Kacie an Sean

Catching up on my blogging! Here is an engagement session I did earlier this month with Kacie and Sean. We went out to the Shaw's Natural Reserve. We had great weather and even included their beautiful daughter and two pet dogs. We had to take a walk through some swampy areas occasionally but everything worked out. Congrats Kacie and Sean. I can't wait until your wedding in March!

O-kay, this is my Halloween post. I've always heard of people catching supernatural orbs in photos but just thought that these people didn't know what a lens flare was. As a photographer for the past 12 years, I've seen all types of lens flares, but have never seen an actually orb...UNTIL NOW! These photos were taken from a wedding earlier this month at the St. Louis Club. They show a cluster of glowing green orbs floating happily aroung the bride and groom. I really have no explanation for what they are or how they got there! If anyone another theory, I'd love the hear it!

Sweet Lydia Cox

I was sadly informed yesterday that a sweet angel, Lydia Faith Cox, passed away Sunday night. She fought hard in the hospital for several months after having heart surgery. I had the pleasure of meeting her in June for her portrait session and was truly amazed at what a sparkling spirit she had. At 3 years old, she blew me away by communicating threw sign language. Lydia's visitation was this afternoon. I was speechless when I walked into the room to deliver a slideshow memorial I prepared for her family and saw numerous photos around the room from that photo session. It hit me that our session might have been the last real time Lydia was photographed and how important those photos would be to her family. Sometimes I feel like I can't offer much to most people but today I was honored to help the Cox family remember their sweet angel, Lydia Faith Cox. She will be deeply missed.

Fall Portraits In The Park-October 24th at Creve Coeur Park

Fall is a perfect time for family portraits. The Scenery is exploding with color and it's a great opportunity to get a jump on your Christmas Shopping. With the season closely coming to an end, Solea Photography is almost completely booked for the fall season! That is why I reserved a date for all day mini sessions. They are 30 minute sessions at more than half the price. You still have time to get your fall family portrait session in. Saturday, October 24 Solea Photography will be at Creve Coeur Park from 12-4. We will have the beautiful fall leaves as a background and pumpkins if you want some Halloween photos of the little ones. Call me at 636-751-1135 to reserve your spot for only $15.

Solea Photography featured in StreetScape By Night Magazine

Solea Photography was featured in the new issue of StreetScape By Night magazine. It was a great honor for them write an article about me. I have always loved StreetScape magazine and now they've come out with a new publication. You can read the article below or pick up a copy at participation locations. To find out were you can get a copy of StreetScape Magazine or StreetScape By Night, visit them at http://www.streetscapemag.com/

[STORY] Robin Seaton Jefferson

[PHOTOS] Nichole Olea - Solea Photography

Nichole Olea wants her photography to generate feeling, not only in her audience but also in those being photographed. With over a decade of photography experience, Olea aims to make every photo session into a work of art. “When looking at your photography, you should feel like it has a soul,” she said. “I would like for my work to get a reaction out ofyou. I want it to convey an emotion.”Her company—Solea Photography—was born from that notion. “Whether it is a senior portrait or a portrait of a newborn, I am capturing a moment in your life that can never be recreated,” Olea said. “This is who they were. This is what their life was at that time.There’s a value to that. It’s not just a snapshot.”Olea started experimenting in photography in middle school. “I was in a performing arts school in a massmedia class and I knew that’s what I wanted to do,”she said. From there, Olea would go on to obtain her fine arts degree and begin work in her first studio in1998.Olea said her work is more than just getting the perfect shot. “I just loved to be involved in the processfrom way back when it was still film. From constructing the photograph to changing the visual effect with the camera, from the darkroom to now in the digital darkroom with the computer, I just loved the whole process.”Solea Photography is a unique studio that Olea said tries to “capture the spirit in all of us.” Blessed with four children of her own, she is dedicated to passing down the special gift of a family heirloom through her work.“Being part of such a big family, you learn quickly to just be yourself and enjoy life as it is handed to you,”she said.Olea specializes in “environment portraiture” which allows her clients to pick the environment that best suits them. “Whether it’s a park or your home, I try to pick a location that’s comfortable for you.”Photographing her clients in their personal spaces teaches Olea more about them as individuals. “I enjoy getting to know them as I’m photographing them and getting their personalities to shine through.”Olea said she enjoys photographing high school seniors the most. “They’re so fun and youthful,” she said. “They’re just up for anything really.”But no matter what the subject,Olea said there is never a dull moment in her profession. Like the time she was photographing a wedding party and all of the groomsmen simultaneously dropped their pants. Or even the time she was photographing NewYork Yankee player Ian Kennedy’s wedding while he worried that the playoffs might put the wedding on hold.For more information on Solea Photography, call 636-751-1135 or visit www.soleaphoto.com.

Please keep her in your prayers

Meet Lydia Cox. She is one of the little girls that I recently had the pleasure of photographing for the Downs Syndrome Association. I Just received word that she has been in Cardinal Glennon hospital for the past month for heart surgery. She has had... major complications and has be in intensive care for the last week. Currently, they are trying ... Read Moreto ween her off the ventilator – she has had a bleed at the base of her brain and they’re trying to figure out how much “damage” this has/is causing (they think that it is impacting her sight and movement from the waist down). Lydia is such a sweet little girl and was so pleasant to photograph. I was blown away by her ability to communicate through sign language during her photo session. This is a trying time for her and her family. Please keep them in your prayers.Read More

Sneak Peek: Ashley and David

Here's a little sneak peek of Ashley and David's wedding. They got married at the Conservatory on Main Street and had their reception at Bear Creek in Wentzville. Despite the 100 degree heat, we had a great day full of wonderful photo opts including a beautiful butterfly release. It was one of the most touching ceremonies I've seen as they both wept with happiness through the whole thing. Congrats guys!

Engagement session with Stacey and Zack

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of photographing Stacey and and Zack. We went to one of my favorite places, McNair Park in St. Charles. An engagement session is a great way for a photographer and a newly engaged couple to get to know each other. I really enjoyed hearing about Stacey and Zack's story of their relationship. I was amazed to learn that they met in kindergarten! WOW, how cool is that! Their wedding is planned for next August. Congratulations to Stacey and Zack. Visit us on Facebook to view a slide show from their engagement session.

And The Winner Is...

The final round of voting for the Millers 2009 Baby & Child Contest ended this week. After 4 long rounds of competition and 11,426 portraits submitted this year, Solea Photography ended up with 4 finalist in the final round. I am so proud to announce that 2 out of the 4 ended up being selected as a Final Round winner in the 2009 Miller’s Baby & Child Contest! Both families are receiving $500 from Millers Professional Imaging. Thank you Millers. I am soooo excited that I was able to produce prize money for a few of my wonderful families! BTW Solea Photography was the only studio to have more than one finalist winner!! Check out these smiling faces.

Congrats to Nicole and Pat

A big congratulation to Nicole and Pat who tied the knot on July 3, 2009. They had an intimate ceremony and reception at the lovely home of Nicole's brother. I love outdoor ceremony and this one was no exception, being on the lake in the backyard. It did start to drizzle a bit but everyone was very laid back and it didn't slow the party down in the slightest bit. Thanks guys! I had a wonderful time. And on a side note, Nicole is one on the teachers for my niece and nephews, Koan, Alethea and Burke. They absolutely LOVE her. (Thanks Nicole for taking care of my babies!) Here are a few of my favs from the wedding. To view a slideshow of highlights from their wedding, visit Solea Photography on Facebook.

E-Session with Leslie and Jeff

I had a great time meeting Leslie and Jeff on Main Street in St. Charles. We started off at the local coffee house and worked our way to the train tracks in Frontier Park. They plan to get married next June. Congratulations to them both.

To view a slideshow of Leslie and Jeff's full engagement session,

visit Solea Photography on Facebook.

Congrats Lauren and Mike

I know I've neglected the blogger fans and have a tone of catching up to do. So here are a few photos from Lauren and Mike's wedding on June 6th. The ceremony was at Our Lady of Laurdes which is a stunning church and the reception was at Windows Off Washington which is always fun to photograph at. We had some fun at Forest Park and the Arch durring our down time. Here are a few of my favs.

Senior Ambassadors

Solea Photography is still accepting High School senior ambassadors for the class of 2010. Each senior ambassador receives a complimentary senior photos session with 3 outfit changes ($75 value), a complimentary DVD slide show ($35 value), and $10 in free product for each referral.

Find us on Facebook

Join Solea Photography on Facebook. Now you can share all your photos with your Facebook friends or stay up to date on all the specials and events going on in the world of Solea
Photography.

First, share your photos with all of your Facebook friends. Now you can link your online photo gallery to every networking site like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Just click on the button at the bottom right corner of your online photo gallery and start sharing.

Next, make sure to join the Solea Photography fan page and get regular updates on portrait specials, new products, contests and sneak peeks of photo shoots. I promise to keep you current on all the Solea Photography news. Just click on the link below.

Maybe someday I'll start twittering...but one thing at a time! Until then, we'll see you on Facebook.

Meet Me At The Muny

Well, it's that time again. The time of year where Solea Photography gladly teams up with the Downs Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis. We had such a great response from last year that we actually added 3 dates for our portraits in the park. This little video is from the first session that was at The Muny. We had a wonderful time and I really enjoyed meeting all the families. Our next event is this weekend at Frontier Park. Stay tuned for a sneak peek and for more info on the DSAGSL visit them online at www.dsagsl.org.

Solea Photography featured in St. Charles Magazine

Solea Photography was honored to have a wedding featured in the spring bridal issue of St. Charles Magazine. Congratulations to Jennifer and Jonathon Moberly. It's always fun to see yourself in a magazine. The couple was married June 7, 2008 at the beautiful Jewel Box and had the reception at The Columns in St. Charles. To request an issue of the magazine visit www.saintcharlesmag.com.

2009 Baby & Child Portrait Contest

Solea Photography is proud to announce that we are one of the participating photographers for the 2009 Baby & Child Portrait Contest.

Categories for this year’s contest include: Color, Black & White/Sepia, Special Needs, and Humorous.

The online contest will consist of four different qualifying rounds and one final round. Each round will last for one month. Miller’s customers will be able to post entries during the first three weeks of every qualifying month and vote during the last week of the month. We will be changing the voting interface for the 2009 contest, allowing customers to view entries as thumbnails, hopefully speeding up the voting process. Posting and voting deadlines are listed:

* Round 1 (March): Post Entries – March 1 – 21. Vote on Entries – March 22 – 31.
* Round 2 (April): Post Entries – April 1 – 21. Vote on Entries – April 22 – 30.
* Round 3 (May): Post Entries – May 1 – 21. Vote on Entries – May 22 – 31.
* Round 4 (June): Post Entries – June 1 – 21. Vote on Entries – June 22 – 30.

For each qualifying round, the top five winners will be selected from the four categories. These winning portraits will be entered into the Final Round, which takes place during the month of July. The Final Round will be judged online by a panel of esteemed photographers. First, Second, and Third places, as well as two Honorable Mentions, will be announced for each category! Cash prizes for these winners include $2,000 for First, $1,000 for Second, $750 for Third, and $500 for each Honorable Mention. One portrait from the Final Round will also receive the highest of accolades -- Grand Prize Winner. The cash prize will be $5,000 for this lucky winner! All cash prizes will be given to the families of the winning portraits.



* All portraits taken January 1- June 21, 2009 are eligible for entry into the
2009 Baby & Child Contest.
* Participants may post one image per child from each photography session.
* Participants are not limited on the amount of images they can post.
* Miller’s reserves the right to delete any submission that is inappropriate in nature.
* Miller’s will not use any participants’ images without prior consent.
* Children age 12 and under can be entered into the contest.

Sessions are limited! Book Today!

Still need a calendar for the new year?

I recently received my copy of the new 2009 calendar for the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis. The layout and design is absolutely beautiful. The calendar features photos of children with downs. Some of the photos are professionally taken by myself and two other St. Louis photographers that donated their talent and time and photos send in by parents. It you are like me and have procrastinated on getting your new calendar for the year than give the DSAGSL a call at 314-961-2504 or visit www.dsagsl.org. All proceeds benefit the programs and services of the DSAGSL.

Wedding Show

The Holiday season is one of the most popular time to get engaged. Now that he popped the question... now what? The best way to start your wedding planning is to check out one of the many wedding shows that take place in January. Solea Photography would like to personally invite all of the newly engaged couples out this weekend to the Wedding Markets wedding show at The Heart of St. Charles this Saturday and Sunday. The show is held from 11-4 and admission is FREE. Solea Photography is offering some wedding show specials this weekend. You can save 10% off your wedding hours if you reserve your date at the show and receive a free engagement session if you reserve your date before January 31st. For more information check out www.weddingmarkets.com and we hope to see everyone there.