Hi, I’m Steffen

I remember like it was yesterday. An arena that smelled of concession food, exhaust, and dirt. I was sitting mid-level of a freestyle motocross event in St. Louis. My eye line was equal to the peak air time the riders would accomplish. It was at this moment that they were also in mid-trick, fully extended, almost as if they were posing for me as I snapped pictures on my 35mm film camera. I remember knowing I captured the moment of full extension, but unlike taking pictures today, I would not know for sure if my assumption was right or if I was even in focus for at least a week as I had to wait for the pictures to get developed. Once developed, I remember quickly scanning all of the pictures, most of them out of focus because freestyle motocross is very quick and my lens was a manual focus. However, I vividly remember four pictures of the bunch that were in focus and at the point of full extension. These four pictures changed my life. I was hooked. The photography fire in me had been lit and one hundred gallons of gasoline poured on top. 

At that time, my dream was to photograph for Sports Illustrated or National Geographic. After I spent some time in college, that dream had started to fade, but I still had a camera with me. I loved taking pictures. I treated a camera similar to how we treat our phones today. I had it everywhere and took pictures of the most random stuff. Of course, unlike our phones today, I had to pay per picture to get all of them developed!

Fast forward to 2009. Natasha and I are newly married and I decided to take the plunge and pursue my dream of photography again, except this time it wasn’t Sports Illustrated, it was portrait and wedding photography. In 2010, I quit my full-time job and started photography full-time. What a journey it has been!

There is something about capturing a story of love on camera that is pretty special. Whether it’s the wedding day or welcoming a newborn into the family or simply updating the family pictures for the year. It is the story that fuels me. Now, I get that focusing on the “story” is a pretty cliche thing to say anymore. Regardless, it’s true. I had a family tell me one time, “I do not want someone to look at my family pictures and say ‘wow! They clean up nicely.’ I want them to see our pictures and respond with, ‘Oh yeah! That’s definitely them.'” This is exactly what I want to capture.

When I’m not behind the camera, I enjoy working out in our garden, mowing, really just being outside working. Together, Natasha and I have two amazing kids. You’ll usually find us taking family walks to the ice cream shop not far from us, or working outside together, or spending time reading our Bible with one another. I love my family and I’m thankful that they keep me grounded and remind me of what is truly important in life. 

I’m so grateful for this position I have as a photographer. It’s truly a dream come true.