H&M Photography & Design: The Blog

Soleil, 4 Months Old

After such an amazing newborn session, I figured it was really too much to ask for a great second session with Soleil. I mean, a good session, sure, but a session as wonderful as the first, unlikely. But then Soleil showed up all bright-eyed and smiley and proved me wrong. Which I didn't mind at all.

Not only did she show off those bright eyes and a gummy smile, but also some little leg rolls! Is there anything cuter than chubby baby leg rolls? And so different from the tiny preemie she was at the newborn session!

I love their outfits because they look so effortless, but still so cute! It's as if they were headed to the park and I just happened to be there with my camera. And those green sunglasses? Love!

I had to include the next one. Not because it's a great shot of Shannon, Laura & Soleil, but because Soleil's big dog-brother, Jasper, really cracks me up. Doesn't he look like he's thinking "those crazy humans!"?

 

- Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia baby photographer

Preston and Alex, Engaged!

I think I should just go ahead and make a public apology to other photographers - sorry for taking all of the cool clients! Seriously. I mean, I know I say this all the time, but I really do get the best, most fun clients. Most of them could just as easily be friends and I LOVE that about my job.

Unfortunately, Preston & Alex are packing up and heading out to California soon, so we probably won't be hanging out after their wedding (unless you guys want us to come out to California to take some photos, which I'm totally up for!). But I'm thrilled I got to spend some time with them before the big move and the big day, which, by the way, I already know is going to be more than amazing. Beautiful, fun couple + awesome location + room full of local musicians and altogether cool people is guaranteed to equal great wedding.

When Preston told me they'd already picked out some locations for the engagement shoot, I was so excited. I love shooting in new places, especially when clients have something in mind. We started at the huge stone wall (that has a very cool story behind it) at the Birchmore Trail and were actually going to head to a cemetery (not for creepy, morbid photos, but for a specific building), but unfortunately it was closed. So instead we took a detour to North Campus at UGA. Add to that their newly adopted pup, Thor (Alex just graduated from the vet school. Thor is so cute!) and a guitar (Preston is a musician and I think plays every instrument known to man), and I think the session was decidedly them. 

Here are my favorite shots from the session, and don't forget to watch the video at the end for more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 - Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia wedding photographer

Soleil Elise, One Month Old

Soleil surprised her parents by making her appearance three weeks early, so even though she's nearly one month old, she's still very much like a newborn - sleepy, tiny and absolutely precious.

Soleil was one of the best newborns I've taken photos of - I dare say the very best. She was such a good sleeper and practically posed herself into the sweetest poses. And she gave me so many wonderful smiles and pouty faces. I know they say newborn smiles are usually just, well, gas, but I think Soleil's just a really happy baby! The session actually went by fairly quickly for a newborn session, but I could have taken photos of her all day!

I adore her family, too - her parents and big (dog) brother, Jasper. You can tell that they are absolutely head over heels in love with little Soleil and I can already tell that they are amazing parents. It seems to come very naturally to them. Soleil is also lucky to have a very supportive extended family, one of whom - her grandmother - came to the session. Such a great family and I hope to see them again!

I had a VERY hard time picking photos for the blog because there were so many I loved, so I'm showing a few more than normal. Enjoy!

 

We incorporated several special gifts and family heirlooms, like this piano and blanket, into the session. I love that!

 

 

I love this warm weather! It was wonderful to head outside for a few shots!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With her grandmother, sitting on the quilt that her first photo was taken on. Isn't that cool?

 

Jasper is such a good dog - so well behaved and totally unlike my dogs! Does anyone else think it's a really odd coincidence that I've photographed TWO dogs named Jasper this week?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
- Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia newborn photographer

Carli & Brent, Engaged!

Carli and Brent's wedding is less than three weeks away and we are so, so excited for their big day! I know Brent is going to have us cracking up with his sense of humor and Carli is going to be such a gorgeous bride!

On top planning a wedding, Carli and Brent have also been building a house - talk about busy! I was so glad to shoot their engagement session at their newly finished home (it's so pretty!) and to meet their puppy, Jasper!

Look for photos from their wedding in a few weeks!

This is my favorite photo of the moment because do you see Jasper? HE'S IN MID-AIR! It really cracks me up!

 

The light was amazing for our session. The backlight - incredible!

 

 

 

 

 

 

See, I told you Brent was funny.

 

 

 

 

 

- Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia wedding photographer

Addison, 7 Months Old

I have THE BEST clients. No, seriously. I really couldn't ask for more fun, easy going and sweet people to be the subjects of my photographs. I think that to myself so often when I have a session with families like Addison's.

Even at her four-month session, Addison was lots of fun. But the minute I walked in the door for this session, she started grinning and didn't stop. And I'm pretty sure she'll be crawling (or maybe even walking!) very soon because there are WAY too many interesting things going on around her to stay in one place for long. 

Take a happy baby and add to the mix her fun parents and Brody and Bella, two cute pups, and you've got all the ingredients for such a great session. I love my job!

Also, I want Kristin (Addison's mama) to come decorate my house. That is all.

Here are just a few of my favorites from the session:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We tried to get a few shots with the dogs (that never goes as planned!), but this is actually my favorite because both pups are begging for treats and Addison looks like she's thinking "What's going on?!"

 
- Heather Maynard, Social Circle, Georgia baby photographer

Meet Faith and Cameron, 7 weeks old

Yep, twins! I was so excited when their mama contacted me and wanted me to do all of their first year photos! You'll be seeing a lot more of these two on the blog this year!

Seven weeks is a little late for traditional newborn photos, but Faith and Cameron were AWESOME for our session! We got plenty of sleepy shots and they both cooperated better than I could ever have asked! These two are so sweet and so, so adorable! Here's a little sneak peek:

 

Of course we had to get a shot with their third baby, Benji:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faith looked like a doll in this pink hat:

 

Cameron gave us a few sleepy shots, but really preferred to be awake so he didn't miss anything!

 

I LOVE sleepy baby smiles. Isn't Cameron so sweet?

 

 

 

 

Faith gave me the sweetest smiles after she woke up:

 
I can't wait to see them again!

- Heather Maynard, Greensboro, Georgia newborn twin photographer

Meet John Henry, 3 months old!

As promised, here are a few more pics from my first session (see a couple here, too) with John Henry and his sweet parents. There will be lots more of John Henry here on the blog - I'm the lucky photographer who gets to photograph his first year!

For a three-month-old, John Henry was SO alert and so happy for our whole session. Thankfully, we had a little break in all this cold weather on the day of our session, so we were able to go outside for a few shots and enjoy some warm weather.

I loved that we got to include other "family members" - the dog and cat - in the photos. Unfortunately, we weren't able to include the whole family - their two big dogs stayed outside. That would have been a full bed!

Thanks for a great session, guys! I can't wait until our next one and to see John Henry grow!

 

 

 

 

John Henry is already one stylish kid! Check out these shoes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
- Heather Maynard, Watkinsville, Georgia photographer

A Little Peek...

At a couple of photos that I'm love, love, loving from a session last weekend! I'll post a few more very soon, but right now I'm gearing up for a big commercial shoot today for My Katiebell Tutus. 

Check back soon for more photos!

 

 

- Heather Maynard, Watkinsville, Georgia baby photographer
 
 

My Mom

Blog readers, meet the most difficult client ever - my mom. Just kidding...sort of.

She's not difficult in the sense that she's hard to take photos of, but in the sense that she tends to hate EVERY. SINGLE. PICTURE. of herself. No matter who the photographer is. So when I needed to take photos of her for her website (she's an artist - I'll share the web address when it's up and running), I knew it wouldn't be an easy task.

We decided last week would be the time to do them since we were visiting them for Thanksgiving. Have I mentioned that my parents live at the beach? That means a change of scenery and lots of awesome shooting spots (not to mention a very nice place to spend Thanksgiving)!

I think we got lots of good shots! Hopefully Mom will agree. Here are my favorite shots:

 

I mean, straight out a a JCrew catalog, don't you think?

 

 

 

 

Channeling Tyra?

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to include this one. This is my cat (okay, former-cat-now-my-parents'-cat) Bob. I think he just needs a little tam on his head and a paint brush in his mouth.

 
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I'm so thankful for all of you - my clients and my blog readers! I have a VERY BIG giveaway coming soon for a very deserving family where YOU get to do the nominating! Details coming soon!

- Heather Maynard, Gulf Shores portrait photographer 

Waiting Patiently

Kendra and Brittany are sisters, and Chad is Kendra's husband. However, you could just as easily believe that Chad and Brittany are siblings because of the close, playful relationship they seem to have. I had a blast with all of them (and Chad and Kendra's pup, Lexie) when we met for a quick session.

Chad, Kendra and Brittany have been patiently waiting for their sneak peek while I blogged all of the mini sessions from this week. So, here it is guys! Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia photographer

More to Come...

But I wanted to take a quick break from mini sessions to share a little sneak peek for Chad, Kendra and Brittany (and Lexie, too!):

Be back with more later!

Kristi & Justin's New Home

It's getting close to Christmas card season! I'll have my 2009 Christmas card designs up in just a few days.

After shooting the big family session Sunday, I headed over to Kristi and Justin's house for a quick session for their Christmas card photos. These cards will be the first ones sent from their brand new house, so we made sure to showcase the house (which is BEAUTIFUL, by the way) in the shots. Check out the blue porch ceiling - love it!

Kristi and Justin are so much fun, and I think these photos reflect that. We also snapped a few with their sweet dog, Beau. Here are some of my favorite shots:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Heather Maynard, Watkinsville, Georgia photography

Just Follow Their Lead

No matter how much you plan for a photo session with small children (or anyone, for that matter), you just never know exactly where that session will go, and you can never predict exactly what kind of photos you'll get. Since I'd consider myself more of a lifestyle photographer than a traditional photographer, that kind of unknown doesn't really bother me.

Erin was the winner of my photo session giveaway, and she brought her boys, Jake, four, and Grady, two, plus their dog, Buddha, for our session. When I asked Erin where she wanted to shoot, she told me that her boys love tractors. If you're from around here, you know tractors aren't hard to come by. And luckily, I have some really awesome friends who were willing to give us access to tractors - and a whole farm, in fact.

When we got to the farm, Jake had on bright orange boots. His mom had picked out other shoes for the session, but Jake chose to wear the boots instead. He must have known exactly what he was doing, because those boots were PERFECT for photos! And later, Jake and Grady insisted on checking out a dump truck on the farm. The photos from the truck turned out to be some of my favorite, even though I never would have thought to shoot there. That's why I named this post "Just Follow Their Lead" - often, the best photos come from just letting kids be kids and letting them take control of the session (and the wardrobe).

I knew Erin would be awesome to work with from the minute I spoke to her on the phone. She was so laid-back and her optimism is contagious. Her boys were just like her - lots of fun and so sweet. Buddha had the best time of all, though, running all over the farm and hanging out with the horses - what a great dog!

I loved so many of the photos from this session (and it was my first with my new camera), so here's a slightly longer than normal sneak peek:

I love how this one makes Grady look so tiny (and notice Buddha on the ground):

This was at the end of the session - I had to post it because it looks like both Buddha and Grady had passed out:

Thanks for an awesome session!

-Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia lifestyle, family, children's, pet, portrait photographer

Megan and Her Pups

Megan is just so naturally beautiful, and she really shines when she's around her animals.

She's an animal lover just like me, so we did a little session of her and {mostly} her pups - Gypsy, Noble and Sable. I took photos of Sable when she was just a tiny pup, and now she's the biggest of the bunch (but still kind of a puppy). Megan has cats, too, but they weren't too keen on being models.

I had a great time hanging out with Megan and the dogs. I got lots of fun photos and lots of doggie kisses, too. Here are a few of my favorites:

Gypsy -

Noble (a camera hog) -

Sable -

Gypsy and Noble sing - SO funny!

On a side note, Megan is my hair stylist at Bob Salon in Athens. If you're looking for a new hair stylist, she's awesome!

-Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia portrait and pet photographer

Bunny Photos!

What do you get when you take nine photo sessions, 15 kids, lots of moms, dads, aunts and friends, two bunnies, one photographer and an amateur bunny wrangler? A full day of Easter mini sessions (and a really tired photographer and bunny wrangler).

All of the kids were so good, so much fun and SO excited to meet the bunnies, which I "rented" from Double Bridges Farm in Winder, Georgia. And the bunnies were troopers, too.

The rain finally cleared out for us to do the sessions outside, but it did leave the cold weather behind. We braved the frigid temperatures and fierce wind for several outdoor sessions and then came inside for a few studio sessions. 

Here are a few of my favorites from the day. Happy Easter!

Charlie is always happy and smiling. I'm excited to get to photograph him (and his parents) later this month.

Lindsay is a little too grown up for too much bunny action, so we took some shots sans bunny - so pretty.

Luke wanted to feed every animal around - the fish, the bunnies, the dogs - so funny.

Marley was a sweetheart. I think the bunnies knew that, because they seemed to really like her.

Ali and Leah came prepared in their pink John Deere boots. These two are some of my favorites to photograph and I get to see them again in just a few weeks.

Even though Ali's head got cut off in this one, it's one of my favorites. It pretty much sums up the day. Just look at the rabbit go!

Kara brought along her bunny (night-night) to meet the other bunnies. We've been talking about the bunnies on the phone all week.

Spencer and Jenna LOVED the bunnies. This family makes me laugh every time I'm around them!

Kaitlyn is a pro at this whole photo thing. And I think she loved the bunnies almost as much as Spencer.

Porter must be the bunny whisperer. How did he get the bunny to do that?

Sweet little Lyla's just two months old and such a doll.

This little man was a little shy at first, but warmed up in no time. Then he didn't want to leave the bunnies. Check out JP's beautiful blue eyes.

Ben was so well behaved, doing everything I asked the first time. Maybe it was those M&Ms I had.

I've taken photos of Savannah several times since she was about five months old. She's definitely growing out of that baby stage and into the little girl stage.

-Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia children's photographer

Announcing Easter Mini Sessions

Call 678.316.7906 today to reserve your 20-minute session - spots are limited!

Sessions will be held this Sunday, March 29 at my home in Statham, Georgia between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Photos will be taken outside, so please dress appropriately for the weather - whatever that may be. Sessions will be held rain or shine and will be moved inside in case of rain.

Mini sessions will be just like any regular session with me - natural light, simple and natural backgrounds, having fun and kids being kids - except shorter and with sweet little bunnies!

There are two packages available:

Package 1 - $40

Includes:

Sitting fee

Online proofing gallery with password

8 wallets (one pose)

2 5x7s

1 image file to share online (low resolution, watermarked file can be emailed, posted to Facebook, blogs, etc.)

Package 2 - $55

Includes:

Sitting fee

Online proofing gallery with password

8 wallets (one pose)

3 5x7s

1 8x10

2 image files to share online (low resolution, watermarked file can be emailed, posted to Facebook, blogs, etc.)

Additional prints and products may be purchased separately. Click on investment on my website for pricing on prints, canvases, books and other products.

These packages include pricing for up to two children per session. Additional children will be photographed (as part of single session) for $10 each. No outfit changes, please.

Call 678.316.7906 to reserve a session today!

Dog Treats Required

I have a whole new respect for pet photographers! 

My friend Lacey wanted some photos with her dogs, Tate and Lilly, for her Christmas cards. She also wanted to snap some long overdue family photos with her parents (also my friends), Kathy and Jerry. So this weekend my husband (assistant and pet wrangler) and I went over to their house for a little photo session.

I couldn't ask for a more beautiful model than Lacey, and Tate and Lilly were adorable. But getting little six-pound Tate and 70-pound Lilly (who's still a puppy, by the way) to sit still for a photo was an adventure. Thanks to Matthew, Jerry and a few dog treats, we were able to get several good photos of them - something about having pets in the photo makes people a little more relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera. 

I doubt I'll be going into pet photography full time anytime soon, but I did have a great time with Kathy, Jerry, Lacey and the pups. I just needed a little nap afterwards!

Here are some of my favorite shots from the day - enjoy!

-Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia family photographer

Laughs and Leaves and Puppy Dog Tails

I knew that taking photos of Jennifer and Michael would be a blast. Jennifer is a friend of mine, and if you ever see the two of us together, you'll know it's us because we'll be the ones laughing non-stop. She's not afraid to poke a little fun at herself, so I was sure we'd be able to get some fun shots at our shoot. They delivered - we even took a detour to see the otters at Memorial Park!

Originally, we had planned on getting a "family" pic with Jennifer, Michael and their three kids - Porter, Boone and Scout (the pups). However, a few days of rain prior to the shoot equals three muddy puppies equals giant mess, so we didn't attempt it. Hopefully we'll be able to get a pick of all of them soon. But we were able to take a few with Porter, their chocolate lab, who proved to be a great model. He even looked at the camera when asked, and that's more than I can say for most people!

Here are a few of my favorites. I love the body language between Jennifer and Michael - so sweet! Enjoy!

Having a little fun. Kind of reminds me of a photo shoot for Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous...

And I couldn't resist taking one of just Porter...

-Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia family photographer