Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season! Below are my angel and my Christmas miracle!

Evan Donald

Born Thursday, December 13 at 1:33pm, 6lbs 12oz. One of the first images after being cleaned and wrapped.


We have been home since Saturday and are adjusting to life with a newborn. He is nursing well but we are EXHAUSTED! I will be posting more images as soon as possible. Thank you for all of you kind words and emails.

Thank you!

I have the best clients, thank you for the baby gifts!!

Mother-of-the-bride Nancy sent us a blanket for both Ella and the new baby, as well as socks for me! She even added sequins, WOW!! Nancy's daughter Carly was married to Erik last October, click here to view their post.


Mother-of-the-groom Pauline sent us wonderful Christmas outfits for the baby. Look how tiny those footies are! Pauline's son Louis is the groom that hired me to capture his proposal to his girlfriend Heather. Click here to view their post.

The time is near!

You are looking at a 9 month, full term, pregnant belly; and this image is my way of ceremoniously announcing that we are closed!


Seriously, I need to take some time for myself and my family. I will be induced next week, which means that I have one week to prepare for Christmas AND the arrival of a new life. To say that I feel overwhelmed is an understatement. I have, once again, worked harder and longer than I intended.

All holiday deadlines have passed in terms of products, and please understand that these deadlines are imposed by my suppliers and their carriers, not directly by me!

I will post when possible, but may be slow to respond to emails and voicemails.

Heather Lahtinen - at mental and physical capacity

I found socks!

I found these wonderfully cozy, plush Karen Neuburger socks online shortly after I posted last week. The only problem was that they didn't have any rhinestones on them.

In a moment of pure insanity, I went to the craft store and bought the supplies to add my own sparkle! I'm clearly not thinking like a normal person when I choose to spend hours gluing Swarovski crystals to my socks.

But look at that difference!! Before and after.


someone. please. help. me.

Holiday Information

All album and specialty product deadlines for the Holiday's have already been communicated directly to my clients, but I wanted to post the print order deadline for anyone wishing to order prints.

The 2007 client galleries have all been re-activated, the password is the grooms last name, all lowercase.

Please place your print orders by Friday November 30th. Any order placed after that date will not arrive until 2008.

Please contact us if you have any questions.
heather@weddingsbyheather.com

Thank you!

Socks

Ok, I really need some help (in more ways than one).

Allow me to preface this by saying that I think it's always important to look your best, no matter what the situation. When I gave birth to Ella, I was wearing make-up, had a new pedicure, etc.

Well, it will be cold when this baby is born, and one has to find creative ways to dress up the standard hospital attire. Even when in labor.

So I am looking for a fabulous pair of socks. I think having fabulous things when you are in distress is helpful to your overall attitude.

I have searched to no avail, below are my requirements:
warm, fuzzy, maybe microfiber?
non-slip
funky
adorned with rhinestones
and preferably pink!

Any ideas/links would be appreciated!

Maternity Leave

I love shooting weddings and focusing my time and energy on my clients, but my doctor has advised me that the time has come for me to rest and prepare for the arrival of this baby. I have worked so hard this year and have officially run myself into the ground.

I am actually very thankful that I was mostly healthy for this pregnancy and not put on bedrest... that would be terrible for a person with my energy!!

I will still be posting, but I may be slow to reply to email or return phone calls. Please understand that I need to put my feet up and take care of myself for the first time this year. My due date is at the end of December.

I was in labor and delivery this afternoon for an NST (non-stress test) and because I've been having quite a few contractions, I was given a shot of terbulatine to stop them. The baby's heart rate also dropped a few times, so I had a bio-physical ultrasound as well. I'm happy to report that the contractions have subsided and the baby looks great. Below are two images from my iPhone.




As I type this post, I can feel that the baby has the hiccups. Babies are truly a gift from God and we are very excited for this blessed arrival!

Lauren & Tim - Slideshow

Lauren & Tim

Lauren and Tim were married at St. Jude Church in Glen Dale, WV and held their reception in Wilson Lodge at Oglebay Resort. I thought that the colors and flowers in Lauren's bouquet were beautiful.

Allie was the sweetest little flower girl!

Lauren was a stunning bride.

I just loved the back of Lauren's dress, and I thought that it looked gorgeous in this image.

These two were so much fun, we had a few minutes of daylight after the ceremony.

Image by Craig.


We headed to Oglebay just at twilight, at which point you tend to lose light very quickly, but it's gorgeous while it lasts.



This was my last wedding of the season and I told Lauren that I always like to end on a high note. The series of images that we shot outside at the mansion did it for me! I love them!

My dear friend Joanne Bartone captured the image below. I asked if she would shoot this wedding with me because of my condition. I was worried that, at 8 months pregnant, I wouldn't be able to move as quickly, but it's amazing what you can do on game day... adrenaline is wonderful!!

It was pretty chilly, but thankfully they had each other.

I'm not sure what it is about this image, but I love it!

Another fabulous image by Joanne.

Who needs sun for flare?! I used the spotlights.

We took advantage of the beautiful Holiday decorations in Wilson Lodge.

First dance.



Congratulations guys, thank you for making my last wedding of 2007 incredible!

Make-up Artist: Lisa Johnson - Kiss and Make-up
Florist: Allison McGeary
Entertainment: Entertainment Unlimited

Maternity Images

My dear friend, and fellow photographer, Joanne Bartone stopped by to shoot some maternity images for us last week. I am 8 months, it won't be long now!

I let her play with my 50 1.2 and I made sure to check her gear bag before she left!









I LOVE this image of Craig and I, we have so few photographs of the two of us together.




I cannot thank Joanne enough for these wonderful images!

Copyright

It has recently been brought to my attention that there is another Pittsburgh photographer who is emulating my style of photography (poses, cropping, location). I was honored to learn that someone was so impressed with my work that they decided it was worth compromising their own integrity.

I approached this situation with professionalism and nicely emailed this person and thanked them for being so complimentary of my work, but that it might be a good idea to put their own spin, or creative ideas, to their work so that it does not look identical. Those of you that know me, know that I am easy going, reasonable and down to earth. I really was flattered.

I did not invent any poses, but I have worked very hard to develop my own style, one that is distinguishable in my market. I have spent years developing my craft and my business, which thankfully, has been very successful. I think that some people think they can be lazy and take the quick road to success by copying.

And it is one thing to copy the exact poses that I have posted, but to also add text that sounds like me is a bit disturbing. I strongly encourage this person to develop their own style and be honest with their clients as to what they can consistently deliver. That is to say, you can copy from the person sitting next to you in class when you are taking a test, but you can't copy the same thing when the test (or the situation) changes... the answers would be all wrong. Does that make sense? I know what I can consistently deliver to my clients because I am being true to myself and my style.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of fabulous wedding photographers throughout the world. If you are going to copy someone, why would you copy someone in your own market?

The reason I am posting this now is because, in spite of our email exchange, the copying continues and it is very blatant. It's not cool to copy, and photographers develop strong networks with one another to refer work. If you try to operate as an island, and think that you do not need peer relationships, your business will fail.

I teach both photography and Photoshop, and I am not naive enough to believe that people will not practice what I am teaching. But I always emphasize the importance of developing your own techniques. I am an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in Photoshop, and there is much more to it than selective coloring.

Thank goodness my brides are discerning and can tell the difference between Manolo Blahniks and Sketchers.

All photographic images, logos, project ideas, and lessons are Copyright Protected. Images are copyrighted the moment you create them, and the creator owns the copyright.

Below are a few of my signature images that I feel define my style. Dramatic veil shots, sexy shots of brides or couples on the ground, images with flare, details, shallow depth of field, close-ups of eyes, night shots, etc. If you peruse my website and blog, you will certainly gain an understanding of my style and approach.






































And please do not misinterpret this post, I am not threatened by anyone who attempts to be me. I am simply annoyed and think that it is unfair to clients. And besides, I guess I've really made it when things like this happen! What an honor! LOL