St. Louis Photographer » A Journal by Holly McCaig

I was so excited that Sam was ready to get her images done so soon! It can be a little boring in the winter time. But, if you live here too, I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir. Sam is one of my Senior Elite Models for the class of 2011. She attends Fort Zumwalt South. And, she LOVES theater, singing, etc. Talented all around. She has dreams of being on Broadway.

When discussing with Sam what she wanted to do for her portraits, she immediately told me “THE FOX“. Of course, we did everything we could to get them to let us take photos inside, but they had other things happening at the time. They did give us a number to arrange something, so we may try again later. Who knows. But, all of the textures and buildings, and scenes around The Fox Theater simply mesmerize me. Grand is one hoppin’ place and it was fun to shoot there. We even had a little snow on the ground. I simply love when seniors “get it” and want to incorporate something about their life, aspirations and dreams, and more into their images. It’s all about creating art and not cheesy poses. Right?

One of the first of my senior elite models, it was pretty fun! I can’t wait till we shoot the other reps, too. Here are a few of my favorites from the session, so you can get a taste! If you’re a friend of Sam’s, be sure to ask her how you can save on your senior session with Holly McCaig Seniors!

Mad props to my cousin, Nick, for filling in for my regular assistant. He made us feel a little bit safer down there on Grand.

I jumped on 141 and low and behold…sprinkles. NO! No rain! We cannot have rain, right now. I had specifically called Bobbi Jo’s mom to move the session up yesterday because I knew we’d have rain in the afternoon. Now, why should I listen to my local weatherman? His accuracy rate can be pretty low afterall.

But, I kept on driving and arrived at Faust Park ready to go…if my client was.

They jumped out and said, “let’s do this” and that we did! I am so glad too. It was 12:30 and the sky was covered in clouds, acting like a giant softbox. Normally at this location, I am limited to where we can shoot because the sun intrudes on some of the settings. While I was missing the ability to throw in a little sunflare, I knew we were going to get images that I don’t normally get to take here. Bobbi Jo was so cute and willing to do what I asked.

It’s so rewarding when your clients are open to your ideas and get excited. Like when we found one, lone bright tree left standing in a sea of barren trees. She wanted to throw leaves in the air and it was so cute. We watched as another photographer took our cue of doing Bobbi Jo’s lying in the grass pose in the leaves instead.

Bobbi Jo – here are your photographer favorites. You are a joy to work with – and yes, I love the hair curled! Congrats on your senior year!

Third time definitely is a charm! We had some snags in scheduling Ashley’s senior portraits, but the wait was totally worth it. What a beautiful afternoon at Faust Park in Chesterfield. I think everyone else had the same idea as us…cameras were everywhere. That’s okay. The place is loaded with amazing locations that let in the most beautiful light. When I see that golden light in my shots I giggle. It makes me happy.

Ashley’s a senior at Lafayette Senior High School and has the best personality. It’s always so sweet when they leave so happy and give me a big hug, telling me it was fun. I am excited to share my favorites from Ashley’s senior session. I told her to think “Tyra Banks and America’s Top Model” and she rocked the poses!

Thank you!
Be sure to sign up for the newsletter, Fan us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

It was absolutely a BEAUTIFUL day when we met up with Meagan on Main Street. Meagan’s senior at Fort Zumwalt East and she’s as cute as a button! I quickly learned that when I asked her to give me some no-smile photos for serious portraits, that she was meant to smile. So, I just quit asking. Her mouth automatically turned up to grin. She was meant to smile all the time! Here are Meagan’s sneek peeks from my favorite choices!

Told ya she was a cutie!

If you’re looking to book me for Fall Senior Portraits, please note my schedule is VERY limited. It will be November before I can schedule any new clients. We can even do winter portraits in December and January!

Be sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter too!

I absolutely LOVE albums. I mean, look at those luscious, thick pages, printed on Fuji papers. And, those gorgeous bindings with a custom cover. Oh, the design and goodness of a square album.

I don’t sell enough of them. But, I intend to. I think when people see them, they are in awe. They fondle them and want to hug them, just like I do. Okay, so maybe that’s a little over the top, but some things just do it for me. It’s the perfect way to display your entire session, especially when you aren’t sure how you’re going to decide just which images to purchase. I shoot a lot. I offer a lot of proofs. I want my clients to have all their images. This is probably the most affordable way to get them, and have something amazing you can treasure for years to come.

Dream albums are my favorite squared albums. This new company started this year, and when I got my first sample, I died (in the words of Rachael Zoe). I did, I die!

The insides are always custom to fit your images, but the outside, I like to have a few, amazing options pre-designed and have been planning on doing this for my Client Lounge for some time now. So, I present my first design. Photogs can buy this design at Pink Ink Studios if they want. My clients, you can choose this for your square album cover. It’s designed for a 12 x 12, 30-page album which retails for $990. It can be resized down to a 9 x 9 ($750) or a 6 x 6 w/ 20 pages ($450). This one came to me because of being inspired by Brittney’s dress. The warm tones, with the woodgrain texture – perfect!

Anyway, I just love albums. You can see that it’s a perfect keepsake from your session!