Michelle Ross owner of Under Grace Photo tells St Louis Wedding News about how she traded in her paint brush for camera!

How did you get into the photography business?

A nice comfy job illustrating books or  magazine stories was a bit too elusive for me after graduation, so I did at home what I had done to pay the bills in college: work in a local photo lab. This was around the emergence of affordable digital photography in 2000. Being a second generation computer nerd, I was thrilled when I was able to make art with a camera instead of spending weeks waiting for paint to dry. I have a bit of a patience problem in that aspect.  Like many before and after me, my photography hobby quickly became a profession as friends of friends asked after my services. Soon people I had never met were contacting me to shoot events. When the schedule of my hobby started interfering my work at the photo lab, I knew it was time to change careers.  I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t had a gentle push in the terms of a bunged up shoulder from the lab job! It’s funny how God uses something unpleasant to lead you to something pleasant. So here I am!

What type of photography do you specialize in?

I specialize in Weddings and Documentary Child Portraiture.

What makes you stand out from the other wedding photographers?

That’s a funny question, because Saint Louis has such a rich reservoir of talent in this area. I’d say my strengths are expedient delivery of digital products (web galleries, blog, album design), ingenuity with locations, and a quirky personality. My brides tend to be tech-savvy, hilariously genuine, and unafraid to be ridiculous.

What special services do you offer?

Sessions: Wedding Day, Day After, Engagement, Boudoir, Dress Trash, etc,
Products: I offer coffeetable albums, leather albums, online album design within a week of the wedding date, stages of hand-painted canvas prints and of course hi-res files.

What is the funniest moment you have seen while taking pictures at a wedding?

Just a few weeks ago Allison and Ryan + entourage were riding around Downtown in a wedding bus with a broken air conditioner. It was, oh, around 95 degrees that day. When the bridesmaids started melting into liquid pools of taffetta someone suggested going to Ted Drewes for the famous Free Wedding Day ice cream. Yay! A half hour later the entire wedding party was enjoying sweet, sweet frozen Ted Drewes- except for Allison. She’s lactose intolerant.  I thought that was incredibly sweet and funny at the same time.

What other hobbies do you enjoy?

I like to be a mom.  I like reading classic novels and drinking Earl Grey Tea on a fall day. I enjoy standing in the rain on a warm summer’s day. I enjoy jeering at the winter ice outside my window while wrapped in a blanket and watching bad sci fi movies and MSTK3000. I love Mario Kart , Rock Band and Wii Cooking Mama all year round.

What is your contact information if brides have more questions?

- Name: Michelle Ross
- Email: michelle@undergracephoto.com
- Telephone: 636-699-8576
- Address: Saint Charles
- Website: http://www.undergracephoto.com
- Blog: http://www.undergracephoto.com/news