Rachel Hill Photography

The T Family

2011-11-10T23:12:00.000-08:00

Catie was one of the bridesmaids in the wedding I shot in October, so I was really excited when she wrote me and asked to take photos of her family as well. It was a really windy and chilly afternoon out at Faust Park, but little J and E were so cooperative anyway! Hope you enjoy your photos...

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Can't believe how well these two get along!

I'm behind on posting all the families I have shot this fall...hope I can get some more posted soon! I'm winding down for 2011 and just have four more shoots scheduled before the end of the year...

Geoff and Julie: The Slideshow!

2011-10-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

Ready to see more from Geoff and Julie's wedding? Here's their slideshow!
(Click on the bottom right to pull up full screen!)

Geoff and Julie...sneak peek

2011-10-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

I photographed a BEAUTIFUL wedding this weekend and just have a few to share for now.

Can't wait to share more! Congratulations, Geoff and Julie!

Drew--6 months

2011-09-26T21:49:00.000-07:00

It's always fun to meet up with a family half a year after their newborn session and see how much their little one has grown! At first I thought little Drew looked mostly like his mom, but he has so many of his dad's expressions. Here's Drew along with Mom and Dad...

Meagan

2011-09-21T21:40:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, we had rain predicted for most of the weekend, including Sunday afternoon when Meagan's session was scheduled. I was so thankful that she and her mom were flexible and met me Saturday mornign instead so we could beat all the rain!

As always, I love shooting seniors that attend the same high school (and church) as me! Meagan is a great cross country runner and I get to watch her run every week now that she and my little sister are teammates!

Hope you like the sneak peek, Meagan!

This girl is full of talents...

This colorful quilt that has been making an appearance in a few of my recent sessions was my birthday present from my extremely talented sister-in law! You can see more of her quilts here. This quilt was actually featured at the International Quilt Market in Salt Lake City before making its way to my home. Thanks, Jamie! :)

Go, Crusaders!

One of my favorites...

Jillian--6 months!

2011-09-12T23:14:00.000-07:00

This was the second time that I photographed Jillian and this time we got her whole family in on the photos!

Love this smile!!

Jillian was so happy on all the photos of the three of them!

Pretty girls!

Thanks, Jillian and family :) Hope you enjoy the photos!

The V Family

2011-09-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

I had the privelege of doing a photoshoot with some of our neighbors last weekend. The fun thing about this...all of these pictures were taken within half a block of my house!

This family is always playing out in the front yard or sitting on the front steps waiting for their daddy to come home...so that's where we started out!
(click on any photo to see it bigger)

This little girl has got the best smile...and she's always smiling!!

Love this one!

She loves her big brother!

Hmmm...what is she plotting? :)

Beautiful blue eyes!

Anne and family...we love having you as neighbors! Hope you enjoyed the photos!!

Charly and Sam

2011-07-25T05:47:00.000-07:00

I met up with these two and their mommy on seemingly one of the steamiest mornings of the summer...but we've had a lot of those, haven't we?! I love watching these two grow up, especially since they are close in age with my own boys.

Here's 3 and 1/2 year old Charly and 1 1/2 year old Sam at the Botanical Gardens...

Jillian

2011-06-07T23:03:00.000-07:00

It was way too hot outside on Saturday to have a happy baby, so we took all of Jillian's 3 month old pictures inside her nursery. Enjoy this sneak peek!

What a cute girl and great smile!

The M Family

2011-05-05T00:58:00.000-07:00

We've been talking about doing this session for over a year now, so I'm so happy that we finally did!

Two kids can't get much cuter than this and I love affectionate they were with each other...

Little A goes to preschool with my son, so he was excited to get to see her photos as I worked on them...

Beautiful eyes!

We shot these on a Friday early evening and you can see the excitement from the kids when their daddy arrived from work!

I bet they always get along this well, right?

More beautiful eyes!

Love this one of the kids messing around and their parents laughing at them...

One of the last frames of the day and one of my favorites of the four of them!

Hope you like the photos, M family!

Sisters

2011-04-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

Annie was one of my first photoshoots after moving back to St. Louis in 2009 and on Sunday, I had the chance to photograph her with her two sisters. After being snowed out a few weeks ago, we ended up with a beautiful day...

Just playing around with a quote on this one...

All three sisters had their makeup done together before their photoshoot...what a great idea!

One of my favorites...

Laura is going to be graduating from college very soon, so I took a few of her on her own too...

Beautiful eyes!

Thanks, Laura, Annie, and Lisa...and of course, your mom Doris, for setting this up, even if I couldn't convince you to join them in the photos! :)

Evan

2011-04-07T01:39:00.000-07:00

Taking a break from babies and families to post a senior! Evan is graduating in just a couple of months, so we had to get going on those senior pics. I have to say that Evan is one of the most polite high school boys that I've met and that's coming from a former high school teacher.

We met up at Forest Park and wow, was it crowded this Sunday. We had to fight for parking spots, but we made it work. Here is Evan...

Hope you like them, Evan!

Baby Drew

2011-04-05T23:19:00.000-07:00

This little one was such a sweet little boy and very sleepy for 13 days old the day of his photoshoot!

This hat and blanket were made by his great aunt! (Hope I got that right...)

Staredown!

LOVE this smile...

A basket in his bedroom...

Just cuddling with Daddy when we were all done...in case you didn't know, photoshoots are tiring!!

Congratulations, L and A! Such a beautiful little boy!

Walker's Birth

2011-04-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

When you think back at some of the most significant moments of your life, one of the prominent ones has got to be the birth of your children. I had a unique opportunity to capture that in photos for Dan and Alisha recently with the birth of Walker. With their permission, here is their birth story...

(I could go on and on about the experience, but I'll let the pictures tell the story this time!)

(click to bring up bigger in a separate window)

Jonah is ONE!

2011-04-05T07:25:00.001-07:00

Jonah's photo below on top of the piano has been one of my most commented on photos that I've ever taken...

I was so excited to meet up with his little family again shortly after his first birthday!

We started off with photos of Jonah is his present from his grandpa--a rocking chair that had been his. I love it when we are able to incorporate meaningful objects into photos...

Such a great smile!

Love those brown eyes!

Thanks, Anne and Ryan for meeting me in the park for a lovely evening :) I know that this little guy is such a blessing to you and I'm so glad we could capture that in photos!

The T family

2011-04-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

This family was my first session with my new camera! I've shot the Kiefers a couple of times now and it was great to be able to have not just them, but their extended family together too! They were all in town for a basketball tournament and thankfully, brought no hard feelings after a close game the day before with family on opposite sides. :)

First off, here is the four grandchildren...

And the whole group! I was glad we were able to fit everyone in because we were inside on a COLD day!

Love this one (as a mom of two boys myself!)

I think these two kids get cuter every time I see them!

Thanks, T Family!

Luke and Bryn...finally posted.

2011-01-24T07:30:00.000-08:00

Back in the fall, when everything gets SO BUSY for photographers, I got behind on blogging my sessions. This fall was the busiest I've ever been and what I've posted to this date certainly doesn't reflect that! So I'm hoping to post some photos from those old sessions in the next month or so and get caught up!

So...I think I will start with Luke and Bryn's wedding! I haven't booked a lot of weddings yet, primarily because of the young age of my children and trying to limit my time away from them. But as my boys are getting older and love to have their just daddy time too, I would love to add some more dates to my 2011 calendar. So if you are interested in an upcoming date in 2011, please email me at rlh_psalm27@yahoo.com and I will send you more information!

Luke and Bryn had a beautiful wedding in the early fall and I was blessed to be able to be there capture memories of their day! So let me share a few of my favorite photos...

It's always nice to have to time to photograph some of the details of the wedding--the church, the flowers, the rings.

And of course, some of the most treasured memories come from the ceremony itself...

Family portraits are important...

...and as your wedding photographer, I love it when you allow enough time to do some relaxed portraits of just the two of you!

And of course with your friends and family...

And just a few more from the reception...

And here is their slideshow if you would like to see a bit more!

Hopefully, I'll be back soon to share more sessions that never got posted!

Sam is one!

2011-01-19T21:06:00.000-08:00

How a year flies by! I believe I photographed Sam 5 times in just over a year...newborn, with his cousins, six months, nine months, and now, a little over a year. Wow!

This time, I met up with just him and his mommy. He is such a sweet little guy and really on the move!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Lois!

2011-01-11T18:37:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to my aunt and godmother, Lois!

This is headed your way in just a few days (printed as a 16x20 gallery mount)...happy birthday from your kids, me, and my mom!

(click to see bigger)

And if you want to see a little more from her session with her kids, check out this slideshow:

End of 2010!

2010-12-20T20:35:00.001-08:00

If you had a session in 2010, please head over to facebook to join in on voting for your photo in my end of the year contest!

I appreciate all of your support over the past year. I have been truly blessed to have the opportunity to capture your memories and spend time with your families.

Just as an FYI, as we approach 2011, I will be releasing updated information on pricing and availability. My prices will have a slight increase, but not a drastic change in structure. Looking forward to seeing many of you again in the new year!

Lydia and her big brother Mason

2010-11-28T11:55:00.001-08:00

The G Family

2010-11-23T23:02:00.000-08:00

The G Family was the very first family that I photographed after relocating to St. Louis last year and we met up again for Zachary's newborn photos. It was great to see them through my lens again this fall and see how much they've grown!

Tessa and I are both aunts to the newly born little Grady (newborn photos coming soon!) and even as we did their session, we were hoping for news of his impending arrival!

LOVE the interactions on the next three!

Color or Black and White?

2010-11-21T22:41:00.000-08:00

We all have preferences! And sometimes you don't want someone else to decide for you. That's why I give you all or almost all of your photos in both color and black and white...so you can decide.

Which do you like better?

This is my new nephew, Grady, and there's lots more to come!

Have Fun!

2010-11-20T22:24:00.000-08:00

Hoping to caught up on blogging and get back in the pattern of blogging sessions...I've been BUSY this fall and this blog certainly doesn't reflect that right now!

I saw the K Family last summer and we met up again just a couple of days before Brendan's first birthday.

What I LOVE about this family is they have fun together! It makes my job much much easier! I think Chris is in the running for one of the top dads that I've photographed simply because he loves to make his kids laugh and loves to play with them. Playing and laughter always results in great photos!

Here's a few from their session in Forest Park...

For Mason

2010-11-14T22:53:00.001-08:00

To my buddy Mason,

You are a great big brother...

...to this beautiful little sister of yours.

Keep holding her hand...

...and giving her kisses...

...and she will keep looking up to you...

...because she knows you're pretty special.

The S Family

2010-10-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

I have been neglecting this blog, but not because I haven't been hard at work! I have so many sessions that I need to go back and post, but for now, I want to post these for Angie because she won't see them on facebook.

Angie and Rob have two of the cutest kids around and I'm so glad I've gotten to photograph them so many times!

This little girl has a birthday coming up soon...

Doesn't "Samboy" have a great smile?!

This little guy is on the move!

Angie gave me an awesome, awesome present, but I keep forgetting to post a picture...maybe because that would require me to take it off. I'll try to get around to that soon! Thanks so much, Angie, and I hope you like the photos!!

Luke + Bryn

2010-10-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a slideshow of images Luke and Bryn's beautiful wedding in September. Congratulations!

Brothers

2010-08-31T12:33:00.000-07:00

I LOVE designing storyboard collages for clients, so be sure to ask me for information if you are interested!

This one is going to be a 20x30 inch print mounted on a 3/4 inch black standout mount that does not need to be framed. It comes with holes on the back for easy hanging.

Hope you guys love it! (And probably this is because I have my own two little guys, but I just LOVE seeing the interactions and love between these two brothers!)

Eleven

2010-08-26T22:36:00.000-07:00

Drew is going to be turning eleven in just about a week and we met up at the zoo for a birthday photoshoot! This was my first time shooting at the zoo and we found lots of fun places.

Drew, happy birthday and I hope you like your photos!

Having fun with his mom!

The K Family

2010-07-25T14:22:00.001-07:00

It's always fun for me to photograph other people's children who are close in age to my own...and somehow it always seems like their children are more cooperative than mine! :) Oh, the joys of being a photographer/mommy whose kids no longer respond to a camera in their face!

We met up at City Garden in the middle of downtown and had fun playing together. It is a fun place for kids to jump and run and splash. I have a few of my own children here as well that I'll try to share soon.

We started off with the Arch in the background...

This little one just turned three!

And this eight month old little man is certainly on the move! (click to see it bigger)

Love this one of the boys!

I think this might be my favorite from their session! Little Brendan is escaping!

Awww...

Tired out

2010-07-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

Oh my, it is a hot day today! We started this shoot at 8:30 in the morning and even so, we were sweaty and tired by the end. BUT...that doesn't mean the pictures aren't cute! Here's the K Family...

I'll be back with their full sneak peek tomorrow!

Family Collage

2010-07-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that you can always order a storyboard collage from your session...just ask me for more details! In fact, I usually have some ideas brewing in my head already and take some photos intentionally that might lend themselves well to certain collages.

Here's an example of a 16x24 storyboard college from a recent extended family session...

Charly and Sam

2010-07-11T15:02:00.001-07:00

I think this family might be my most photographed family...or close at least! This is the 4th time this year that I've photographed my cousin's darling kids, Charly and Sam, and this time, we met up at Main Street, St. Charles. It's been so fun to watch them grown up, both in "real" life and through my photos. Charly is just a few weeks younger than my son, a little over 2 1/2, and Sam is right at 6 months.

This little guy is so laidback and doesn't stop smiling!

Such pretty blue eyes!

The only sad thing about these pictures is their daddy was at work and wasn't able to be in them. But I told Angie that he could schedule his own individual photoshoot and then I would photoshop him in...so I'll be waiting for that call, right, Rob?! ;)

Emma and Owen--6 months!

2010-07-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

Remember these two?

Well, they are growing up fast! I love getting to photograph babies multiple times in the same year and seeing how they are growing and changing. These two are a little over six months now!

Daddy is SO funny!!

I had so much fun photographing these two and can't wait to see them at 9 months!

All 19 of them!

2010-07-06T22:22:00.001-07:00

After my session with Amy, Eric, and their boys at Main Street, we headed over to Faust Park for a session with her whole extended family...all 19 of them! I have to say that whenever I shoot a large group like this, it inspires me to want to get my own family's pictures taken with all my siblings.

Here's the whole big group!

All the grandkids and their grandma (they call her Bushia!)

And now for the individual families...

And a couple more with Bushia...

Runaway!

Cute and colorful dresses!

Love this one of the cousins playing together!

Thanks for having me photograph your family!!

July Special...Weddings!

2010-07-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

This month's special is a great discount on weddings!

If you book your wedding (contract signed and retainer paid) before the end of July, you will receive a free full engagement session!

This session is a $200 value and it's a great way for me to get to know you a little more before your big day. In addition, you will have some great photos for display at your wedding or for use on save the date cards and invitations.

Contact me today for more information on wedding pricing or to set up a meeting!

The S Family

2010-07-05T22:45:00.001-07:00

One of the reasons that I've been so thankful for this photography business is how it has allowed me to reconnect with old friends.

Flashback 8 years ago. Amy and I were both 22 years old, freshly graduated from college, and ready to start our first year of teaching high school together. The two of us took over the freshmen and JV girls basketball teams together and we planned our weddings simultaneously. It was so awesome to have someone going through the same things as me at the same time and I know that I always had a listening ear.

My husband and I moved far far away, halfway around the world, after this first year of teaching and sadly, I hadn't seen Amy since as her family relocated just as we moved back to St. Louis. In fact that last time I saw her, she was very pregnant with Noah, the 6 year old in these photos!

Through the wonders of facebook and blogging, Amy and I reconnected and we are now both the mother of two boys. I was so excited to be able to capture her adorable little family on their summer vacation back to St. Louis!

Hope you love the pictures, Amy!

Look who's growing up!

2010-07-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't seen these two since their newborn shoot...and wow, have they grown! Here's Emma and Owen at 6 months...

Today

2010-07-02T17:45:00.001-07:00

I was back at Main Street and out at Faust Park as well...
(Thanks for getting up early so we could have this beautiful sunlight!)

More to come!

Just one...

2010-07-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

of Charly, Sam, and Angie on Main Street for now...

Julian is one!

2010-06-27T14:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I met up with newly one year old Julian and his parents at Forest Park to capture this special time in his life! Julian is a friend of the last one year old I shot...I love referrals! Thank you!

It was such a hot, humid morning, but that's typical St. Louis, I suppose. I love the colorful balloons Eli brought for their session.

This might be my favorite...

Isn't this tree fun?!

I think Julian's favorite part of the morning had to be splashing in the water and playing on the playground!

Smiling at his mommy!

And his momma thought I didn't get any pictures of him smiling...

2010-06-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

This little guy was not too sure about the heat or the grass this morning...BUT here he is smiling anyway!! What a cute little guy!

The E Family

2010-06-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

After having to cancel TWICE this spring due to rainstorms, we finally got our session in! We met up at Tower Grove Park last Saturday. I have to say...I always get a little nervous for family sessions with young kids. Mainly because I know what my two children are like! But these three girls were a breeze to shoot and so cute together! And I loved the shirts their mom got for our session!

Enjoy the sneak peek...

Catching up

2010-06-11T13:46:00.000-07:00

While I was in Colorado, it was great to catch up with old friends. And this family was very dear to us! I had photographed members of the family before (Daniela's senior pictures and Alex's first communion), but this was the first time I got to shoot the whole family.

Hope you guys like them! It was so great to see you again!

The importance of FAMILY

2010-06-09T23:01:00.001-07:00

My 89 year old grandmother passed away a week ago. Actually, she would have been 89 on our shared birthday in August. We are rejoicing that she is in heaven now, but also wanting to remember her life. The day after she was put on hospice, two of my cousins and I went through book after book, carousel after carousel of slides, and put together a slideshow of her life. That slideshow, that collection of the moments in her life, has brought me to tears almost every time I've watched it.

Some of the pictures that I love the most are the group shots of the 19 of us cousins with our grandparents throughout the years. It couldn't have alwasy been fun to make us take those pictures, but I'm so thankful that they did.

This family below was gathered together for a special occasion, celebrating the graduation of one its members. I truly hope that they will treasure these pictures someday like I treasure those of my family!

It's hard for me to believe...

2010-06-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

that Amy is a senior!

Amy was a freshman on the cross country team I coached the year that Xavier was born in the middle of the season. At the beginning of the season, I was 8 1/2 months pregnant and no longer running and Amy was sidelined with an injury so we went on quite a few long walks together while the rest of the team was running...and I got to know her very well!

Amy is such a sweet girl and the biggest lover of baseball out there, so we made sure to incorporate that into her senior session. In fact, Amy loves baseball (and Matt Holliday) so much that I think she should have been born in our baseball loving town of St. Louis instead of Denver! Oh well...

I hope you love your pictures, Amy!

Amy agreed to start EARLY and that's why we had such beautiful light! Oh, and almost all of these are in her own yard! You might recognize some of the spots from her brother Chris' senior photos last year!

And now for one of the biggest baseball fans I know...

This one is one of my favorites!

Just a couple for tonight...

2010-06-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

Here's Amy, one of the biggest baseball fans I've ever met! I'll be back with more from this FUN session!

Guess

2010-05-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

Can you guess from this picture where I'm at??

Yep, I'm back in Colorado for a few days. I have, if I'm counting correctly, 11 photoshoots in 6 days, so check back in the next week or so for pictures!

Yesterday, I photographed Lutheran High School Parker's graduation...congratulations to the class of 2010!

And I also photographed this extended family who was gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of one of those graduates!

I love their idea to color coordinate their outfits by family!

Canvas Gallery Wrap Sale!

2010-05-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

30% off all Canvas Gallery Wraps through the end of the holiday weekend!!

Gallery wraps are printed on a fine art canvas, stretched around a 1 ½ inch depth wooden frame, and sprayed with a UV coating. They come ready to hang in your home and do not require framing. They are truly a work of art!

Send me an email if you would like to order a gallery wrap from a recent session!

Madeline is almost one!

2010-05-27T00:28:00.000-07:00

This cute little girl has a birthday in just a couple of days! We met last Saturday for her one year photoshoot and she was all smiles and waves. Such a sweet little girl! Here's a few from our morning session...

This one is definitely one of my favorites!

Such long eyelashes...

Hey, I don't need their help to walk, you know!

I LOVE this one.

Climbing trees with Daddy!

Happy Birthday, Madeline!

It took me all weekend...

2010-05-23T22:14:00.000-07:00

...to post this one picture!

So I had a bit of a computer mishap. Thank goodness I had almost everything backed up on an external hard drive. But I spend the weekend researching and purchasing a new computer and getting everything all set up, so I'm finally back with sweet Madeline's sneak peek from Saturday morning.

Almost one!

Senior Storyboard Collage

2010-05-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

Caitlin will be graduating next week! I created this 11x14 storyboard collage for her and it will be printed on a metallic paper and mounted on a black bevel board that looks beautiful sitting on an easel or shelf.

A storyboard is a great way to feature more of your senior pictures if you are having trouble narrowing it down!

My Boys!

2010-05-13T00:40:00.000-07:00

I don't think I share pictures of my own boys on here enough! Xavier is 2 1/2 and Jordan is 9 months old and here are some photos that I took in a 6 minute individual photoshoot while the other was napping. Thanks for looking!

Happy Mother's Day...

2010-05-09T19:24:00.001-07:00

especially to my mom, mother-in-law, and grandmas...

and all the beautiful mothers I get to photograph!

And here's a little slideshow from my most recent newborn with lots of pictures of his mommy!

LAST MINUTE Mother's Day Special

2010-05-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

My husband just wrote me an email asking me what I wanted for Mother's Day.

This might not seem that last minute to you, but I happen to know that he has a full day of work to do tomorrow.

(Matt...don't be mad. You're just inspiring a sale :)

SO...if you too need to pick up a last minute Mother's Day present, I have THREE options for you that are great deals!

Option #1
25% off a regular session. That means only $150 for the regularly priced $200 session that includes your disc of images with copyright release to print.

OR

Option #2
Book a session at regular price ($200) and receive a 5x7 spiral bound proof book with your session (normally a $75 value).

Okay I lied. Let's do one more option! This is a very important holiday, after all. :)

Option #3
45 minute mini session with 10-15 images edited on disc for $100.

Sessions must take place before the end of August 2010.

Contact me to buy your gift certificates for any of the above NOW! You only have a couple of days!

P.S. I thought I would add a recent picture of me and my boys to this post and I checked and one hasn't been taken since MARCH 28th! How's that for another reason to buy your wife or mom a photo session?!?!

The S Family

2010-05-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

I was afraid that this session was going to get rained out on Saturday after the storms we had on Friday, but we had great weather! I especially enjoyed hanging out with this family because their little ones were similar ages as mine. So with an almost three year old and a one year old...this also means that we spent this session on the move!

Love the concentration on his face here...and check out that flexibility!

Beautiful blue eyes!

Taking a little snack break...

Flying!

What a cute little family!

Caitlin's slideshow

2010-05-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

Are you curious what a whole senior session looks like? Here's a recent one with Caitlin!

Love this...

2010-05-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

I'm loving this shot--maybe one of my favorites I've ever taken! I met up with this little family at the park this afternoon.

I'll be back in a couple days with more!

p.s. I might just have to try to recreate this shot with my own boys...

Colin

2010-04-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

Back to baby Colin! Colin's mommy received a gift certificate his session as a shower gift from her co-workers...such a great idea for a present!

This little guy was 2 1/2 weeks old, so a little older than I typically like to shoot newborns. But it worked out great because we were able to get some wide awake shots along with the more typical sleeping newborn shots.

So alert!

I love baby feet...

Colin's daddy was not too sure about having his picture taken...warning to future clients: I want to take your picture with your baby! And look...aren't you glad you did?! :)

Love the pattern of his hair...is this going to be curly hair or cowlicks?

I had the idea for this photo as I was rocking my own little baby to sleep and could see our silhouettes reflected in a picture frame...now I just need someone to take one for me!

One of Colin's canine siblings watches...

Last one of the day...Sadie hopped on the bean bag chair because she thought it was her turn! :)

Colin's sneak peek...

2010-04-25T16:08:00.001-07:00

I met up with this little sweet boy and his parents this afternoon. Here's just a couple for now!

Caitlin

2010-04-23T04:44:00.000-07:00

I've had the chance once again to photograph a senior from Lutheran North where I attended high school. It's always fun to chat with them about school and their favorite teachers. Some things never change, like the popularity of Mr. Mac and his passionate battle scenes in class.

Caitlin will be graduating in just a few weeks and then moving on to the University of Oklahoma to pursue her passion, dance.

Despite having to fight off the crowds at Forest Park this Saturday, we ended up with some gorgeous photos! Caitlin's beauty and grace in movement made my job easy.

Love her shoes!

When we first arrived at Forest Park, there were wedding parties lined up to take their photos here inside the Muny. Later in the evening when they had all cleared out, we were able to get a whole series of dancing photos there...I may have to come back later to share some more of these!

Caitlin, congratulations on your upcoming graduation and God's blessings to you!

Baby Zachary

2010-04-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

After two reschedules (first Zach had jaundice and then my baby was sick), we finally got Zachary's newborn shoot done on Saturday. And after eating, oh three times or so, we finally got Zachary to pose the way we wanted him to ;)

Let's start out with some family and sibling shots. Remember this picture from last September?!

This was taken back when Avery knew she was going to be a big sister, but wasn't quite ready to consider the possibility of a brother ever entering her room. Judging from these next photos, I think she might have changed her mind once she met little Zach!

And here's some of the family...

I love incorporating items that are special to clients into the sessions. Here are some pictures of Zachary in the baby doll bed that Tessa and her sisters played with as children and in a basket from the locker room of their childhood swimming pool!

Always love the feet pictures!

Touchdown! (His dad was a football player...must be teaching him early!)

And two of my favorites...
I LOVE his dimple here and I think he looks just like his sister!

Congratulations, Tessa, Ted, and Avery!

Grace and Olivia

2010-04-19T20:29:00.001-07:00

When these girls' mommy and I were setting up their session, it was hot outside. Like upper 80's hot. And I suggested that we start really early at 7 am to get that beautiful light. And it was anything but hot! More like in the 40's. But we managed to get some beautiful photos anyway!

We played a little at the park, took some pictures in their Easter dresses, and then played some more and read some books in their backyard! Here's a little of the life of Grace (almost 4) and Olivia (15 months)...

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Love my Sister-in-laws!

2010-04-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

Just a quick shoutout! First of all, it's Daryelle's birthday today. Happy Birthday, Daryelle!!

Next, my sister-in-law Kate helped me out at my newborn shoot last Saturday! It was her nephew I was photographing, and it was so fun to have someone help with poses.

Yep, those are her soothing hands :) That was the best I could do for a picture from Saturday.

And finally, thank you to Jamie! Check out the Rachel Hill Photography button on the right (and grab it for your own blog if you want!) She made that for me! Thanks!! And check out Jamie's blogs if you want any ideas for quilting and crafting!

And here she is playing with my big boy a couple of weekends ago!

(nice shot, Jamie!....I mean, nice catch, Xavier!)

Busy Day!

2010-04-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

I had such a busy, but FUN, day of shooting yesterday! Children, family, newborn, senior...covered it all!

I am just beginning to look through the 700 images pulled off my camera yesterday and saw so many I loved. So I just quickly edited a couple from each session and will be back later this week with so many more!

First up...as in 7:00 in the morning first up...the Kuhlman girls:

Next was newborn Zachary (and his sister Avery):

And I wrapped up the day with a senior from my alma mater Lutheran North! Here's Caitlin:

Can't wait to come back and share more!

Opening Day!

2010-04-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

It's Opening Day and a great one it was for the Cardinals!

Just a reminder that my etsy shop has some unique Cardinals prints in it.
www.etsy.com/shop/rachelhill

If you are local to St. Louis and would like to order directly from me, send me an email! Any orders placed directly through me this week will receive 10% off.

Sizes available include 5x10, 8x10, 10x20, 12x24, and 15x30. I can do a variety of different mounting options, including no mounting, a 2 mm styrene board, a 3/4 inch black standout, and even a gallery wrap. Send me an email for prices!

Just a couple more months...

2010-03-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

until the class of 2010 graduates! If you still need senior pictures taken, contact me ASAP to set up your session!

And now, here's the rest of Tyler's senior session on Friday. Tyler is going to be graduating from the same school I graduated from, oh, a couple of years ago :)

We met at Main Street St. Charles which just so happens to be one of my favorite spots to shoot!

By the way, Tyler had his senior pictures taken where he was required to by his high school yearbook, but didn't really love them. Seniors, just because you have to get your yearbook picture taken by the big studio, it does not mean that all your senior pics need to come from there. Consider custom photography as a more individualized approach!

Tyler

2010-03-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

I had a fun senior shoot with Tyler this morning at Frontier Park and Main Street St. Charles. We started the session with Tyler's dog, Bailey, so that's what I'll share tonight. I'll be back with more from his session later this weekend!

P.S. Notice it's getting GREEN out there! At least starting to...I'm so excited for spring!

Jonah...part one

2010-03-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

I have so many photos that I love of Jonah that I'm splitting his session into two posts. So...this is the part that made me cry. I mean...this is the part with the piano photos.

And I'm working backwards, as in this is the end of the session. Oops.

So, little Jonah's parents allowed me to invade their house just two days after they came home from the hospital when he was only four days old. Since he was so young, I assumed that he would be very sleepy the whole time.

I was wrong.

This little guy seemed to be hungry the entire time I was there and was ready to eat again 20 minutes after his last feeding. Fast forward to the very end of the session. Mom and Dad are exhausted. Jonah...hungry and awake.

We head to the piano. Dad (music director and church organist) begins playing. Jonah stares at Mom (also a gifted musician).

And then...as his daddy continued to serenade him with lullabies, Jonah slowly drifts off until he is enveloped in happy sleep.

I'm in the corner with my camera, clicking away. Dad, Mom, Jonah by the piano, sharing a private moment as a new family of three. Dad stares at his baby boy as his fingers strum out the tune of "Children of the Heavenly Father." Tears are blinding my view now, but I keep clicking.

Love. A child. A family. A true gift from God.

And now finally...why don't I show you some pictures?!

Thank you, Anne and Ryan and Jonah, for allowing me to be a part of this moment!

Spring Break Special!

2010-03-10T18:25:00.001-08:00

Spring is here! I'm so excited that the temperature is finally warming up and can't wait to get outside and shoot!

Next week is my husband's spring break (he's a teacher). To celebrate, I'm running a little mini-session special for baby and children! Here's the details:

Photoshoot lasting 30-45 minutes scheduled between March 13th and 21st
12-15 edited photos on disc with copyright release to print
$100

This is a great way to update your children's photos. For example, if I took your baby's newborn photos, and oh yeah, she's 6 months old now! Time for new pictures!

Please contact me to set up your session!

Fine print: This does not apply to newborns and seniors. Up to 3 children.

Why I cried today...

2010-03-08T19:40:00.001-08:00

Actually, I'm going to make you wait for the story (and lots more pictures!)in my next post, but I was moved to tears during this photoshoot today.

This is an upright piano, so I stood on top of a bar stool with the camera above my head to get this shot! So glad it worked!!

Nathan and Daryelle

2010-03-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

Last fall, I was able to do shoots for two of my brothers here and here. I am now three for three as I recently took some engagement photos for my oldest brother, Nate, and his fiancee, Daryelle. I'm very happy for you two and hope you love the pictures!

I promise I didn't spray paint this "LOVE" on the wall! It was there! :)

LOVE

2010-02-28T18:51:00.001-08:00

(many more of these to come!)

Blair

2010-02-26T11:57:00.000-08:00

You might remember these maternity photos from a few weeks ago. Well, Blair is here now and I was able to photograph her and her family last Sunday. Here's a few of what I captured...

We started off taking some family photos in the master bedroom. Can I just say that I've been wanting to take photos on someone's bed for a long time? But I'm always too scared to ask just in case their room is trashed because they weren't expecting me to be in it! Ha! So if you are an upcoming client and like these, be sure to ask ME about photos on your bed because I might be too scared to ask you :) And thank you, Cori!

(I've been really into the vintage feeling photos lately, but if you are a client, you also receive your photos in color and black and white on your disc of photos).

Blair's daddy is a podiatrist so I took a number of feet shots!

Such a sweet big sister!

Love her lips!

And finishing up with a couple more feet shots...

Gifts

2010-02-22T23:15:00.001-08:00

I just got done putting together a couple of gift certificates. One of them is for a newborn session. What a great idea for a shower gift! If you know someone who is pregnant and need a unique gift, please contact me!

I'll have to tell you more about the other one later...a unique idea that I will share after it's been gifted!

Finally, more of Zoe and her family

2010-02-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

It's about time I got back to post a few more pictures of Zoe, huh?! Not sure why it took me so long, but here they are finally.

Last week, she was baptized as a child of God--her daddy, a pastor, baptizing her. And as he said choked over his words, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit," I choked back my own tears...along with half the church and those crowded in the back to watch. What a special moment!

And back to her pictures...Zoe is the fifth of five children and the only girl!
Here's the whole family...

So sweet...her brothers doting on her!

Didn't her mommy do a beautiful job painting her nursery?!

I think this is my favorite of the day! I was on my way out, but saw this and quickly grabbed my camera out of my bag!

By the way, I did some playing around with some vintage looks on some of these. If you purchase a digital session with me, you receive color and black and white copies, plus any of these extras. That way you can choose what you prefer for printing!

Cousins

2010-02-13T20:15:00.001-08:00

Remember Charly and Sam? Today, I photographed both of them along with their two cute cousins to create a portrait for their grandmother's 80th birthday. What a great idea for a present!

We will be turning this into a storyboard so check back to see that!

My boys

2010-02-06T22:04:00.000-08:00

And here's a couple more storyboards...featuring my boys.

Another storyboard

2010-02-06T20:07:00.001-08:00

I'm having fun creating storyboards! Here's one of my twins from a couple of weeks ago!

Called by name

2010-02-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

This little one is getting baptized this weekend, so I put together a storyboard (8x12) from her session last Saturday for that occasion. God's blessings to Zoe and her family!

If you are interested in having a custom storyboard made from your session, just let me know!

Save the Date

2010-02-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

You may remember Austin and Sara's engagement photos from a couple of weeks ago. Well, I also had the chance to design their save-the-date cards. If you need an announcement, card, invitation, etc. designed, be sure to ask me! Here's a look at theirs:

This will be printed back to back as a 5x7 card and mailed out in envelopes.

Jordan...six months!

2010-02-01T22:54:00.000-08:00

My baby boy is almost six months old now. How did that happen?! We did a little impromptu photoshoot yesterday when he realized he was happy with clear skin (he has eczema fairly bad so this doesn't happen often) and was in cute clothes. So this is about a week early...

Little Zoe

2010-01-31T20:49:00.000-08:00

This little girl is the fifth in her family and the first girl! (See her brothers below). I'll have more of her and her family in a couple of days!

I'm sorry

2010-01-31T20:28:00.001-08:00

Have you ever done something that you didn't believe in?
Something that went against your beliefs?
Against everything that you hold true?

I did.
Yesterday.

And I'm confessing it here.

That cute picture of the four brothers is actually...

This...

I'm sorry, Cardinal Nation. I'm sorry.

One more...

2010-01-31T13:53:00.001-08:00

Sorry that I've been missing here. My husband's grandpa passed away and we were out of town for a while mourning his death and celebrating the life that he lived and is now living! By the way, while we were in California I put together a photo collage of Grandpa and it just reminded me of the importance of photos in capturing the moments of our day to day living!

So I'm wrapping up my editing on this session today and I just wanted to share one more. This little girl will be a new big sister any day now and I just love in this photo how her soon-to-be relinquished baby of the family status is captured as she holds her binky and blankey!

Waiting for Baby

2010-01-17T20:28:00.000-08:00

I think a common misconception about maternity photographs is that they are just pictures of the belly. To me, maternity photographs are also there to capture small moments in time. A moment of excited anticipation. A moment of knowing that in just a few short days, life will never be quite the same. And a moment of appreciating life as it has been. For this family, it was all about capturing life as a family of three, waiting on their fourth.

What a cute big sister Chloe is going to be! I can't help but think about my Xavier since he was about the same age as Chloe when Jordan was born this summer.

Chloe likes to watch Barney and we told her that Bop was inside my camera lens. Well it got us this beautiful picture! But it did come back to haunt me a little later when this smart cookie kept asking to watch Barney. Oops!

And Chloe was worn out and ready for a nap after all of those, so onto Mom and Dad...

The next two are so similar, but I couldn't decide which one I liked better!

I can't wait to meet your new little one!