Heather

Sessions are filling and dates are approaching quickly! If you would like to schedule your session, please contact me soon. I’m excited to announce some new options this year!  Instead of a print package, you will receive a print credit to spend as you choose (on prints or digital files) in addition to your 50 Christmas cards.  I am also launching a new card ordering site this year that gives you an amazing amount of card options and styles.  Email me for specific session details and to schedule your session.

Saturday, October 8 – Afternoon/evening sessions

Sunday, October 23 – Morning and evening sessions

Saturday, October 29 – Morning sessions

Saturday, November 5 – Morning and evening sessions

Session location options this year – By the Creek, Urban/Downtown, and a new field location.

Trying something a little different this year – let me know which location and date you are interested in via email – this will help as I schedule location dates.  I am considering offering a weekday date also.  If that works better for some of you, please contact me as soon as possible so I can set that date. Thanks!

Photographed this sweet little guy who just celebrated his first birthday:

I could eat him up – he is soooo adorable and those blue eyes.  Yum

Here he is with his sweet parents. Such fun to have photographed their engagement and his newborn pics. Can’t believe how time flies!

This beautiful family traveled from Texas and Oklahoma to spend some time together and I had the priviledge of spending an afternoon with them.  They hoped to escape that awful summer heat, but visited here during the hottest part of our 100+ degree heat wave.  Poor guys!  Loved getting to meet them and hang out.

Aren’t their kids adorable?  Loved the cowgirl boots!

This gorgeous girl is a senior this year, I can not believe she is graduating! I loved getting to hang out with her and her mom and our own private tour guide for this session.  Thanks, Chad, really enjoyed it!

Thanks for stopping by, will post upcoming session dates this week!

-H

<Insert warning: this is a long post.  Feel free to grab a snack and drink. Maybe some caffeine to keep you awake.>

Many of you know it has been a challenge finding a balance between being mommy and photographer.  Since I was little have wanted to be a mom.  Now I am blessed with three amazing little boys and a wonderful husband.  My cup runneth over.

While I have always been interested in photography, it became an unexpected blessing along the way. I love capturing life – especially now as a mom because I know how quickly it passes. But if not careful, it will take over your life.  Scheduling sessions, arranging care for the boys, countless hours of editing/proofing/ordering – most of which happen when three little boys are peacefully tucked in for the night.  Resulting in a sleep deprived mommy. Which is not a good thing. Just ask my sweet husband.

Then there is the business end of things. Paperwork, taxes, research, keeping up with this blog and updating the website.  Sadly, some of my favorite images from the past year have not yet even been posted or shared.

I love watching life happen from behind my camera lens. I love meeting new families and visiting with families that have become like family. I love capturing for them what I would love to capture in my own life:  Families interacting. Loving, laughing, playing together. Doing life.

But.

I also love my family.  Much more than photography. And they deserve the best of me.  Hard as it is to admit, I don’t have this balance thing figured out yet. You would think after years of doing this, I would.  But I don’t.  I will admit that I envy other mommy photographers who seem to have figured it out.

My heart is pulled in two different directions. When I am playing with the boys, I am thinking about my clients and how they are waiting on their galleries/email replies/print orders.  When I am working on the computer I am thinking about the boys and feel guilty for not playing with them.  Or how much better of a mom and wife I would be if I would just go to bed and get some sleep.

Maybe a quick look at these little guys will give your poor eyes a break and show you a little glimpse of where my heart is:

See what I mean? Aren’t they adorable?

My oldest started first grade this year. My middle guy starts kindergarten in the fall.  And my baby turned two.  Be still my heart. How did that happen?

I have been so blessed to be able to stay home with them. I’ve been here for every first word, first step, first tooth, and hours of rocking, reading books, and snuggling.  The days of playing catch, baking cookies, and bandaging skinned knees (who knew boys would need so many bandaids?!) And while I have been present every day, one day it just hits you.  Where have the last few years gone? They are growing up way too fast.  When did he get so tall?  When did he start making his own peanut butter and jelly sandwich? What do you mean he is ready to go to camp for a week this summer?!

I don’t want to miss it.

I want to enjoy these few precious years left before they are all in school and I have more time during the day than I want.  I love being a mom. I love volunteering at school, attending Mother’s Day Tea at preschool, cheering at their games, reading books, tucking in at naptime, and playing in the yard.  It’s more amazing (and challenging) than I ever imagined it would be.

And to be honest, photography has been both more amazing and challenging than I imagined it would be.  When I started taking photographs, I thought I would slowly build the business and go full time when the boys all started school. Things kind of took the fast track and I ended up busier than I planned.

So where does that leave us?  To be honest I thought about just closing the doors on photography until all the boys are in school.  To be completely honest, I’ve been considering that for the past four years.  I’m quick at making decisions like that.

However I don’t feel at peace with that option.  I want to keep the door open. I want to continue taking photographs. I want to keep up with my clients and their sweet families.

So after much thought, prayer, and conversations with my husband, I’ve decided on a course of action.  Uncoventional? Probably. Will it work? I don’t know.  But my heart is content with the thought.

I have decided to no longer take new clients.  Not in the “full session” sense.

I am planning on keeping my regular fall/holiday schedule.  Which means I will still offer the fall and mini sessions to past and current clients.  Any slots remaining will then be open to new clients.

In addition, I have decided to hold Limited Session events throughout the year.  Limited Sessions will be held on specific dates and are shorter than regular sessions. I’m planning on at least one Summer Limited Session that I am currently working on.

All Limited Session events will be open to new clients but I will no longer be taking regular scheduled sesssions.  This will allow me to condense most of the work into a few weeks every few months instead of daily work schedules.

For my past and current clients, don’t worry!  I will continue offering regular, full sessions to you.  I know some of you will have new babies, your sweet kiddos will have birthdays, some of them will need senior pictures (yikes!) or you want to update the family album.  I want to continue to be your photographer.  Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives.

One day sooner than I like, all the boys will be in school.  Sniff, sniff.  After I spend a few weeks months crying and mourning, I plan on jumping back in full time.  Several of you have asked about weddings and to be honest, I don’t see that happening until the boys are all grown and out of the house. If ever. I do however dream of a natural light studio.   I already have plans in my head and bookmarked on my computer. Can’t wait to build it one day.

If you are still reading, bless you! And thanks. Thanks for your patience, understanding, and encouragement.  I have appreciated every kind and encouraging word you have offered.

With that, stay tuned for details on the Summer Limited Session.  It will be held at the end of July. Then we will begin scheduling for the fall season which books quickly.

I sincerely appreciate each of you. Thank you for being patient during the new changes.  Thank you for letting me share my heart and taking this journey with me.

Love, Heather

For those of you who don’t live nearby or can’t make it, here are two of their etsy sites.  Happy Shopping!

http://www.swas.etsy.com/

http://www.stephaniewatson.etsy.com/

Where have I been and what have I been doing?  Enjoying being a mommy to three little boys and shooting a lot fewer sessions in order to soak in this season of life with my family.   And loving it.  But yes, I am still shooting.   In fact, I couldn’t resist getting my hands on this little guy-

Oh my, is he not the most gorgeous little baby? I had the pleasure of spending a few hours photographing this sweet four day old over the weekend.  He will get his own post very soon.

It’s also time to announce the annual Fall and Holiday mini session dates for 2010.  More details to come, but for those interested and waiting for this info, I will be scheduling two days this year.  Urban sessions will be on Saturday, October 9th.  Country sessions will be held on Saturday, October 23.  Please contact me if you are interested, spots fill up quickly.  Check back soon for all the details.

And lastly, a few things to highlight on this new blogsite. If you are looking for a portfolio of my work, click “images” in the menu bar.  I still need to add senior images, but you can view babies/children/family right now. (hint: if you want to view the images faster than they are loading in the slideshow, just click on the right arrow or the image you want to go to.) I also need to add a few links, tag some photos, and will eventually add more session information details.  But the fact that school has started for two of the boys, I spend most of my days chasing a very active and into everything 17 month old, and soccer season has begun, it’s quite the accomplishment to get this much finished.  Thank you for hanging in there with me and continuing to visit.  Hope you enjoy the new site.

Until later,

H.

I love this shot. As a mom of boys, I adore the candidness and boyishness of it:

B. loving on his buddy Shadow:

J. showing me his archery skills:

I’ll be in touch soon with the rest of your gallery!