H&M Photography & Design: The Blog

Do Fun Stuff!

There are lots of photographers out there who I admire. Some for  their amazing talent. Some because they're really great people. Some of them I know in person, and others I know through blogs, twitter, etc. 

Ryan Marshall is one of those I've "met" through the social media world. He writes an amazing blog that makes me cry on an almost weekly occasion. Not only is he a talented photographer, but he's also a gifted writer. And a great guy on top of that. Almost makes you want to hate him, but you just can't. :)

Ryan is doing this really great thing and I want to do what I can to help him make this thing a success - that's why I'm posting here today. He has pioneered a charity album to raise money for Smith Magenis Sydrome (SMS), a rare genetic disorder that his step-son, LB, has. (Please click over to his blog to read about LB and the whole gang. But plan to stay a while...and have tissues ready if you're anything like me. And as a side note, I don't think Ryan writes with the intention of bringing tears. It's just a side effect of lots of love, beautiful images and sweet words coming together.) 100 percent of the money raised from the album will go directly to a grant fund with PRISMS.

So please, check out the album today and buy it - I did (and I don't even have kids!). One of my favorite bands, Rabbit!, did a couple of songs on the album - Ladybug is my fave! (Although, Potty Time by Cracker Jackson did make me laugh...a lot!)

And if you have a blog, Facebook, twitter or some other means of getting the word out about Do Fun Stuff, please help Ryan out by sharing the link, posting the widget or tweeting with the hashtag #dofunstuff. 

Coffee Table Books

I'm so, so excited to share these books with you! We've offered coffee table books for a long time, but we've switched vendors a couple of times - we're always looking for ways to improve upon the products we offer (in quality as well as the number of options) without making it too confusing. 

While attending WPPI earlier this year, we were on the hunt for a new album/book vendor. I've always been a little more of a coffee table book kind of girl myself, but I'd considered adding an album option for weddings.

Looking at the albums (and there were so many beautiful ones) reaffirmed why I prefer a coffee table book - they're not so bulky and heavy, and they really live up to their names. They can actually sit on your coffee table (or a shelf) and look like part of your decor. And that's something we love to give our clients - a piece of art that fits in their homes. And what do most people do with a big album? Put it in a box in a drawer. That's not what we have in mind when it comes to showcasing your photos!

So we were walking the aisles of the trade show at WPPI, overwhelmed by the options (there are two giant tradeshow floors with literally hundreds of vendors). And then we saw them - "the ones." These were the books we would offer our clients. 

We've actually ordered a few for clients already, but we finally got around to ordering our samples. We are in love with them and we know you will be, too. I normally wouldn't say this, but photos don't even do these books justice - they're so perfect in person!

The hard cover books are available in 12x12, 10x10 and 8x8 (we're still waiting to order a 12x12 sample). Each book is custom-designed to include several photos (that you choose!) and tell the story of your wedding or session on beautiful, glossy pages. The pages "lay flat," meaning the book doesn't have that huge bump in the middle, and we can create beautiful, two-page layouts.

We also have little 5x5 books in hard or soft cover. (These don't lay flat like the others, but make great gifts or flip books!)

 

 

 

This is the 10x10 book. This one's actually a wedding guest book, which is one of our very favorite items. We love that you can ditch the boring old guest book or the giant framed print with the signature mat for a fun guest book that highlights your engagement photos.

Each book is custom-designed to include several photos from your engagement session on matte pages. We leave plenty of room for your wedding guests to write messages to you (instead of just a plain ole signature). Or we can change it up and make it playful by writing questions for your guests to answer, like "What should the couple's first pet be?" Fun, right?

 

 

 

And the 8x8...

 

 

Perfect example of the "lay-flat" pages - 

 

And the cute little 5x5...

 

 

 

As a side note to brides, if you're dead set on a traditional album, we can do that, too. But most of our brides love these!
 
- Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia photographer

Laurel, 2 months old

Sweet Laurel really gave us the best of both worlds - a wide-eyed, smiley 2-month-old and a sleepy, posable newborn. Can I even tell you how rare that is?! Typically, at that age, you get one or the other. Thanks, Laurel!

Laurel is one-third of a super sweet family (that is, of course, if you don't count the furry family members) whose love for each other just beams. Seriously. Just look at these images (some of my favorite family images) and you'll know what I'm talking about. 

Don't you love that red hair and the deep blue eyes? I know her eyes might change a little as she gets older, but I think the hair is here to stay! So cute! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
- Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia baby photographer

Isobel, One-Year-Old and Big Sis Angel

The third time was a charm with this shoot. We tried not once, not twice, but THREE times to make Isobel's one-year session happen. Sure, we ended up having to meet them at the beach to finally make it happen, but I didn't mind taking one for the team.

We originally planned to go to Greenville, SC for this session back in May, but a series of weekends with rainy forecasts ruined those plans. And when summer began, Isobel's big sister, Angel, headed to the beach, so we couldn't get any sibling shots. We did have a little mini session one afternoon, but it decided to rain - yet again - and ruin the chance for outside shots. We did have fun playing inside, and I'll share some of those on the blog later. But for now, let's get to the really fun stuff - the beach!

This session was in Seaside, Florida. I love shooting at the beach, but I could have shot all day in Seaside without even getting any sand between my toes. There are so many tucked away spaces that are perfect for a photo shoot! But of course, we weren't going to leave out the beach!

I can't believe Isobel's already passed the one-year mark. And how much Angel has grown up since her little sis arrived! 

By the way, we shot LOTS of video from the beach sessions this year, and we'll definitely be working on some videos when we get time. Hopefully we'll have them posted before winter. :)

 

 

 

 

 

Is there anything better for a one-year-old than being let loose on a wide open beach?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
- Heather Maynard, Gulf Coast photographer

Farredeh's Portfolio Shots

Even though she's been on the cover of a major magazine, I'm glad Farredeh still asks me to take photos of her!

Farredeh wanted to update her portfolio with some new images, so we met up early one morning to beat the heat and humidity. Like, earlier than I get up most mornings, which, if I'm being honest, isn't that early. But still earlier than most people have to be at work! (Well, except her sister, who came to help out after working night shift as a nurse. How sweet is that?)

Despite our best efforts, the heat and humidity were already there. Oh, were they ever there. Ick. But from the looks of these photos, you'd never know it. I think Farredeh needs to give us all a few pointers on looking this good in 90-degree+ temps and 100 percent humidity. Maybe that's a future blog post. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia photographer 

John Henry, 6 months

There are some sessions that just can't go wrong. They just can't. Even when it's so humid you feel like you're in a swimming pool AND you're literally trying to outrun the rain, it still can't go wrong. 

That was the case with this session. I blame it on a ridiculously cute family and smiley baby with the cutest wardrobe. I seriously can't wait for sessions with John Henry just to see what his mama dresses him in - and his outfits NEVER disappoint, even down to the shoes. And this family? I don't think they can take a bad photo.

We very nearly cancelled the session earlier in the day when rain seemed likely. But an hour or so before our session, the skies opened and we went for it. But when I say we were literally trying to outrun rain, we were. As soon as our session started, we could see the storm coming. Wind was causing trees around us to swirl and drop their leaves. Dark clouds were quickly approaching and we were doing outfit changes like a model backstage at a runway to fit it all in. It may have been the quickest session ever. (We even took cover under a giant magnolia for a moment.) But I'm SO glad we didn't reschedule and I love the results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
- Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia baby photographer

Morgan & Sean's Photo Booth

I figured it was about time to post something wedding-related since that's what's been taking up most of our time lately. It's just that weddings take a looong time to blog...especially if we're creating a video to go with it. Lots more weddings coming soon -  promise!

In the meantime, here are some fun photo booth shots from Morgan and Sean's wedding. Can you say hi-larious?!

If you're in these photos, head on over to our Facebook page, where we've posted most of these. Feel free to use these as your profile picture and please tag yourself!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second one here is my fave - that's Andrew, Morgan's (the bride) brother. So funny!

 

 

 

It's always fun to see how many people can cram into our photo booth - I think this may be the most yet! (Note to other clients: that's not necessarily a challenge!)

 
- Heather Maynard, Dahlonega, Georgia wedding photographer

Avery Kate & Family

Avery is just over a year old and so cute! Just check out those cheeks! 

I had such a great time exploring with her and her family - she was definitely on the move, even if it was HOT with lots of mosquitos! (Now that I think about it, maybe the mosquitos were the reason she was on the move...) The mosquitos were way out of control!

They are such a cute family and, can I say, dressed SO perfectly for photos? I always tell clients to be "coordinated but not matchy." They nailed it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
- Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia family photographer

Caitlin & Caleb, newborn

It's oh so true that two is twice as nice! And boy-girl twins? Perfection!

This session was special for so many reasons. This little twosome decided to make their debut at just 33 weeks, Caitlin weighing just 3 pounds, 5 ounces and Caleb weighing 4 pounds, 13 ounces. They spent nearly a month in the NICU before coming home to be with their wonderful parents and sweet big sis, Madilyn.  

We did their newborn photos just after they came home and they were still teeny tiny - just under 6 and 7 pounds. (I was amazed at their size difference!) They were great sleepers, but slept SO much better when together - so sweet!

Madilyn is such a great big sis and did SO well in photos (she's just 20 months, but already doing great in her new role). I think she may have a future as a photographer, though, because after a few shots she was much more interested in hanging out with me and seeing my camera than being the subject of a photo.

Aside from Madilyn, I had another great assistant for this session - my mom! She was in town visiting, so she came along to see me in action. Growing up, my parents owned their own business. I often went to work with them (and for them as I got older). I think it's so cool now that I have my own business to turn the tables a little! Thanks, Mom!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia newborn photographer

Boys Will Be Boys

Guys always act like they HATE having their photo taken. Always. It must be a rule of being male or something - must hate being photographed, no matter if you're five or fifty! 

But then comes the part of the wedding when the guys have to be photographed. And you know what? They always have more fun than the girls. Always. So I can only assume that guys secretly love having their photos taken (at least the ones at the weddings we shoot).

I had to share these from a wedding I just finished editing. I don't usually show a lot of the "formal" photos of the wedding party, but these demonstrate perfectly what I mean. And, yes, I could show many, many more from other weddings with goofy groomsmen.

Thanks for making the formal portraits more fun, guys!

 

 

 

 

Don't let the groom's dad fool you - he wasn't so innocent:

 

 

 

And I had to include a picture of my favorite guy at the wedding (who claims to hate being on the other side of the camera). How cute is he in his bowtie??

- Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia wedding photographer 

Mary Jo, 6 Months Old

We met for Mary Jo's 6-month session at her grandparents' house, which just happened to be the perfect place for photos. I was so glad that Mary Jo's grandmother joined us for some photos, too - three generations of beautiful gals all in one photo! (Seriously, Mary Jo has some good genes!)

Mary Jo's mom even made her little black and white dress - I was so impressed. I mean, talented and beautiful? 

Mary Jo's personality is really starting to show - I love her little smile! Can't wait to see her again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
- Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia baby photographer