The fabulous Tina!

Ok, so check this out... remember Jess and Mike's wedding that I shot at Penn State in May? Tina is Jessica's sister and was also her MOH. Tina loves photography, so prior to the wedding Jess contacted me asking if she could purchase Tina a gift certificate for one of my private consultations. Tina currently lives in Philly, but came out this weekend so that we could talk shop. We spent Friday together talking about business, Photoshop, workflow, equipment, shooting techniques, etc. Here she is, hard at work.

Saturday, I invited her to come along with us to Stefanie and Tom's wedding and we had a blast!

Stefanie and Tom had a photoboth at their wedding and it was so much fun. On the left is Bob, Jeremy, Tina, Craig and I. And on the right is just Tina, Craig and I.


It was wonderful to have Tina working with us this weekend, she is a perfect fit for the Weddings by Heather team, I hope she visits again soon.

Remember, I offer private consultations to anyone who wishes to learn more about any aspect of photography, I love this stuff!

Ella is 6!

We are having a birthday party for my big girl today, I cannot believe she will be starting first grade tomorrow! I'll be posting more images later on www.heatherandcraig.com. She looks so grown up in this picture, not sure whether I like it or not. LOL

A Romatic Getaway

Craig and I had the most wonderful overnight stay at the Tara Inn, located near Sharon, PA this weekend. My good friend Greg has been photographing for both the Tara Inn and the Buhl Mansion, and he was generous enough to share his comp time with us. I met Greg and his wife Nancy in 2006 when I photographed their daughter Carly's wedding. Click here to read how wonderful Nancy is as well. What a great family, meeting them has changed my life.


The grounds are gorgeous, we had a nice time relaxing on this swing before dinner.



Our room was so soft and romantic (and quiet).


As soon as we entered our room, we noticed the wonderful ambient light and decided it would be a perfect location for an impromptu boudoir session with yours truly! I never ask my brides to do anything that I wouldn't do myself, so here ya go! Of course there are many more, but those are for my fabulous husband.


Anyway, if anyone is getting married at either Tara or Buhl, give me a call! I would love to shoot there, it is so beautiful!

Vacation 2008

Had a great time at Deep Creek Lake last week with my parents, brother and kiddos. We rented a lakefront home and some boats. I love this shot Craig took of Ella on the dock at sunset.


Tell me that this baby isn't cute!!


I was dragging my parents along for some fun.

Ella & Evan

I realized that I haven't posted any pictures of the kiddos recently and I thought now would be the perfect time since I didn't have a wedding this past weekend. I didn't schedule as many weddings as usual this year because I knew I would have a new baby to take care of. Evan is 6.5 months old and an absolute angel!



I love those blue eyes, he is so sweet! Poor baby has his 6 month shots today, it's always so hard to watch them cry. Especially when they look up at you, as if to say, "why are you letting this happen? Do something!"



Craig and I have been working like crazy on some new initiatives for Weddings by Heather, I hope to be able to show you something later this week!

Cameras for Sale

Canon 40D - Includes box, unopened manuals, battery w/charger and strap. Excellent condition. Purchased in February for $1,218. I actually have two of them, both are for sale, $1,000 each, plus shipping and sales tax.

I used them for a few weddings as back-ups until I realized that I couldn't live without the full frame. I am selling both and will purchase another 5D.

You can click here to purchase, or email me with any questions.
heather@weddingsbyheather.com

Anniversary

Craig and I are celebrating our ninth anniversary today! I am so blessed to have the most caring, wonderful husband, every girl should be as lucky as me.

The image below is one of my favorite from our engagement session. Happy anniversary gorgeous! Love ya babe!

Happy Easter!

Evan enjoyed Easter, he is three months old!


His first Easter egg.


Look at my grown up little girl!

Update

Evan is nine weeks old today, isn't he an angel!! We are doing well, just exhausted and sleep deprived.

Took this picture of myself in the mirror just to prove that I still exist. LOL



I hope to be back to myself (ie. more blog posts) soon.

Karen Neuburger

Remember when I posted about socks that I needed for the hospital. If not, check out this post.

Anyway, I decided to email the Karen Neuburger customer service to tell them how much I loved their socks, and I also sent them a link to my blog. In an effort to thank me for posting about their products, they sent me free sleepwear along with socks for both Evan and I! Can you believe that?? I think that is the coolest thing ever!

Please shop at KarenNeuburger.com for all of your sleep needs, they are the best! I am a customer for life!

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.

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!

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!

Happy Halloween!!

Ella is an angel this year, which is fitting considering she is the sweetest little girl in the universe. LOL

She suggested that we take some pictures outside, which was a great idea, look at that backdrop!

I printed wallets of this image for her to give to her friends at school.

The woods behind our home are just amazing this time of year... the colors of the leaves, and the way the sun hits them, is pure magic.

A few weeks ago we held our annual BYOP (bring your own pumpkin) and Autumn Festival. It's our one big party of the year and I may have went a little overboard when I had a graphic designer create a logo so that we could brand the event. Always the business woman.


I decorated several pumpkins prior to the event, but below is one of my favorites. I used that logo every chance I got.













We invited about 90 people, 60 were able to attend. It was a blast!


I divided the pumpkins into three categories for voting purposes.



And below is the voting station, medals were awarded for best non-carved, pattern and freehand pumpkins.

Here it is!!

I've received a ton of emails... "let's see