I hope everyone had a fabulous Labor Day weekend. We stayed busy but had plenty of relaxation too. We ended up painting my daughter’s bedroom. She had outgrown the pink she asked for 3 years ago so we decided on a pretty turquoise. She absolutely loves it so it was time well spent. Here she is 3 years ago painting her own room (Age 9) and this weekend painting it again (Age 12).

This week I found a gorgeous photo wall that includes step-by-step instructions. It doesn’t get better than that! I found the original post on the Tatertots & Jello Blog. How cute is that name?!

The colors are so crisp and bright. Doesn’t it just say “Hello! How are you? Come on in.” to people coming in the front door? There are step-by-step instructions on everything from painting the frames to hanging them without putting holes in your walls. So go check it out and have fun with it. Who’s ready to create a beautiful wall gallery of their own? I know I am! Have a great Wednesday!!

Peace and Popsicles!

Heather

I hope you’re having a wonderful week so far. The rain is a making it a little gloomy but I’ve been listening to Etta James on Spotify in my office and it’s making the day much brighter. This week I’ve found something that is so easy to create that just about anyone could do it. I found this idea on an adorable blog called Tidbits from the Tremaynes. This mom documents her home improvement adventures and makes you laugh the entire journey. Here she’s created a beautiful wall portrait gallery of various sizes, shapes and frame types. This is such a great idea for all of those mismatched portraits and frames you don’t know what to do with.  It makes it really easy to change out photos as well. And don’t we all have that awkward wall that we have no idea what to do with?! Let me know if you’re going to try this. I’d love to hear how yours turns out! Have a wonderful day!

Peace and Popsicles!!

Heather

How freakin’ cute is this? Daniel would never let me do this in our living room but I absolutely love it! I can see creating this design in a hallway instead of doing the same old line of photos down the wall. Or maybe in a child’s room replacing the black frames with colorful ones. I know Hobby Lobby carries wall clings that look very similar to this but you could also find them online. Or if you’re really creative just paint your own tree! Have fun with this one! You could really use your imagination!

Original post here

I’m sharing this Wall Art Wednesday post on Thursday. I was having some technical difficulties with the blog yesterday which led me to serious thoughts of throwing my computer against the wall. Luckily I took a breather before I could do any damage and the problems worked themselves out. So this morning I have a blog post for you and a computer that isn’t in 400 million pieces.

I came across this awesome idea on Pinterest (are you on Pinterest? If not, you definitely should be). How many times have you happened upon some old windows at a thrift store and wondered “Hmmm I know I could do something cool with those, but what would it be?” It would be this! What a gorgeous way to display your family’s photos and add a unique point of interest to any room in your home. It would be beautiful in a kitchen, dining room, family room…any room! I love the cottagey feel it has. Do you have some old windows that could be pulled out of the garage and put to some use? I’d love to see your version of this! Share it in the comments section or email it to heather@infinity-images.com.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Kisses!

Heather

Have you ever admired a fellow colleague from afar and then had the chance to meet them in person? I have several times and I have to say that my most recent experience went so far and above my expectations. I’ve been admiring Laura Brett’s work for several years. She is an amazing photographer in the Atlanta area that specializes in Newborn Photography. About a year ago my good friend Nichole was able to book Laura Brett to come to her studio in Charleston to hold a workshop for several photographers from all over the country. All I can say is WOW! Not only was Laura full of information and very candid but she is full of personality.

I won’t bore you with the details of what I learned but I will share with you an image of one of the baby models that we had the opportunity to photograph. This is baby Knox and what a cutie pie!! I couldn’t be more excited about what I learned and how I can incorporate it into my business. New poses, new background options, new soothing techniques…all things to make your portrait experience a better one.

I’m looking forward to all of my upcoming Newborn Sessions! Be ready for some baby cuteness on the blog as I share images showing some new posing! Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

Kisses!!

Heather

I fell in love with this wall when I came across it on Pinterest. There was no link to the originator (I hate when someone pins something without a link) so I can’t say where it came from. But isn’t it a gorgeous statement piece…and all about the family that lives in this home. It helps tell the story of how much this family loves each other and how important they are to one another. No landscape picture can do that. I can tell by looking at this that these images were printed on canvas that’s ready to hang but you could also do it with prints mounted on foam core and use Velcro pieces to adhere them to the wall. That way you can change them out as your family grows. I love this and I may consider this for a wall in our home. I hope you enjoyed today’s Wall Art Wednesday. Is anyone feeling inspired yet?! Tell us what you think in the comments. We’d love to hear from you! Peace and popsicles! Heather

I’m so excited about this new weekly blog. Wall Art Wednesday was brought about after I made a delivery to one of my favorite clients. She’s been putting together a photo wall since her son was born 18 months ago (well longer since her maternity portraits were there too). She’s talked about it before during her sessions but I hadn’t seen it in a while. I was blown away by how much thought and effort she had put into it. She was on the Baby Plan so her son had his newborn, 3 month, 6 month, 9 month and 1 year portraits taken with us and they were all displayed along with her maternity portraits, family snap shots and a few from the Limited Editions they participated in this year. There were gallery wraps, small framed prints and larger prints all put together to make an amazing photo wall that I’m sure everyone loves to look at when they walk into her home.

Obviously I’ve gotten to know this mom over the past few years (I shot their wedding too) so I know that she is extremely crafty and loves Pinterest as much as I do. So it wasn’t a huge stretch for her to come up with something like this and execute it on her own. But lots of people have no idea what to do with their portraits and snapshots. They sit in a box or worse on a computer hard drive waiting for someone to do something with them. I thought it would be a great idea to help those people envision what their photos can look like and how beautiful they could be hanging on their wall. And that it doesn’t take a huge space to make a huge impact. So Wall Art Wednesday was born. Here on the blog I’ll post wall art that I find on the web or photos of my own clients’ walls. I hope to inspire people to take down the landscape picture of a windmill and replace it with beautiful pictures of your family. You’d be surprised how just passing by them can bring a smile to your face. I know mine do…especially when my kids are getting on my very last nerve.

Our very first Wall Art Wednesday is so much fun. I came across this idea on Bliss Images and Beyond’s Blog.

I loved the idea of adding a conversation starter as well as beautiful images. Using clocks below each of your child’s photos stopped at their birth times you are giving people something to talk about. Of course when someone sees it for the first time they’re going to ask what it means. It’s such a unique way to tell a story about your children and I couldn’t wait to share it with you.

I hope you enjoy this new series and get something out of it. Please feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. And please send a photo if you have a gorgeous wall in your home or if you create one using the inspiration you find here. You can email it to heather@infinity-images.com. I can’t wait to see what we create together!

Thanks!

Heather

When I first started on this journey almost a decade ago to become a professional photographer I didn’t even know that’s what I was doing. I knew I loved photography but I didn’t know that I could ever make a living doing it. And I never realized how hard it would be. I thought I’d be like the fashion photographers I see on tv handing my cameras off to assistants as we changed sets..all glamorous-like. Wow was I so very wrong. Running a photography business (or any business I guess) is more about marketing, networking, accounting, numbers, writing, educating myself, educating my clients and so many more behind the scenes activities that no one ever thinks about…at least I didn’t. Only a small fraction of my time is spent doing actual sessions.

People always ask me if I could go back and choose something else to with my life, would I? I don’t feel like I had a choice. I feel like photographing people is my calling in life. Just like some people are drawn to helping people via medicine or the law. I help people via the photographs I take and I how I make the subject feel about them. I help families remember that it’s not all about the “things” in life, it’s about the people in your life and remembering them even when they’re gone. When your children are grown up with families of their own, you’ll be able to remember their tiny toes and chubby cheeks. I give your memories a canvas so you don’t have to hold them all inside. I don’t think I could help people that way if I chose another path. So although it’s been rough and it still has it’s ups and downs I’ll never regret making the choice to dedicate my life to photographing people. It’s what I’m meant to do.

I mean really, if I was doing something else I wouldn’t get to see sweet faces like this every day. I can’t imagine another life and thank God every day that he’s allowed me to do something I love so much.

What were you called to do? How are you helping others in your career? What do you enjoy most about your “calling?”

When Cayden’s mom brought him in for his Newborn Session, I knew right away that I was going to fall in love with this little man. He was only 8 days old but already had this seriousness about him. He had that little crease in between his eyebrows that I just died over. After Cayden and I got acquainted, we got him to sleep and he went right along with everything we tried. He was such a good baby! His mom is soooo lucky! Cayden’s big sister Abby came along and was a true model. She had a great time trying on all of our tutus and fairy wings. We had an absolute blast! I can’t wait to see these guys again soon. Here are a few shots of Baby Cayden and his brand new Big Sister Abby. Thanks so much Jessica for bringing your babies to the studio!

I’m going to go ahead and warn you, this post is extremely picture heavy. I had so many to share and couldn’t decide which ones to cut so I just kept all of them. Sorry!!

Over the past couple of years I’ve really felt boxed in to only shooting in natural lighting conditions. Don’t get me wrong, I love natural light..I love the softness on the skin and the eyes. But sometimes I want to try dramatic lighting….and I’d like to be able to shoot outside during the middle of the day without worrying about how harsh the sun will be. While at a photography convention last year, I saw Blair and Suzanne Phillips of Blair Phillips Photography speak about Breaking the Mold. Their whole philosophy is to try new things..things no one else is trying. Trying new things is hard. Practicing new techniques takes time. That’s time and energy most photographers don’t want to put into their craft. I do. I want to try new things. I want to push myself to learn and grow. So when I found out that Blair and Suzanne had recently started doing a Break the Mold Workshop, I was more than excited. I signed up for it right away because I didn’t want to take the chance of it selling out. Then, I had to wait more than 6 months. The waiting was excruciating. I knew this workshop would change my world. And I wasn’t disappointed.

When March rolled around, my friend Nichole of Nichole Alexandra Photography and I headed up to Landis, NC. Nichole and I do a couple of photography trips a year together and always have such a great time. We spend our free time searching for the best places to eat and talking about everything under the sun. We always enjoy the kid/family-free time to just focus on our businesses. That’s not something we get very often so we take full advantage. Of course, there’s lots of gossiping too! Oh back to the workshop.  We were blown away from the moment we walked into Blair and Suzanne’s studio. Everything was absolutely gorgeous and screamed Blair Phillips Photography. We got to meet the other 14 workshop attendees who, like us, were eager to learn.  Over the next 2 days I learned exactly what I needed to learn to bring my photography to the next level. I learned how to use studio lighting outdoors and do it well. I never thought I would be able to shoot a bride outside during midday full sun and still be able to see the details in her dress. I did it…with the help of Blair and his amazing assistants. We also were able to shoot a senior session and add that edge that I need to separate myself from the people that bought a digital camera last week and started a photography business this week. I will forever be grateful for Blair, Suzanne and the rest of their crew for sharing so much of themselves and showing us that it is possible to grow a successful photography business in a small country town. Here are a few shots of their studio and Blair working his magic.

Blair was so awesome with the children that came into the studio that day. He got natural expressions out of this little girl while their were 20 other people standing around watching…and let me tell you, that’s not easy.

Blair builds these amazing sets outside behind his studio. Awesome!

This is the dressing room. Who wouldn’t feel incredibly glamorous in this room?

Didn’t I tell you their studio was fabulous?!

This is their client ordering room. Clients are treated to a real theatre experience.

Blair always says that he would never ask a client to do something he wouldn’t do.

So now that I’ve shown you all of the Blair awesomeness, here are some shots I got while he was demonstrating.

I know no one is going to believe me but I did absolutely no retouching on her skin. That’s what great lighting techniques do!

So what does all of this mean for my clients? It means I have a broader range of choices for selecting locations and scheduling sessions. It means I’m bringing more to the table when I pick up my camera. And that means more awesomeness to display in your home. Set up a session and let’s get started!!