I see myself in such a different way. In a positive way.

In the last month or so, many people have asked why I started to specialize in Glamour and Boudoir Photography. I have realized that I have always had an interest in this type of photography. I like the idea of portraying women as beautiful. Often women see their flaws and other females tend to point out what they believe to be flaws.

Body shaming is horrible! It needs to stop.

Last week when I was photographing Kelly, she told me that others had body shamed her and it had caused her to become sensitive. She had a hard time looking at some of her features.

Although, I was not surprised to hear that  she was made to feel a bit uncomfortable in her own body, I was happy to be able to help her see herself in a new way.

Kelly wrote this on Facebook the day after the shoot “I cannot thank you enough for yesterday. I never thought I could see myself in such a beautiful way, the way you captured me. Hair and makeup was beautiful. I didn’t think I’d look very good with a straight face, I was nervous for how thin I am etc. But I see myself in such a different way. In a positive way. Thank you again and again. I’m definitely going to refer people to you! “

As I read it… I started to cry. This is my reason for photographing women! I made a difference in the way she viewed herself. Along with hair and make-up, the posing and the lighting accentuated Kelly’s own beauty. It was her own self that she looked at and saw herself as beautiful.

If you are interested in a similar experience… I would love the opportunity to talk to you.

Mama & Me Mini Sessions to Benefit Moments House

Cancer can be a very scary word but cancer is just a word. However, the disease and what it does to people who have it, and how it effects them, is very real. Moments House is a organization that was formed to help those who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Some of you may know and some may not. In October of 2015 I was diagnosed with Non-
Hodgkin’s Aggressive B Cell Lymphoma. The lymphoma was in my chest and had grown so large that my life was being immediately threatened. After a few months of treatment I  found out that I was and still am in remission. During that time of treatment life changed in many ways. Moments House was there to help me, along with a few other organizations including my church. Moments House helped me pay my car insurance and bought Christmas presents for my kids. (That is something that is hard to admit as a very independent person.) They have also helped so many others in Berkshire County in so many ways.

I am forever grateful and I want to give back to them.

The things I have always known, but feel even more now, is that you need to never take the moments in your life for granted, never stop making memories and cherish the moments that have shaped who you are today. So as we approach Mother’s Day,  I thought of a way that we can all help Moments House and capture a few moments with the people that we love.

Often moms are the ones taking the pictures of their kids and the only images they have with their kids are selfies. Other times moms are too self conscious to get in front of a camera. I am here to say that I can help with all of that. I know how to make everyone look and feel their best in order to capture the best portraits for you to cherish for years and years to come.

 

 

I will be hosting Mama & Me Mini Sessions this month with 65% of the proceeds going directly to Moments House to help them secure their forever home. One of their members, who recently passed, had a lovely home that would fit their needs as their current lease ends in December. They need help to purchase this house and eliminate their biggest expense, so they can continue to do even more in our community.

We are booking session for April 29th & 30th. Click her to book your session or contact us at info@hcachat.com to get a certificate to give to your mom for Mother’s Day. (Certificates must be used in May or June only.)

All sessions will be held at 128 Fenn St. Pittsfield, MA. You can schedule your in person viewing and ordering session on the day of your session or by calling or emailing us. Images will only be available online in your gallery after your in person viewing session.

Thank You all for your Help!

Love & Admiration, Heather

P.S. Packages available are below.

The Glamorous Jenn B!

I had the great opportunity to photograph the Glamorous Jenn B the other day. Now I have to admit…. I am a bit bias. Let’s just start there.

Jenn is the girlfriend of my “Not So Little, Little Brother.” (Whew I got that off my chest.) I had Facebook messaged Jenn a few weeks back asking if she would be interested in doing a glamour session with me. She herself is a student of photography and a beautiful woman with hair that makes me jealous.

Jenn was so willing to model for me that a few days later she sent me a picture of a “little black dress” she was thinking about purchasing for the shoot. The dress looked amazing on her! It hugged her curves in all the right places. I was excited to hear she purchased it even before I had been able to respond to her.

On the day of Jenn’s shoot she arrived with her 2 outfits she brought and with a “naked” face. She was ready for her make-up. Whitney, the professional make-up artist (and a client of mine), chatted with Jenn letting her know what her plans where for the make-up and asked Jenn and my opinions. We all agreed in a “natural” look. We all laughed and smiled as we chatted, as women always do, and had a great time getting ready for the session.

When  her makeup and hair were ready to go, Jenn changed into her black dress and we began to shoot. We took lots of pictures, with different angels and posing and I moved the lights to flatter her. There were times when Jenn was thinking she might not look the best  at the angle I was shooting at and was a bit self-conscious but when I showed her the images she was amazed.

Before the shoot I had arranged with Garden Blossoms Florist, on First Street in Pittsfield, for a floral headpiece for Jenn. She did an amazing job and Jenn looked like a goddess with the beautiful head-wreath on.

After the session, when I showed her her pictures I was so happy with how much she loved them. Jenn told me, “I am in LOVE with my pictures; the lighting, the poses, they’re just beautiful!” But just as I am bias about how glamorous Jenn is she may be a bit bias on her opinion of me. I promise though, I didn’t pay her or bribe her in anyway.

 

We strive to always be ourselves and happy during a shoot, because of this our clients feel comfortable being themselves and have a good time. “The best thing about doing the shoot was that it was so fun and care-free, I didn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable, and was able to enjoy myself even if I don’t like being in front of the camera! There wasn’t anything I would have changed about doing this shoot, and I would absolutely do another one!”

“To anyone that is considering doing any kind of shoot with Heather, I highly recommend it. She is so charismatic and amazing to work with, she made the shoot silly and enjoyable. I can’t wait to do another one!”

If you are interested in learning more about booking a Glamour or Boudoir Session we would love to talk to you. Don’t forget to opt int and follow our blog to stay up to date on all the happenings around here then email boudoir@hcachat.com so we can customize a session for you filled with pampering and fun.

 

What’s In My Bag…

As photographers we often get questions from both our clients and our fellow photographers like the question “What do you shoot with?” This question is often heard by my ears. For that reason I wanted to take a moment to put it all into this one blog post.

Let me just start by saying that I am a Canon Girl! I love the Canons that I have owned and currently own. (I have used Nikon and I don’t think there is anything wrong with them, I just prefer the way that the Canon DSLRs are set up. I have used these two and would recommend them if you prefer Nikon. [It’s the Yankees vs. the Red Sox of the photography world.] Nikon D3200 and for a much higher price point Nikon D7200.)

I currently have 2 camera bodies that I use and I am very happy with. They are not the highest level nor are they the bottom of the barrel. The first camera I own is the Canon EOS Rebel T3 which is discontinued but still available on places like Amazon. The second camera I own is my every day camera. The Canon EOS Rebel T3i  is also currently discontinued but still available. I really love this camera! Seriously! The screen is large and swivels, which is great for video work which I don’t do a lot of but do on occasion. (The newer version of this camera, since they come out with a new one about twice a year it seems like, is the WiFi enabled Canon EOS Rebel T6i . Seriously! WiFi! I want this one!) The Rebel Series is what is considered to be the PROSUMER level. It is the step above the average consumer but a step below the ultimate high end professional cameras. That being said… many professionals use the Rebels.

I have a few different lenses but I will just let you know about the 50 fixed that I own and my telephoto that I LOVE!  So the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens was a recent purchase that I made and am very upset that I hadn’t done it sooner. When it comes to portraits, this lens is my favorite. (FYI I would not use this lens in studio for a family portrait of more than 3 people.) I was originally afraid of it being a fixed lens but so happy that I faced my fears and bought this. It was money well spent. The images are crisp and clear in almost every lighting scenario. My other favorite lens is my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens. I
have had this for a while now and use it for Weddings, Sports and just about anything else I need to zoom in on. When I sit in the stands at a baseball game, this lens makes me feel like I am on the field. Yup! Put me in coach!

Believe it our not the SD card that you use has a very high impact on the way that your camera operates. You need a quick card with good storage that can handle whatever you throw at it. For that reason I use the PNY Elite Performance 64 GB High Speed Flash Card. I have used other brands, and other PNY cards as well, but much prefer the speed of this card. It allows me to be able to rapid shoot without any lag time. BIG PLUS!

So wow… I think I have covered most of what’s in my bag…. I left out my lighting and flashes… I’ll put those in a separate post to not overwhelm you all.

Happy Shooting!!!

Heather

 

P.S.  legal disclaimer … this site uses affiliate links at times on our blog that we may earn a commission from based upon products that we feature or recommend.

 

Boudoir Model Call

Boudoir Model Call

Hello all you lovely ladies out there. I’m looking for TWO female models 21+, no modeling experience needed!!! One for a glamour photo shoot and the other for a boudoir photo shoot. Your shoot would take place on a weekday at 10am or 1pm inside our studio in Pittsfield, MA. For modeling you will receive a complimentary photo shoot, professional makeover, and the experience to be a model for the day! If you’re interested please share this blog post AND then email Heather stating WHY you want to model and attach a photo of yourself to: boudoir@hcachat.com

– Thanks ladies!!

 

Local Feature Friday: John Valenti Benefit

Every Friday I will be featuring a different local business or organization on my blog.

It will consist mostly of pictures. A few words will accompany each set of pictures….

but lets face it, a picture is worth a thousand words.

I was asked to come photograph the John Valenti Benefit after others were turned away.

The friends and family of John were afraid of the story being miss-told. They decided that I would show it as it was through photography.

In my opinion, this is a story, not of John’s health problems, but a story of the support in the community. The donations of raffles, food, desserts and time was more than anyone could ask of a community.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the benefit.

Local Feature Friday – The Clip Shop

Every Friday I will be featuring a different local business or organization on my blog.

It will consist mostly of pictures. A few words will accompany each set of pictures….

but lets face it, a picture is worth a thousand words.

The Clip Shop is Celebrating 40 years in the beautiful Berkshires.

I believe there are 3 major keys to their success.
1. The welcoming talented adorable staff!
2. Commitment to the community such as their Breast Cancer Stars this month.
3. Attention to detail in every area of the salon.

I highly recommend getting in touch with these amazing people.

Family Portrait Session Questions

I recently came across a blog filled with great ideas for Capturing Joy at each of her family portrait sessions. I want to share with you the questions that she asks each of her clients before their session.

1.        IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOUR FAMILY LIKES TO DO TOGETHER THAT WOULD BE FUN TO INCLUDE IN OUR PORTRAIT SESSION?
2.        WHAT DO YOUR CHILDREN LIKE TO DO, EAT, GIGGLE AT?
3.        ARE THERE ANY PROPS FROM YOUR HOME THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO USE?  ANTIQUE CHAIR, TRUNK, CRATE, VINTAGE CAMERA OR PHONE. (MAYBE GRANDPARENTS HAVE SOMETHING MEMORABLE).
4.        WHAT ARE THE CHILDREN’S FAVORITE TOYS (LEGO’S, TINKER TOYS, BUILDING BLOGS)?  BOOKS (VINTAGE COVERS)? TREATS (CUPCAKES)? FRUIT? COLOR? FAVORITE BOOK?
5.        DO YOU KNOW YET WHAT COLOR SCHEME YOUR CLOTHING SELECTION WILL BE?
6.        ANY MUSICIANS, PAINTERS, OR SOMETHING FUN AND UNIQUE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO REPRESENT?
7.        ANY FAMILY INSIDE JOKES, GAMES, ACTIVITIES THAT WOULD BE FUN TO REPLICATE?
8.       WHAT ON MY WEBSITE STOOD OUT TO YOU AND MADE YOU WANT TO CONTACT ME?

By asking questions like these I get to know you and your family better in order to capture your true personality and character.

Local Feature Friday – Sugar to Go

Welcome to my new blog segment. Every Friday I will be featuring a different local business or organization on my blog.

It will consist mostly of pictures. A few words will accompany each set of pictures…. but lets face it, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Sugar to Go Pittsfield, MA

Sugar to Go is located on Elm St in Pittsfield. Although they have not in been in business for much more than a year they have already been voted Best in the Berkshires.

Sugar to Go is the place to go for Barrington Coffee in Pittsfield and has the best Champagne Cake around.

207 Elm St. Pittsfield – 413.822.5504

Local Feature Friday – Cachats for the Troops

Good Morning and Happy Local Feature Friday Everyone! As my second installment to the Local Feature Friday I have decided to feature The Cachats for the Troops. This cause is very near and dear to me as 1. They are my family and 2. The Cachats are raising money and awareness for the Run to Home Base and helping veterans with PTSD.

Please take a moment to go to http://www.homebase.org and share with your friends and family what it is all about. We are all closer to someone suffering with PTSD than we know. The Home Base Program helps the families in addition to the vets.