Stacy and A.J. are so much fun. Really. I’d usually say that I feel that way because of where we were, but I don’t think that’s true… I think they are just really sweet, fun-loving people.

This engagement shoot was mostly play and no work, because even when you’re ‘working’ you’re having too much fun when you’re at the City Museum. On top of being fun, this shoot was incredibly special, because Stacy and A.J. decided to on the location of their first date AND where A.J. proposed!

We started down in the caves, which was fun and challenging because I didn’t want to use a flash. At all. I ended up using a flash light for a bit of it, but mostly I rolled with what light we could find and we turned out some really adorable shots.

We moved up through the levels, and I found out that A.J. used to work here – so we were granted rooftop access to get some photos in the spot where A.J. first put that gorgeous ring on Stacy’s finger. It was a warm day, but humid and shortly into our rooftop escapade it started raining. So glad Stacy had that umbrella!

These two were so trusting – I can’t tell you how much I LOVE that. But they each had their own ideas, which I also LOVE. We were all over the place, and they were open to acting goofy, sexy, and just being themselves. The best part? The ferris wheel!

Stacy and A.J., thank you SO much for having me as your photographer! You are both so much fun, and I had a great time with you. Can’t wait until your second session!

———————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Connect With Samantha

To Inquire about Wedding Photography, Book a Boudoir Session or Portrait Session, please Contact Me!

Visit My Website (Portfolio and More Information about Collections and Samantha)

Facebook | Twitter

———————————————————————————————————————————————————–

I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment! Thanks! xo

Last weekend I had the pleasure of accompanying Lauren and Ryan on their second engagement session (remember, these two are my guinea pigs for the new “Two Hearts + One Love” engagement session set that’s now part of my Collections).

We decided a great place to go would be the Saint Louis Zoo, because that’s where they had their first date. It didn’t take us long to get up to our crazy antics, and we even made a stop for Dippin’ Dots (we all love Dippin’ Dots!). This engagement session was all about having fun, and the photos really reflect that. Many of them are of a more documentary fashion than I usually do, but we were having so much fun, and I know how these two hate to pose. So I just let the day unfold and took pictures as we played, without much encouragement to stop and interrupt it for photos. Because of that, I really love a good deal of these, and also the two of them look so natural.

First we went to visit the Apes, but they weren’t out. So we circled around to the penguins.

Then came out by the bears…

then shuffled through that little insectarium/butterfly greenhouse thing.

After that, Ryan and I tried to navigate us out of the Missouri prairie garden or whatever it is… (without doing much good, thankfully Lauren got us going in the right direction):

We got to pet the rays (and Ryan petted the shark that was technically off-limits)

and I think this one looks like a Brody.

Dippin’ Dots and Lauren’s beautiful ring:

And of course you have to go act like a crazy person in the primate house, because, well, you just do. These two had a bout of impromptu sword fighting with their umbrellas. We were also sort of poking fun at cheesy engagement pictures.

I just said to touch their foreheads together!

I had so much fun with these two (as usual!), and send them a major Thank You for such a fun afternoon on a crazy weekend. We were moving into our new house that day so I had a chance to take a breather and hang out with these guys. I am so grateful for it! Ryan and Lauren, you two were fantastic and I am so happy to be working with you both. Thanks a million!

One last picture from Turtle Park:

———————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Connect With Samantha

To Inquire about Wedding Photography, Book a Boudoir Session or Portrait Session, please Contact Me!

Visit My Website (Portfolio and More Information about Collections and Samantha)

Facebook | Twitter

———————————————————————————————————————————————————–

I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment! Thanks! xo

I met Sammie and Tim back in the fall to talk about their 9-10-11 wedding, and really liked the kids from the start. Tim was quiet but smiled a lot, and Sammie so vibrant – plus we share our name, and that’s always pretty awesome. I don’t know a lot of other Samanthas, so when I meet one, I tend to feel this inexplicable kinship with them. Sammie was no exception, and I was so excited when they officially booked with me.

And I had really been looking forward to their Spring engagement session. Sammie and I emailed back and forth a few times, trying to come up with a great place for their E-sesh, and I was thrilled when they liked the idea of doing it at the Transportation Museum and the Tivoli in the Loop. Tim loves cars (you should hear his phone alerts!), Sammie has a love of vintage things, and they both love movies, so these locations seemed really appropriate.

As it turns out, the day was gorgeous. We got inside one of the trains that has been restored at the Transportation Museum (found out later we weren’t supposed to be in there, but we didn’t get caught while shooting!), and were all three pretty astounded at just how small the compartments are. Even though we only got to go inside the Tivoli for about 30 seconds because we arrived too close to showtime due to traffic, we had a lot of laughs and I really couldn’t get over just how gorgeous the two of them were – um, I have a thing for all things vintage as well, and Sammie’s 50′s-inspired yellow dress, crop sweater and wedges were simply darling, while Tim was sporting a little bit of a rockabilly vibe. Oh my heart was all aflutter, especially seeing these two so very much in love.

Wanna read Sammie’s thoughts on the day (and see a really hilarious sign plastered to the side of a train)? Sammie’s funny and insightful take on the day is really worth reading. Visit her and say hello. Check it out here: Sammie and Tim’s Wedding Blog

Sammie and Tim, can’t wait for your wedding this September! I had so much fun with you guys, and hope we can get back to the Tivoli to do some really awesome photos there. xo

———————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Connect With Samantha

To Inquire about Wedding Photography, Book a Boudoir Session or Portrait Session, please Contact Me!

Visit My Website (Portfolio and More Information about Collections and Samantha)

Facebook | Twitter

———————————————————————————————————————————————————–

I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment! Thanks! xo

James and Sandra are a quiet pair, and I really enjoyed getting to know them better during their engagement session. Their session was the finale of my uber-crazy weekend, which included a pair of weddings, a soccer game and football game, my son’s 5th birthday party, and these two. I couldn’t have asked for a better pair to end the weekend with.

Sandra and I had been going back and forth about the date, because of weather. We had already postponed the session once because of wind, and this time the weather forecast was changing on a daily basis back and forth between rain and sun. After chatting all week via text and email, we decided to just go for it. I’m so glad we did, because we had this beautiful overcast skies for most of the session, then the sun peeked out right at the very end. The light was delicious!

Sandra and James have an easy way of being together that really put me at ease, and plus they were both so sneakily funny. Also, they were EASY to photograph, and just naturally sort of fit together in really visually complimentary ways. I barely redirected them the entire two hours we were together. I’d want them to move in close and be cute, and voila! There was James just naturally kissing Sandra’s forehead. It was such a joy to be around them, not just because they were easy to work with, but because conversation was easy as well.

And did I mention, they are both gorgeous? Oh yeah. Rumor has it that Sandra also likes Stargate SG-1 – anyone who personally knows me knows that I once nurtured a healthy obsession with that show, so it was really thrilling to hear that (ok it wasn’t actually a ‘rumor’; Sandra told me in an email).

James and Sandra, I hope you both enjoyed your time with me as much as I enjoyed it with you! Thank you so much! I’m really looking forward to your beautiful wedding next March at Hermann Hill. xo

Location: Bee Tree Park
Make Up: D’Shannon Llewellyn

———————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Connect With Samantha

To Inquire about Wedding Photography, Book a Boudoir Session or Portrait Session, please Contact Me!

Visit My Website (Portfolio and More Information about Collections and Samantha)

Facebook | Twitter

———————————————————————————————————————————————————–

I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment! Thanks! xo

When I first met with Lauren and Ryan about photographing their wedding, we hit it off right away. They are fantastic, funny, and are quickly becoming some of my favorite people. Because of this, they’ve also become my guinea pigs in a way… I wanted to add a 3 engagement session set with a photo guestbook to my larger packages, and I asked Lauren and Ryan if they’d be interested in trying this out with me before I started offering it to clients. They were game -and this is the first of their 3 sessions.

I got to meet their little pug Zoe, who is a beautiful and very sweet rescue with one eye. She has quite the personality! I love dogs and rescues are really close to my heart – we have a Border Collie mix rescue named Piper. We also have a little Hawaiian princess pure bred Jack Russell named Chloe (she was born on the Big Island). I pretty much instantly fell in love with Zoe, and watching her waddle around Laumeier Sculpture Park was so much fun.

These two automatically draw you in when you meet them, and you really have to appreciate their brand of humor. It’s so genuine and simple, and it’s just a blast to be around them. I was really happy we had gorgeous weather on Sunday for their session, even if it was pretty windy. I loved that it teased Lauren’s hair around though, and added a more ‘real’ element to their pictures.

It is such an honor and a pleasure to be working for these two. Lauren and Ryan, thank you so much for choosing me to document your engagement and your wedding!

———————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Connect With Samantha

To Inquire about Wedding Photography, Book a Boudoir Session or Portrait Session, please Contact Me!

Visit My Website (Portfolio and More Information about Collections and Samantha)

Facebook | Twitter

———————————————————————————————————————————————————–

I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment! Thanks! xo

I met Chaela and Nathan at Tower Grove park last Sunday – actually it had been the first time I had met the both of them, which was very exciting for me. They both turned out to be amazing people and I am so glad that they were referred to me by my friend Simonne Bolla. I also got to meet Macy and Banks, their gorgeous Alaskan Malamutes (who you can see below) and I am really excited that they are going to be the flower girl and ring bearer!

Chaela and Nathan met in nursing school, and here they are engaged! Just getting to know them a little was amazing, and I really look forward to their wedding in May. They were fantastic and were very open and trusting taking pictures with me after only just meeting me. I love when I’m able to connect with clients on some level and I look at the pictures and go “…wow.” These two are absolutely gorgeous, in love, and just awesome.

Thank you both so, so much! Can’t wait until May!

———————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Connect With Samantha

To Inquire about Wedding Photography, Book a Boudoir Session or Portrait Session, please Contact Me!

Visit My Website (Portfolio and More Information about Collections and Samantha)

Facebook | Twitter

———————————————————————————————————————————————————–

I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment! Thanks! xo

Megan and Kevin are awesome, and called me up for a snowy engagement session to contrast the look of their summer wedding. I was definitely down with playing in the snow, and was even more thrilled that it was snowing still when we arrived at Laumeier Sculpture Park to shoot. The dusting in their hair and the falling snow in the pictures was so romantic, if you ask me, and really made their pictures special.

Thanks you two for getting out in the cold and snow! I had a blast!