Authentically You
Authentically You
It’s All About You.
“Why me,” you ask? Let me explain!
You are the single most important part of what I do as a photographer. Without you, there is no story to tell, no love to showcase, or important memories to capture.
“You first” is my motto and my mentality. My number one goal as your photographer is to make sure that you feel completely secure in every sense of the word.
From loving the way you feel when looking at your photos to letting me take on responsibilities to lighten the load on your big day, it is so important to me that you know without a doubt that I’ve got it covered. I’ve got you covered.
Now what about me?
I’m Brendan, nice to meet you!
St. Louis based but always ready to pack a bag and find my way to you! I’m a wedding and portrait photographer lucky enough to have been doing what I do for eight years now. I feel so lucky each and every day. It’s a big responsibility and I don’t take it for granted for a single second.
Beautiful imagery built on a foundation of trust is my ultimate goal as your photographer.
Allowing me to peer into your life just a little bit and capture what I see from my perspective is no small thing. It’s a moment of vulnerability and I hope that after what you see here, you can come along for the ride and trust me in that process.
My desire is to leave you with images that are beautiful, timeless, and entirely your own. I love nothing more than showing up to a wedding day and seeing a couple feel a weight lifted off their shoulders. I’m here every step of the way, as involved as you’d like me to be, and along the way we’ll build something that I really feel pays off in every image.
Rain or Shine
As much as I wish I could control the weather and every single scenario we may be faced with during a wedding day, sometimes that’s just not possible. What is in my control, however, is my ability to come prepared to roll with the punches.
Combine my experience with some of my lighting equipment and a little more of that trust we’ve been talking so much about and now suddenly no drop of rain or dimly lit dance floor can scare me away. You need consistency you can count on. I work hard to make sure that while every wedding day is different and comes with it’s own set of challenges, I’ve done all that I can to level the playing field to get you beautiful photographs each and every time.
Night and Day
Slide back and forth to see how I like to go about lighting up a rainy day!
Uniquely Yours
Keeping it Real
Within the images I capture, I aim to inject as much of you as I can into each and every frame. Capturing beautiful imagery is an essential part of my job, but my number one priority is ensuring that within those photographs, you see your true self shine through.
Take a look through my portfolio and you’ll find that I try my very best to blend things together to keep things feeling natural. Lighting up a scene can add a pop of color to a dreary day and shooting through windows can feel like we’re getting a look into your beautiful wedding day. I try to keep it contained within the sphere of feeling authentic and grounded to your wedding day, never slowing things down too much to make you feel stiff or out of the moment, only adding what I need to in order to tell your story the best way I know how.
“Where should I put my hands?” is a question I’m all too familiar with. It’s a perfectly valid question, and I’ll tell you! As we’re shooting together, I’ll provide direction throughout the day to guide you and your partner closer together to bring out what I know you’ll be feeling inside on your wedding day. My job is to show you as you are, but a little help here and there keeps everything moving along and puts your mind at ease.
When I’m not taking photos . . .
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...I might still be taking photos
I can’t help it! I got my start in photography over a decade ago by just grabbing my camera when I headed out the door and just snappin’ away. Especially in recent years, I’ve found myself bringing my camera with me wherever I go. As the saying goes, the best camera is the one you have with you! I really love being sure to capture big moments throughout life as well as my day to day walks about town with my lovely fiancé or my dog Olive. If you read that and thought to yourself “Wow! I want to see more of that, sign me up!” I have a slightly less serious instagram @brendanbatchelor but be sure to give @batchelorphoto a look while you’re at it!
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What's Cookin'?
Probably me! If I’m not out shooting then there’s a good chance I’m in the kitchen, reading a new cookbook, or planning the next family dinner. I love perfecting a dish whether it’s the first or the fifteenth time. It’s so important to capture life’s important moments, but I’ve got to create some of my own sometimes of course! One of my favorite ways to do so is to cook a meal for family and friends. This next part is cheesy, please bear with me, but I really do love how it brings everyone together to share a meal and a story or two. Now that we’re talkin’ about cheese; ask me anytime about Costco’s parmigiano reggiano and I’ll tell you in depth how it changed my life. If you know, you know. If not, well, just go get some and report back here when I’ve completely ruined that green shaker bottle forever! Sorry!
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Making the most out of every moment
Living my life with intention towards each moment has continued to pay off each and every day. I really cherish going on trips with my amazing partner in life, Ashley, and spending time with her, my family and friends.
Knowing when to put the camera down is just as important to me as knowing when to pick it up. I love capturing life’s moments, but I always make sure to experience things as they come and give them the attention they deserve. Taking the whole “capturing everything” concept too far will just make me end up like the dystopian dad in the promo for the Apple Vision headset - a guy who tells everyone to stop what they’re doing because I just have to put on my creepy virtual reality headset first before you are allowed to have fun with your friends - something I very much don’t want to be. Side note, I do think virtual reality is awesome, don’t get it twisted, just not in every possible moment!
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My Tiny Shadow
The little one in the birthday hat is my little shadow named Olive. Anytime I’m editing photos she is right there behind me hanging out and keeping me company. While she may still be working on her confidence, she does have a heart full of love and is the true shining star of my phone’s camera roll. She’s also my birthday twin, just don’t tell her we’re twenty-something years apart please, it’s a closely guarded secret!
