FINE ART PRINT SALE ~ Limited offer!

I had some fine art prints made recently, which I'm in the processing of having some framed to hang in my home, but I have a few extras.  I'm offering them for sale here.  You can always buy prints via my online gallery on Fine Art America, but these are a limited offer.  The sizes shown here are not available on FAA.  You can buy just the print or I can frame it for you.  Framed prints are matted in white with a black, wood frame.  If you request something different, additional charges may apply.  Contact me vial email if you'd like to purchase!

1. Empire State Building

8x12 print ~ $25.00 or $65.00 w/ frame (final product 11x14)

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2. Empire State Building #2

8x12 print ~ $25.00 or $65.00 w/ frame (final product 11x14)

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3. St. Louis Autumn #1

12x18 print ~ $55 or $125.00 w/ frame (final product approximately 20x24 or 24x36, depending on frame availability)

8x12 print ~ $25.00 or $65.00 w/ frame (final product 11x14)

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4. St. Louis Autumn #2

12x18 print ~ $55 or $125.00 w/ frame (final product approximately 20x24 or 24x36, depending on frame availability)

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5. St. Louis Autumn #3 -- 2 Prints Available

12x18 print ~ $55 or $125.00 w/ frame (final product approximately 20x24 or 24x36, depending on frame availability)

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6. Tranquility

11x14 print ~ $40.00 or $90.00 w/ frame (final product 16x20)

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Email me at chantalstone10@gmail.com or just leave a comment here if you would like to purchase a print! There is just one print available of each image but if the demand is enough, I will gladly print more! 

If you're in the Columbus, OH area then we can just arrange for you to either pick up your print or I could possibly deliver.  Outside of the area, shipping charges may apply...I'll let you know.

Umm...

If anyone has tried to reach me via email using this email address: chantal  @  chantalstonephotography.com...

Please resend your email to chantalstonephotography  @  gmail.com

I forgot my password and recovering/changing it seems to be a bit of an issue right now.

Sorry...and thanks.

Cherie~

Today, my youngest daughter, Cherie, turns 9.

9!!! (omg)

Life is kind of crazy, ya know?  You live your life and make your plans and do your thing and you think you have everything figured out and that you're in control.  You've got the great job and the 2 kids and all the stuff that goes with that...it's all smooth sailing and you think "this is it.  this is what's meant to be.." 

Only, it's not. 

Because one day you just feel like crap and you realize "Hey, I've been feeling like crap for about a week now, what gives?" And casually, a friend says "Haha maybe your pregnant!"  You laugh it off (because omg no way) but the idea just festers all day so you stop at Target on the way home from work and buy a pregnancy test and drive like a maniac to get home because by this time you're CONVINCED that you're pregnant so when you get in the house you run straight the bathroom and your husband is all WTF and you tell him what you're doing and he just sits there on the floor outside the bathroom door in complete shock and 90 seconds later you realize that YOUR LIFE IS GOING TO CHANGE FOREVER.

Fast forward about 8 months and you're holding the most beautiful baby you've ever seen.  And you think: "How was I ever happy before this moment?" Because even though you actually were happy and everything was already pretty perfect, you had no idea that there was more happiness available to be had.  There was more completeness out there.  And the sweetest, most vibrant little person in the world was about to change the world forever and make it absolutely SPLENDID.  And for the last 9 years, a day hasn't gone by where I haven't looked at that gorgeous face and thought "omg she's perfect!"

I love you Cherie!

Happy Birthday!!

Julie & Brad

The hardest part of doing what I do is finding the right words to talk about the couples I shoot.  I can't start every blog post with OMG THIS IS MY FAVORITE COUPLE EVERRRR even though that's how I often feel.  I can't start every post with THIS WAS THE BEST WEDDING IN THE WORLDDD without sounding foolish...even though I may actually think it's true.  It's hard to express, sometimes, how much I loved a wedding, or a couple or how much I've enjoyed spending the day with a particual couple.

Sometimes I try to convince myself that I can actually write, but then I have trouble coming up with original ways of saying how much I love a particular shoot.  It's not just the words that don't come easily... I have trouble choosing the photos to share on this blog.  In a wedding with 800+ photos...where do I even begin choosing six or eight or ten to share?  Sometimes it's impossible.  The only thing I can do is just... be sincere about what's on my mind...

This past Fall I photographed Julie & Brad's wedding (see their fun engagement session HERE).  I'll be honest, it was a really hard day for me.  Just that morning my mom got really sick and we had to call the paramedics.  She was okay a short time later, and I was able to get to Julie's house to begin shooting...but when I started, my mind was elsewhere and my emotions were all over the place.

But it only lasted a moment. 

As soon as I saw Julie's smile and saw how happy and excited her sisters were, I immediately felt better.  The love in this family is infectious and invites you in.  And seeing Brad and Julie together...I can't describe it.  But I'll say this~  I've photographed a lot of couples.  A lot of AMAZING couple who you just know are gonna be married forever, who are meant for each other.  Julie & Brad top that list.  They're special, and so was their gorgeous wedding. 

There are certain factors that wedding photographers use to determine what 'makes' a wedding... such as location, the light, how at ease the people are in front of the camera.  This wedding was a triple threat.

I started picking out some pictures to post here, but there were too many to choose from, so I'll just post a few, then you can see more in the slide show~~

The light here was just so perfect, my goodness. I couldn't get enough of it...

Julie's sisters had me laughing and smiling the whole day... the camera loved them.  The entire wedding party was just a blast to work with, a really great group of friends and family.  They're lucky to have each other and I'm lucky to have been able to spend some time with them...

And here's the slideshow:

view on YouTube here:

http://youtu.be/G4hgV1Ax9JA?hd=1

i can't wait to blog this wedding...

I'm working on these pics right now...and I love them so much, I just can't wait to show you!

can this family adopt me please?

Full wedding blog post with slide show coming soon...

Amber & Nathan

On a chilly day like today I like to go back and revisit some shoots that I had when it was much warmer.  And looking at pictures of a sweet couple full of love for each other is a great way to feel warm all over.  I spent a steamy afternoon with Amber and Nathan during the summer for the engagement session...and by steamy, I mean HUMID...it was so hot and sticky, I was dying for a cold day like today!  But we had a lot of fun before it rained on us...

Then a few months later, it was still warm, but so not oppresively hot....and I shot Amber & Nathan's wedding.  It was a beautiful, late summer day and I couldn't imagine spending it with anyone else....

See more images from their fantastic wedding slideshow here:

At least my kids have shoes...

You're familiar with the old saying right? Something like "the cobbler's kids have no shoes."  There's truth in that statement and my house is proof of that.  I'm a photographer with oddly blank walls in my home.  I have a few framed prints here and there, even fewer of my own kids, and I think it's kind of weird.  I shoot a lot for clients, and I LOVE to walk into a clients' home and see some of the pictures that I made framed and hung on their walls or on the fireplace mantle.  It's personal to me and means a lot. 

If you walk into my home (after tripping over someone's shoes) you'll see some outdated pics of my kids and a handful of Art prints.  It's hardly what you'd expect, I think. 

So I'm going to make an effort to change that. (I'm gonna make an effort to change a lot of things actually).  As much as I shoot for clients, I probably shoot nearly as much for pleasure, just for the Art of it.  I have stacks and stacks of prints that I *could* frame... pictures that I've intended to frame over the years, but never have.

And really, as strange as it may seem, it really didn't hit me until last night what the exact problem was:

I can't make a decision.

I shot the above image with my phone.  That is a pile of 5x7 prints I had made recently from pictures that I took on recent trips to New York City, St Louis, Indianapolis and I dont even know where else.  These are all images that I LOVE.  And I've got this whole architecture theme going on... probably about 40-50 images of buildings that have caught my eye.  Together, I think they make a really interesting collection.  Here are a few:

I don't have frames-- which presents its own set of problems... which frames to choose, to-mat-or-not-to-mat, etc, etc.  How many prints should I frame for the collection?  Where do I hang them? Not to mention... I have all of these prints in color AND black and white.  Right now I'm really loving the color.  Tomorrow, it'll be black and white.  How on earth do I decide?

I also have this (another pic from my phone):

I framed those prints to give to my brother as a gift.  I also made some larger prints for myself of the same images and I already have the huge frames for them.  I printed these images in a few different sizes...because you just never know, right?  So now I'm like-- do I want the large prints? where should I put them? maybe I want to paint my living room (probably not)?

See a better version of the above images HERE and HERE.

Are you beginning to see the dilemma?

Let's not even discuss the status of my kids pictures.  First of all, they all HATE for me to take their picture.  Photo sessions with all of us usually end in tears, sometimes mine...often one of them.  Then I can't decide which pictures I like best...what I like, they hate, etc etc.... which size to frame, where to put them.  It's a vicious cycle.  And if you've ever been with me to an amusement park, you'll know that circular rides make me queasy.

Senior Portraits!

wow it's been a long time...umm...

Okay...so it's now DECEMBER and everyone should have had their Senior portraits done by now, right?  I know a lot of schools who's deadlines have either passed or are coming up QUICKLY!  Well, if you still need to have your Senior pics done...it's not too late!  Contact me ASAP and we'll book something.

I'm even doing a last minute session TODAY! And I'm really excited.  I love to shoot Seniors...there's something about a young person, right on the cusp of their future that I find so refreshing and we always have a lot of fun.

Here are a few Seniors whom I've photographed this Fall:

St. Louis~

I went to St. Louis over the weekend and took a bunch of pictures.  I'm currently working on an architectural series from a few different cities, including Columbus, and I'll probably post some of those pics soon.  In the meantime, I'm also shooting some other things and I'm really happy with how they've turned out.  I posted about 6 new images to FineArt America that are for sale as fine art prints.  Take a look HERE....and if you're so inclined, let me know what you think....maybe even buy something for your home or for a gift!  Here are just a few....

thanks!

Fine Art America

it's almost my birthday...