Brave people who buy fixer uppers

There's something that's incredibly appealing about run down houses. Two good friends of mine, a married couple who are both architects, recently purchased such a house. As they continue to put in a lot of late nights and exhausting weekends, I have faith they are going to make it something amazing. Until then, it has a subtler brand of beauty, waiting to be hammered, nailed, sanded and painted into something brilliant. (I can't wait to post the 'after' photos!)

Carolyn + Nick

Carolyn and Nick were looking for both formal and informal engagement portraits, so we dressed them up and down to get some more natural, candid emotion and some with a more upscale feel. We shot in a few different locations around where they live in St. Louis. They were so much fun to work with and I can't wait for their wedding in August!

See more from Carolyn and Nick's shoot here.

Merry Christmas!

To all of our lovely friends and to our families, scattered as they are throughout the world, we wish you a very merry Christmas!

Gettin' hitched

My friend Susan is now officially a married lady, which is strange (seems like we should still be in college) but lovely. I have never seen a bride that genuinely happy-- I (and the photos) can bear witness that the ecstatic grin didn't leave her face the whole day. It was quite an adventure for me too when my main body, a 40D, completely died about five minutes before the ceremony. Luckily with a little help from a backup body and two hastily borrowed Rebel xtTIs, I managed to shoot the ceremony and reception without too many wrinkles or complete hyperventilation. The ceremony was so beautiful and in such lovely light that it pretty much photographed itself. So here's to a long and happy marriage:

Bridesmaid's dresses from J.Crew

Dresses with people in them

Perfect. 

Happy Halloween!

I shot this using a chair as a makeshift tripod. I kind of liked the kooky angle, and that our pumpkins were works of art. I hope your Halloween is filled with fantastic costumes and magic potions!

Elk spotting

I got really excited when we came across these elk at such close range because my dad is a wildlife/national park enthusiast to the extreme. I knew he'd be proud that his daughter was off traipsing after elk and spending a Sunday hanging out in Rocky Mountain National Park. Shooting with my 70-200mm I was able to get tight shots without standing too close to the animals. I was amazed at how close some of the people were venturing to the big buck, but he seemed completely indifferent.

They caused a bit of a stir and a traffic jam when then decided it was time to cross the road.

Bride in a bathtub

Most brides have their pictures taken at some point. But most brides will not climb into bathtubs, lay on stairs and lean on sappy trees in their wedding dress BEFORE their weddings. Enter fun-loving, game-for-anything Lindsay. Renee Kelly's at Caenen Castle in Shawnee Mission, Kansas generously let us use the castle for the shoot...although they weren't really expecting us to spend half the shoot in the bathroom. : )

See more from Lindsay's shoot here.

This one is my favorite!

I love her southern belle look. 

- Styling by Katie Snustead of Mink Artistry.