Welcome to the super snazzy photoblog of Donnell Probst Photography! Feel free to look around, follow us on Facebook, share us with friends, or leave some blog love! Visit our portfolio website for pricing information or contact us anytime at www.donnellprobst.com!
I don’t have the chance to do a ton of newborn and family photography these days, but when a good friend or past client calls, I definitely find some time! I headed up to Chicago this past weekend to meet the utterly adorable Isabella! And considering her last name is Bliss… I can see why my good friend Jen and her hubs Mark are in Baby Bliss! Luckily for MY hubs I was able to get my snuggles and baby love in while I was visiting!
For those of you looking for prints, check out little Miss Isabelle’s gallery in our online store as well as her personal website!
First, check out this super cute video with a few little surprises for Mark and Jen (make sure to select 720pHD in the lower right corner for the best viewing experience!)! Enjoy!
Snowpants, scarves, hat, gloves, hand and toe warmers, blankets, extra socks, extra layers, more layers and a twelve year old… these are the tools every photographer needs for a night time winter shoot in the snow when it’s a mere 17 degrees! When Jaci told me they wanted to do part of their engagement session in the snow, I knew exactly what she was looking for and could not have been more excited! But I don’t think either of us anticipated the balmy St. Louis winter… or the fact that the first *big* snow would come with plummeting temps and blustering winds!
But of course I’m not going to pass up the opportunity to do something different with a willing client!
So we bundled up, I bribed my twelve year old daughter (and aspiring photographer) to come along and hold some lights, grabbed some hand and toe warmers from Walgreens, and headed down to the Arch! Jon and Jaci were so patient as I took random breaks to warm my fingers and make sure my trusty assistant was not frozen stiff! And we managed to get some great pictures despite lights that were struggling to keep up in the cold, and my freezing fingers that could barely feel the camera! :)
This is just Part One of Jon and Jaci’s engagement session. We’ll be heading indoors very soon to shoot something a little less arctic that maybe even shows all of their faces!
Don’t hold your breath for wedding photos, though. This industry couple (Jackie is the Sales Director at The Coronado Ballroom – one of my favorite wedding venues, and Jon owns the best party band in St. Louis called Downtime Band) has decided to forgo the big traditional wedding and instead will be enjoying a private ceremony in Bora Bora after hosting an intimate engagement party here in St. Louis later in March.
It’s safe to say I’m a little jealous of their vacay and have, of course, offered my services as their private wedding/vacation photographer, but oddly I’ve yet to land the gig. Oh well… a girl can dream! LOL
Stay tuned for more from Jon and Jaci in the near future!
As a wedding photographer I see so many couples throughout the year. It is incredibly amazing to watch two people come together and vow to spend the rest of their lives together. As a wife and mother, every time the officiant gets to that part about “for better or worse”, my mind rests for one second on the fact that while weddings are amazing, marriage is hard! Add to that becoming parents or having careers and it can sometimes seem downright impossible!
Enter Bob and Nicole.
Bob and Nicole have been together for over eight years and have two beautiful little girls. Nicole is a stylist and Bob is a pastry chef. They are surrounded by loving family and friends. So this wedding was different for me. I knew by watching them tend to their girls throughout the day and interact with each other that they had climbed many a marital mountain before stepping up to that alter. There was a comfort between them that was easy. They had made the journey and despite the ups and downs that they have undoubtedly encountered along the way, they were still “the one” for each other. THAT is true love!
Congratulations to Bob, Nicole, Ava, Elliot and all of their families and friends! Be sure to check out their full wedding gallery on their website! Here are some of our favorites from the day with a special wedding video!
Also, don’t forget to check out all of the wonderful vendors who provided great services and eye candy for us to photograph:
Yes, this is, in fact, the most. amazing. bouquet. EVER. I have never seen anything like it! Stunning!!!
This image melts my heart… I saw Ava looking up to her mom like this so many times throughout the day. I’m pretty sure Nicole is her hero!
You all know how I feel about first looks… love!
And the venue? To. Die. For.
Not only is Nicole one of the most easy going brides we’ve had, but she is stunning. Just stunning.
Best wedding party ever. They were a total blast and didn’t complain once! Awesome!
Nicole gave her bridesmaids clutches instead of flowers! Such a neat detail!!
Between the venue and these nearby digs for formals… I was in heaven.
Yes, this is picture 472 of the flowers. I love them.
We need more venues like this in St. Louis! Props to Mark, the owner of Catering St. Louis who also owns this venue!
Right after the ceremony, they transformed the patio into a lounge. Now forgive me while I geek out on all of the incredible details…
The toasts were so funny and incredibly moving. I was definitely holding back some tears… always makes it difficult to focus when I’m looking through watery eyes!
This was the first family cake cutting I’ve shot! Loved it! There wasn’t a time that these girls weren’t welcomed and included into the days events. It was so neat to see!
Bob and Nicole also opted to have a group “first dance” as this was, according to the DJ, “Not their first dance…”! LOL
I’m a sucker for a dad and his little girls…
I love catching moments like this where a groom is just really enjoying himself.
And yes… they get 2nd cutest couple of the night (sorry, you can’t trump the bride/groom)! :) So much fun and so good looking!
Two of the super awesome bridal party!
A little note Heather and I found… we are assuming it’s from Ava! :)
I am constantly marveling at the gift that I provide to so many of my clients. Documenting special occasions, memories, and sometimes the lives of people we lose far too soon. I can recall sitting, looking at old photo albums as a child thinking how it seemed like some far off land… some ancient time. You know, a time before luxuries like cars and telephones were invented? Okay, maybe not, but when you’re seven, even a year seems like a lifetime ago!
Last week I enjoyed one of the many perks of my job as a photographer: flexibility. I tailor my work schedule around preschool, nap times, volleyball and soccer practice, and my husband’s travel schedule. It often means many late nights and weekends, but it also means school parties and mid-week playdates! It’s a delicate balancing act, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
As I stood in the crowd of parents watching my youngest son’s fall costume parade at school last Thursday, I couldn’t help but notice the many photographer-parents standing in the crowd wielding their dSLR’s and speedlights. I stood there with my Nikon point-and-shoot in one hand and my iPhone in the other.
As the kids started streaming out of the door, I started shooting away. Point and shoot for still pictures and my iPhone for video! Multi-tasking at it’s finest!! And as usual, as I shot frame after frame of all of his quirky preschool-ness, I was simultaneously thinking about how someday he will be a grown man and these will all be memories. And of course how I was going to use these precious images at his wedding… or maybe in a slideshow right before his very first date.
And then something happened….
I looked to my left and noticed one of the photographer-parents struggling with her camera and talking to another older child about how she had forgotten to change her sync speed back after those sports pictures she shot the other day. Meanwhile… her child walked by. Staring at her, waiting for their turn to smile for the camera. My heart sank. So many pictures were missed as this parent struggled to adjust her settings and “get it right”.
The sad truth? In twenty years… nobody will care what those picture looks like. Your family won’t care if your focus was sharp or if your white balance was exact. They won’t care if the picture was “flashy” or underexposed. I can honestly say, prior to becoming a photographer, I had never once considered the quality of pictures in my mom’s albums. Aside from maybe some aging (pretty sure some were carved out of stone!), or different formats of prints than I was used to seeing.
So photographer-parents: step away from the camera. Not every picture we take has to be turned into a photo shoot! Leave the giant dSLR and speed light at home and just go and enjoy your kids childhood while you can! Take mediocre pictures and wave and smile and show your child you are paying attention to them, not the back of your camera! Because these moments below? I can’t get thrse back again. And I’m glad I have them in all of their underexposed, poorly white-balanced, soft-focused glory!
I know there is a very beautiful, very newly married bride who is DYING to see this post on my blog! I wanted to first send a huge thank you out to Jackie, Megan’s mom. She worked tirelessly to make this day the most special day of her daughter’s life, and it was so touching! I could hear the stress in her voice every time we spoke, but I knew that only meant that the day would be perfect, and it was! Congratulations to the Thornton and Feil families… you have both acquired incredibly special people into your lives!
Don’t forget to check out their special wedding day highlights slideshow below with some of our favorite moments from the day AND be sure to check out the entire wedding gallery on Will and Megan’s wedding website!
Another special shout out goes to Heather Rega Photography for being an excellent wingman once again!!
What wedding is complete without a totally amazing ride! Thank you to one of the bridesmaid’s fathers for giving us this lovely nugget to photograph!
The weather could not have been more beautiful!
Will and Megan passed back and forth this note… I don’t know what it said, but everyone was a little teary eyed!
There is something just so beautiful about fall weddings… and we loved that Will and Megan embraced the season and gave us some beautiful fall details to photograph! Including a flower girl… with leaves!
Will and Megan definitely have some great genes in their families! Both mother’s were absolutely stunning!
One of the funniest moments of the day… this little lady had to be woken from her nap in order to walk down the isle. Instead, she decided to hitch a ride!
This is always one of my favorite moments… the moment right as the bride and groom see each other for the first time! You know they are not thinking about anything else in the entire world for that one moment!
This chapel was so adorable… and had so much beautiful light!
This was a very emotional ceremony for many… it’s always hard to stay focused and not get wrapped up in the days events!
Will had a little snafoo trying to get the ring on! Thank goodness there weren’t any vents/grates on the floor!!
Bubble exit with beautiful back lighting? Yes, please!
And the get away car!
My favorite part of the day… location formals! We only had an hour, but we were organized and managed to squeeze everything in!
These next few were taken at Sacred Heart where Megan’s parents and grand parents were married!
<sigh> Gorgeous, gorgeous evening light!
Fun wedding party? Don’t mind if I do!
Wowza!!! Holy gorgeous eyes, Batman!
Ahhh, more fall details at the reception!
Seriously cutest little dude, ever! He was one of Megan’s first students and he was a total crack up!
Diamonds are Megan’s best friend!
Thank you again to Will, Megan, and their families! We had an incredible time and wish you the happiest of years to come!
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