, it was glorious.  We had the best holiday season, both of us!  We just slowed down the pace of life and enjoyed every moment with our kids and our hubbies.

One of the things on my (Kellie’s) to do list was to order prints of my personal photos, so that I could display them around my home and get to scrapbooking them.  I was shocked to discover that I had not printed a single image from 2011.  :0   Can you believe it?  All of those fun, candid, wonderful memories of 2011 were just stashed away on my hard drive, where no one could enjoy them.  It’s a crime I tell you.  An absolute crime.  So, I put my order together, and this is what came in the mail.

Yes, my friends, this is what 800 4×6 prints looks like!   I did say 800!  So, my goal for 2012 is to continue to take picture, lots of pictures, but to also enjoy the pictures.  No one enjoys the moments that we caputure when they are hidden  away on a hard drive.  So I will print them, and hang them, and scrapbook them, and darn it, we will enjoy them! 

And now it is time to get back to business.  And we are ready!  We are booked for February and most of March already.  We are excited to have a great bunch of 2013 seniors to photograph this year.  We know they are going to be FABULOUS!  We have several families booked for sessions and some weddings as well.  2012 is going to be great!  Let this be the year that you slow down and take the time to capture a special memory, or event, or just everyday life.  We would love to be your 2012 photographers.  Take a look at what we do.   Here is our year in review video for 2011.  We appreciate our clients so much and your referrals are what keeps us going.

So there it is.  Share the love.

~Kellie & Angela

From the sidelines, I watched his older brother grow up and then was blessed to photograph his wedding one day. As luck would have it, another brother came to my rescue when I was looking for a guitar teacher for one of my sons. Another brother is friends with that same son. I pray daily for yet another brother who is in harm’s way in Afghanistan. There is a sister in there too, and though I don’t know her well, I can tell you that she is lovely and can rock a bridesmaid’s dress! Over the years, I have nodded and chatted with their parents whom I admire and am amazed by. They are awesome. But this is about Josh. Quiet. Quick to smile. Kind. An old soul, too, is my guess. (That is a compliment, Josh.) My older sons know him from youth group. I know him as one of the kids who sits behind me in church. Now we have been blessed to photograph him. Senior pictures. Wow. Where does the time go? There is no greater honor for us than to have a parent want us to do their senior’s portraits. Why? This is it. Aside from the wedding, this is it. That kid is going to school or off to a career… out on their own… taking that next step. These are mom’s last images of the child she once knew. They are dad’s pride and joy on paper. Tangible memories. Thank you, Estes Family, for trusting your precious memories to us. We hope we did you proud. And Josh, we wish you the best of luck! Can’t wait to see where you go from here!
~Angela & Kellie

To see more from Josh’s shoot, you can view his video HERE.

Ok, so the year is 1984, and I had just started highschool, at Incarnate Word Academy. One of the first people I meet is a girl named Laura.  We became instant friends, and, although it has been years since we have seen each other,  have remained friends to this day.  Here is a bit of a flashback, and it will give you a good chuckle.

(This was taken our senior year, in Winter Park, Colorado.  Check out the acid wash jeans -  ha ha ha ha.)

So fast forward 27 years.  (Yikes – 27 years!)  Laura’s daughter, Alli, is now a senior at Incarnate Word, and we were lucky enough to get to photograph her.  Well, truth be told, Ang did most of the photographing while Laura and I caught up on the past decade.  (Thanks Ang!)  I did manage to capture a few shots.  How could I not?  Alli is just so beautiful, and she absolutely radiates joy and life.  We tried to get some of those “serious” shots, but Alli just couldn’t do it.  She could not stop smiling.  Her energy and joy are contagious and we had such a good time getting to know her.  She will be majoring in secondary education and theology next year.   Alli, we wish you many blessings in the future.  Love, Kellie & Ang

 To see more from Alli’s shoot, check our her video, by clicking HERE.

Alli is trying to earn some free jewelry from us, and needs comments on this post.  So, leave her some blog love.

We first met the Everdeen Family over the summer, when we did an OpLove portrait session for them.  Bob Everdeen is currently deployed oversees, and we had the honor of capturing some images, to share with him, while he is away.

And, once we met and photographed the beautiful Allie, we knew we would want to photograph her again.  So, luckily for us, she asked us to do her senior portraits.  We set a date, and planned a location (outdoors).  Allie had made her hair and makeup appointment.  The day finally arrived, and then it happened…….rain.  We were all so disappointed.  Talked about trying to squeeze it in between downpours, but the weather just did not cooperate.   So we rescheduled.  And, boy, are we happy we did.  The day of the shoot was gorgeous.  Sunny, warm, perfect.  Rescheduling the date also let Allie decide on a location that she really wanted – the St. Louis City Museum.  This was our first time doing a portrait session there, and let me tell you, we could have stayed all day.  Allie brought her Mom and cousin with her.  They were, quite honestly, the best assistants we have ever had.  They carted Allie’s wardrobe around the entire shoot, made sure her hair and makeup were perfect, and were not opposed to holding a random piece of equipment from time to time.   Ang and I had the best time spending the afternoon with such a great group of women.

Allie, you were an absolute rock star!  You are just unbelievable to work with, and are gorgeous, inside and out.  We hope that you have a great rest of your senior year.  Watch out world, Allie Everdeen, is on her way!  Much love, K & A                          (To see a slideshow of Allie’s images, click here.)

Okane album 001 (Side 1) Okane album 002 (Sides 2-3) Okane album 003 (Sides 4-5) Okane album 004 (Sides 6-7) Okane album 005 (Sides 8-9) Okane album 006 (Sides 10-11) Okane album 007 (Sides 12-13) Okane album 008 (Sides 14-15) Okane album 009 (Sides 16-17) Okane album 010 (Sides 18-19) Okane album 011 (Sides 20-21) Okane album 012 (Sides 22-23) Okane album 013 (Sides 24-25) Okane album 014 (Sides 26-27) Okane album 015 (Sides 28-29) Okane album 016 (Sides 30-31) Okane album 017 (Sides 32-33) Okane album 018 (Sides 34-35) Okane album 019 (Sides 36-37) Okane album 020 (Sides 38-39) Okane album 021 (Sides 40-41) Okane album 022 (Sides 42-43) Okane album 023 (Sides 44-45) Okane album 024 (Sides 46-47) Okane album 025 (Sides 48-49) Okane album 026 (Sides 50-51) Okane album 027 (Sides 52-53) Okane album 028 (Side 54)

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So like I posted on FaceBook… these are the most awesome kids. You hope and pray that your kids will find friends like these and I am so thankful for them in my son’s life. Happy Birthday, Jake.

We are doing some much needed upgrades to our system. The upgrade to our photocart is taking longer than expected but we hope to be back up and running by this evening. Thanks so much for understanding!
Angela & Kellie

  For the rest of 2011, we have decided to initiate a digital option for your photo session.

  For a limited time, you can book a digital session which includes your one hour session and 10 digital images with print only release for $350.

  Of course you can still purchase prints and other products from your image gallery as well.

  Let us know what you think about this option!

  Book your session today!

Ryan and Sarah met 3 1/2 years ago through friends.   We can tell you, after spending time with them and their families, that there are few people that they meet that don’t become friends.  This is evidenced by their 18 person wedding party.  This wedding party was amazing!  Not only were they all very attractive, but they were some of the nicest people you would want to meet.   Sarah and Ryan chose to be surrounded by their siblings, and lifelong friends.  We enjoyed getting to meet everyone, especially their parents.  Both sets of parents are so warm and inviting and by the end of the night, we felt like part of the family.  What we liked most is that they are huggers, and so are we.  Not the timid little “oh nice to meet you” half huggers, but the get over here “welcome to the family” huggers.   A great time was had by all, and we felt so honored to be a small part of the day.  Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. O’Kane!  Have a great honeymoon, and a blessed and happy marriage.  ~Kellie & Angela

The dress, which was gorgeous, was from Elite Bridal and Sarah totally rocked it!

The flowers were designed by Botanicals Design Studio.  The bouquets and arrangements were so elegant and beautiful, and they smelled amazing!

St. Ambrose Church, on the Hill,  was an absolute dream to photograph, and was the perfect place to celebrate the union of these two awesome people and families.

The reception was held at the 4 Seasons St. Louis.  You could not ask for a better location, and the staff is phenomenal.  Everyone we came into contact with, from the front desk, to housekeeping, to the catering staff, to Danielle, the catering manager,  were courteous and professional and so helpful.   The room looked amazing and the night ran smoothly because of all of their hard work.

After dinner, the party got started by the DJ, Jason Betancourt.  It was all we could do to not join in on the fun, and remember that we were working.   Although, it did not feel like that at all.  It just felt like we were at a family wedding and we enjoyed the day with everyone else.