2010 Fresh Favorites

Posted on December 31, 2010

Every month we do our Fresh Favorites contest and basically put up one photo from each session that month to let the families vote trying to win our prize. And last year we took all the winners and had one final 2009 Fresh Favorites where all the winners competed against each other.

This year we’re doing it different.

We decided that we’d show you some of our favorite images from the last year. And it was HARD picking just a few because we had 101 sessions this year! WOW! That includes a commercial shoot, a few weddings, tons of families+newborns+seniors, etc. and it doesn’t count the numerous volunteer shooting we did at the local hospitals or all the friends and family we do for reduced prices or free! No wonder I’m tired all the time! So 2010 ended up being a huge year full of amazing opportunities and countless blessings. And although we adore all of our clients, this contest has nothing to do with the people… these are just some of our favorite images! Please don’t get your feelings hurt if I left you out! It’s nothing personal… looking back through the blog these are the images that jumped out at me for one reason or another… the composition, the editing, the pose, what it took to get the photo, etc.

And here’s how the voting will work… same as usual… leave a comment on this post for your favorite image of 2010 and please pick based on your favorite image not just because you know the person! Let’s make this be about art this time.

Wondering what the winner will receive? A $500 gift card to be used between Jan-Aug 2011! AND an 11×14 print of the winning image!

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

Thirty Three is a nice round number right? HA! Actually, I originally pulled 60 and narrowed it down from there! I’m not putting the client name with these or emailing to let anyone know that they are in the running for a prize worth over $600! Even if five people vote it’s fine… looking back through our blog was a great way to spend the last day of 2010 since the stomach flu hit me HARD yesterday and I’m not doing much else today!

Thank you to all of our clients, blog readers, family and friends who allow us to do what we love. We have some fun changes coming up for 2011 we can’t wait to announce but today we hope you enjoyed looking back at some of our favorite images!

Filed Under Uncategorized | 72 Comments

Welcome to the World | McCullen Seamus Johnston | St. Louis Birth Photographers

Posted on December 29, 2010

We will have a full post of photos and eventually a video for you but for tonight this will have to do…

Is that not the sweetest face you’ve ever seen? Oh my gosh. He is gorgeous!

Sharon did amazing and Mac, as they’re calling this little guy, is perfect! He spent some time in the NICU with oxygen because he had “wet lungs” which is totally normal for c-section babies because they aren’t squeezed in the birth canal. He’s doing great and will hopefully be with mom and dad full time in the morning after a night of careful watching by the incredible nursing staff! I’m hoping to run up tomorrow to get some more shots of Mac with mom and dad because although I did get lots of video and Kim took tons of photos, most of what I got was in the special care nursery and most of what Kim got was all the other family details… we’re missing the big piece of baby with parents! AND I will admit I want to hold him! HA!

I will also admit that I broke down today.

Our job in all of this was to capture these new moments. I was going to be in the OR and Kim was going to be with the family (we love capturing what’s happening during parts of the story the parents can’t see) until the very last second as I was putting the scrubs on and the anesthesia doctor said I couldn’t come in. I don’t cry much, at all, just ask Kim. But I lost it.

I just felt so frustrated. Defeated. I’d been planning their video in my head for months. And ultimately I just felt like my job in their lives is to document the important moments and here I was missing one of the biggest. I felt like I had failed them even though it wasn’t my fault at all. Luckily Sharon’s sister, Julie, gave me a hug and reminded me we’d get tons of good shots regardless… and she was right. The doc I handed my camera to at the last minute with a 5 second camera how-to actually did a great job at capturing the birth! A tad out of focus maybe but all the important elements were captured. Thanks Dr. Paul!

Kim and I both can’t wait to sift through all the footage we gathered and share it all with you! Thanks for your prayers and support… this blog has wrapped Tom and Sharon in so much love!

Here are a few more favorite shots…

Tom introducing McCullen to the family eagerly waiting in the hallway! Look at Tom’s face! LOVE!

Sharon getting to hold and look at Mac for the first time after a few hours in the nursery!

And my FAVORITE…

McCullen Seamus Johnston | 7 lbs. 14 oz. | 20.5 inches long.

SO darn cute!

Welcome to the world Mac! We all love you madly!

Filed Under Uncategorized | 24 Comments

Baby Johnston | St. Louis Birth Photographers

Posted on December 29, 2010

Just had to pop on one more time to say…

that Tom and Sharon… two of my most favorite people in the world… get to be parents again today! And that rhymed didn’t it? HA!

Wishing Sharon a quick and easy c-section, a BIG+HEALTHY baby and a smooth recovery!

Prayers today, specifically at 11:30am, would be so awesome!

YAHOO!

Filed Under Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Daniel | Kansas Senior Photographers

Posted on December 29, 2010

My cousins were in town for Christmas and although it was FREEZING COLD outside we went out to get Dan’s senior photos! Which blows my mind because I remember when he was born!

I wanted to get a few photos up for my Aunt Ouisie tonight but I’m going to keep my words short as we have SHARON JOHNSTON’S BIRTH tomorrow and I need to get to sleep! Prayer for her and Tom at 11:30am when this baby will be welcomed to the world would be so awesome! And you KNOW we’ll be posting photos of that baby ASAP! It’s definitely one of the most anticipated babies on this blog!

SO Dan… thanks for being a good sport, not complaining as much as I did about the cold and for rocking out your photos!

Remember our awesome blog readers… prayers for the Johnston family tomorrow (and tonight that they sleep well!)… I know you guys can be prayer warriors! So maybe let Daniel know he’s one handsome devil but also let’s leave Tom and Sharon some comments on this post cheering them on! They’ll read them and it will make them so happy!

Filed Under Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Reagan | St. Louis Six Year Old Photographers

Posted on December 28, 2010

The Beachy family are LONG time clients and some of my absolute favorites! They are a family I can honestly say I’ve watched grow up over the years! And Amy, who should win mother of the year, was my saving grace three years ago. Three years ago when I was pregnant with Grayson, unexpectedly of course, and was scared out of my mind to have three kids under three years old. But then I met Amy, on her first photo shoot, with her three that had once been all under three years, and when she broke out the perfectly packed picnic snack I knew it was possible! She gave me HOPE!

Now, of course, my life looks nothing like hers. We don’t throw amazing parties or make our own cheese, I don’t sew clothes or bake my own designer cakes. But we survived that first year of HARD AS NAILS parenting and I honestly have her to thank for a lot of it! And Mountain Dew of course.

So her youngest, who is just a bit older than my oldest, turned SIX recently and we met up for Reagan’s birthday session. Take into account it was like 20 degrees that day because Reagan was so great despite the FREEZING temps! I’ll show you a few and then I’ll end with my FAVORITE series ever…

Reagan loves to read and when Amy and I were planning her session we decided it would be perfect to have her be reading in some of the shots… so her family can remember her as she is TODAY. At six. Reading. And I just adore these next shots…

Thanks Dale, Amy, Reagan, Luke and Carsyn for letting me capture your family for so many years! As always, it was a huge pleasure!

Filed Under Uncategorized | 3 Comments

the day after Christmas SALE!

Posted on December 26, 2010

We didn’t do a Black Friday sale and we aren’t doing a New Year sale so we decided this year to do a DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS SALE instead!

And it’s really really simple.

ANY 2010 client that has already placed AND paid for their order is eligible for this sale…

LOW-RES DISK FOR $300.

Our low-res disk is prinatable up to an 8×10 and normally is $750! So this is a great deal. AND this is your last chance to buy anything from a 2010 session because come 2011 we are closing down the 2010 sessions.

Also, we are not planning on any big price changes for 2011 but there will be some so if you want to lock in the 2010 session fee (print prices are always subject to change and can not be locked in) book this week before the new year starts!

We hope you all had marvelous holidays spent with your families and we will be blogging sneak peeks a LOT this week! First up will be more of this sweet girl…

Email kim@freshartphotography.com if you are interested in getting your discounted disk!

Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Emerson | St. Louis Newborn Photographers

Posted on December 24, 2010

I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate this SNOWY Christmas Eve on the blog than with a sweet sneak peek of little Emerson!

Santa brought Tara and Derek the best gift ever this year!

—————————

Merry Christmas to all of our amazing clients and loyal blog readers! We appreciate you all so much! And since I was up until 3am last night getting all the wrapping done tonight I’m actually going to try to get some SNOW photos up so check back later… OR… get off the computer and go enjoy your family!!! Just what I’m about to do!

IT’S A WHITE CHRISTMAS! YAHOO!

Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment