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!!

So I hope by now everyone has seen our new Designer Frames. They are curvy, spunky and sooooo much fun! Who wouldn’t want a wall full of these awesome frames?! Well, I’ve decided to do a really fun giveaway for this super cool 8×10 frame. Our frames are available in over 50 colors so you will even get to choose which color would best fit your decor. All you have to do is head on over to our Facebook Fanpage here and “like” our Page. Then comment on this post letting us know you “liked” our Fanpage, who’s picture you would put in this frame and where you would hang it in your home. It’s that easy! One super-lucky winner will be chosen by a random drawing on Friday 2/18/11. We’ll announce the winner at 12pm. Good Luck!!!!

Hi!! I’ve crawled out from under my rock and finally feel some sunshine on my face. Metaphorically speaking of course, because as we all know, the weather here in SC has been anything but warm and sunny lately. It’s just for the past few months, I’ve been working my tail off trying to get a space of my own up and running. It feels like a century has gone by. I’ve had to slack off on my workload just to get everything done. I’ve had the help of my wonderful boyfriend, Daniel, our kids, Gage and Lindsay and our friend Chris. Everyone has really put 100% into getting this space ready for me and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate them for caring about me and my vision so much.

I’ve been wanting a space like this for some time. I have been shooting on-location and meeting couples for bridal consultations at my home for a long time and just really needed somewhere to call my own. I feel quite sure my family is thrilled to have all of my photography stuff out of our house. It was literally taking over.

I thought it would be cool to post before and after shots so everyone could see just how far the little place has come. Of course, I still have some spaces to fill on the walls. I’ve got a few wall galleries on order that will be in this week but who knows when I’ll get the opportunity to hang them. So I just wanted to go ahead and take some images and put them out there. Let me know what you think!! And thanks again for making my dream of photographing people come true!

Before and After - Studio Entrance

Another shot of the Entrance

Before and After - Office Area

Before and After - Studio Bathroom

Before and After - Another shot of the bathroom

Before and After - Sales Area

After - Sample Product Showcase

Before and After - Camera Area

Before and After - Camera Area

Finally have a place for all of the newborn stuff

Kids Play Area

Ok, so I know I still have lots of work to do. But it’s a start and I’m so proud of my space. I hope everyone will come out to our Grand Opening Party that we’re planning for March. I’ll post the details very soon! Thank you for stopping by!!

-Heather

What do you get when you mix fun, sweet and beautiful with hilarious, handsome and dedicated? Well, we’ll all find out really soon because all of these traits describe Jerry and Tiffany…the world’s sweetest couple. Yes, I call them that. And yes, it’s true. Jerry and Tiffany are expecting their first baby next month (I say first baby because their plan is to have lots!) and I was so lucky to be able to take their maternity portraits.

Little Baby S is due in only a month so it won’t be long and we’ll be doing her first portrait session. I’m so excited! And I’m so excited for this wonderful couple. They are the most deserving people in the world of such an incredible gift. I just think I’m so lucky to be able to share in their joy. Congrats guys and I can’t wait to meet Baby S in just a few weeks!!

I have been soooo excited to share these with you. I just sent this set out to a recent client that LOVED them. I almost didn’t want to part with them and they weren’t even images of my children! Each album set is custom designed for you. The album is 3″ x 3″ and actually has a magnet inside to keep the front and back secure when it’s closed. They also come in these adorable little clear cases that protect it when you carry them in your purse, etc. I also love the idea of using them as fridge magnets. I’m sure there are plenty of other great ideas but I’m sure Grandmothers won’t need one as long as they can reach into their purse and pull out this little gem! We are going to use them for all different types of sessions/events such as, newborn, families, seniors, weddings, engagements, bridal portraits, child sessions, pet sessions, maternity and boudoir portraits. I can’t wait to start handing these little babies out to all of our clients.

Wow…that’s the word that comes to mind when I started going through Denise’s portraits. She is such a beautiful woman and to add that pregnancy glow just topped it off. Denise and Chap are such a wonderful couple. They are going to be even better parents. Some things you just know. I’m so looking forward to doing little Emma’s first portraits. And wait until you see her nursery!!!