a sweet coffee table book design!

i had such a blast designing lynn and jon's coffee table book! i wish you guys could see it in person the images and slide show DO NOT DO IT JUSTICE. please check out the design here

CLICK HERE

{FRONT OF THE BOOK}

{BACK OF THE BOOK}

sweet tooth days studio special!!!

hi friends! we're having a studio special on april 17th and 18th. receive 50% off studio session fee and a complimentary 5x5 signature print!

tell a friend that books with us and receive a $40 print credit on top of our sweet special!
{this special is for children and babies only}

call us or email us for more info.
studio: 817.201.9401
info@heatheressian.com

a few recent faves!

hello friends! i just wanted to drop a few recent favorites on the blog for you to see. i can't tell you how happy my heart is shooting family and children portraits. children portraiture is so vastly different from wedding photography that shooting both keeps things fresh. and definitely keeps me on my toes!

what i would call "natural" family moments :)
i like to fast forward 20 years and think of how special these family images will be. priceless!

europe images!!!!

hello friends! i wanted to keep my bloggin' streak going so i decided to share some personal images from our trip to europe for korrie and landon's beautiful wedding! enjoy these few for now but trust me there are many many more to come! i think the number is around 500 images left to share to be exact :)


this image above was taken in france!

this bw striped church makes me want to jump up and down with excitement...where else can you find a striped church but in italy??? this church has inspired me with my interior decorating ;) i think i'll make get a big canvas print made of it to go in our living room.



this lantern image has a funny story. jim and i went to this really really old pub in barcelona and above a table filled with people hung this lantern. i, looking like a dork walked right up to the table to photograph it. i knew if i didn't i would regret it. i'm glad i did!


this was also taken in barcelona (right outside the old pub in fact) i just love the way the light glows around the scooter below.


if you see any images here you would like for a personal artist print please contact me! i can't think of anything better then sharing my art with you all :)

i'm off to celebrate mine and jim's 5 yr wedding anniversary! it's really feb 1 but unfortunately i was at home sick in bed...so today the celebration begins woo hooo! i love you my sweet boy!

i heart fabrics

if i were a dining room chair...i think i would want to be this chair.

over the past couple of years i've developed this passion for interior decorating that makes me all giggly and excited inside. we just bought our first home last year and i vowed to have no white walls in this house (you see...because we rented for so many years.) i've spent hours and hours searching for the perfect fabric to dress my antique furniture. fine fabrics make my heart sing! and my husband crabby. ;) he just doesn't understand why we can't cover the dang things in a sheet (ha!) but he always loves the pieces once i'm done. i promise to post some of my recent projects soon, but in the mean time here are some photos i've found that inspire me! i wish i knew where i got these from...shame on me! i'll remember for next time (they are all from magazines and decorating blogs)


this room is so very sophisticated. i'm in love with the curtains!!!


there's something so classic about b&w...i have two chairs covered in a fabulous b&w velvet stripe. simply divine :)
this chandelier is one i'm considering hanging in our dining room...i love it's whimsical feel

check out this decorating blog...it's one of my favs!

good friends, great questions!

Well as you all know i simply love what i do for a living! there are moments throughout the days that i go "oh my gosh this just fits me." :) but with this love comes a massive amount of work and dedication. because of my love & passion for photography i end up spending quite a while tweaking each and every image until i deem it almost perfect. Because we "artists" can be a little "eccentric" as my husband likes to say we have a tendency to gravitate toward one another. We (photographers) just understand each other.


one of my great friends is the fabulous Ksenija Savic of Ksenija Savic Photography. Ksenija & i met in December of 2007 when she documented my sister-in-law's wedding. we instantly clicked that day, and have been friends ever since. :) the other day, Ksenija & i were talking and we both realized that although every photographer is different from each other, both she & i specialize in fine art photography and tend to have a longer turn around time due to the process that goes into editing, post-processing, etc. we feel it's crucial for our clients to know that every photographer is trained differently, and specializes in different areas of photography, therefore what's right for one photography business owner may not be right for another. so the question that we discussed was :


why does it take so long to receive my wedding/portrait images?

{Ksenija and i decided to colaborate on the verbiage of this post}

while we've been lucky to not have anyone ask this question, at times maybe we wish you would! we wonder if you might be asking yourself this question, or just plain want to know more about the logistics of it all!

recently we saw and were inspired by a simular post on Anne Ruthmann's blog {a lovely & awesome photographer} while we agree whole heartedly with everything she expressed in her post, we decided to share our process as well.

so today, we decided to share with you a bit about the process we fine art photographers go through the minute your session, or wedding is over. however, just to make it easier, let's use a wedding for the example!






step one:
we load all memory cards to the computer in order to properly back up your beloved photos.
then spend what seems to be a NEVER ENDING process,
burning dvd's of these files to make extra sure the images are safe, as well as backing them up to an external hard drive!!
EXAMPLE: 3500 images = 8 - 10 hours (MINIMUM)



step two:
all thousands of images are reviewed (often times up to 4000 images... yes 4000)!!!
one by one, we choose the best of the best images, to help make your life easier.
the idea behind narrowing down images, is to make sure only the most perfect shots are edited and given to you.
we take so many to make sure we can have a grand selection of every moment!!!
this process can take hours & hours looking at each individual image, to decide whether to keep or not to keep.
EXAMPLE: 2500 images = 2 - 3 hours (MINIMUM)



step three:
somewhere between 100 - 300 top favorite images are selected and then given the very special artistic effect
that is custom by photographer's style and makes your wedding unique and special!!
this is the process that takes the most time, energy, and personal touch, as well.
in order to provide you with the beautiful, one of a kind, fine art you invested in, this process most definitely cannot be rushed.
EXAMPLE: 75 images = 10 hours (MINIMUM)

step four :
a blog post is created so that you have a great sneak peek to be able to view, share & enjoy some of the top faves from your day!
everyone does blogging a little differently, however for me, i really love being able to make my blog posts as special as possible because of how much i connect with my clients. i want this to be the time that you get to view the best of the best, the most moving & memorable images. an average blog post from start to finish takes me about 24 + hours (MINIMUM).

step five:
color and density is corrected with each and every image. images are cropped if necessary.
Because your wedding was shot in a multitude of different lighting situations each image can have a different correction needed.
EXAMPLE: 2500 images = 21 hours (MINIMUM)

step six:
the images are loaded to an online proofing company.
depending on the photographer's system and the on-line company used...this can take several days. And inevitably my internet decides to act up right in the middle of a wedding upload :)
EXAMPLE: 2500 images = 48 hours (MINIMUM)

...so now you can see it has been a MINIMUM of 117 hours - just to get to this point! this of course doesn't include other weddings & sessions shot, client meetings, daily emails, phone conversations, downloading/backing up, orders made, album designs, etc. that all happen in the 'in between' time either!

****PLEASE NOTE****! both Ksenija & i feel it's super important for all to know that we as photographers each have our own way of doing things. some photographers have a team of editors,,, and others do it all themselves there is truly no right or wrong... which is what makes it an art & so special.

all of us have a different style and approach. what is MOST important is the fit. finding the right person to capture the memories of your special day who also has the style that makes your heart swell,,, because after all, we are around you the entire day, too!!!

another thing that both Ksenija & i firmly believe in is that what counts in the end is the quality of your wedding photos. when you see how much you love, LOVE them, you will be sure it was worth the wait!!!

and then, you will have all the years of your life to relax, share & enjoy them!

and just for fun... here are a few more top fave images from this past year that have all gone through the meticulous process mentioned above!

ahhh..rest

Hello friends! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I know it's been a little quiet around here for a while...I'm gearing up for 09 ;) The studio is closed until Wednesday the 7Th. I'm resting at home and doing a little editing to pass the time. I realized that it's been two years since I took time off and stayed at home, the other times we were traveling and we all know how exhausting traveling can be. I must say this last year was amazing, I feel so blessed and overwhelmed with how my business grew. Now I feel hibernation is necessary to recoup.

I hope you all have a great New Years Eve! We'll be at 8.0 downtown listening to a great band called The Campaign super talented group, easy listening with some seriously good vocals and a rad bass player *wink wink* Arden :)

Much Love-Heather

2. years. ?!

For this I am thankful!

2 years in review...

Wow I can't believe it's been just two years since I officially started the biz. At the same time I can't believe it's only been 2 years!  And this is where I get all sappy ;)

A constant question I'm asked is "how long have you been doing this?" And "How did you get into photography?" So here ya go....How it all started: When I was in high school I took my first photojournalism class and I liked it, but it wasn't until my second year in college that I had the thought to really pursue the idea of photography, and from my first day in the darkroom I was enamored with the ability to expose my preferred pearl paper, dip it into the chemicals and see my image come to life, just to throw it away because it wasn't yet perfect.

I photographed my first wedding when I was 20. For the next 6 years I worked with, and tagged along with, any photographer who would have me. From commercial, fashion, portrait, and wedding photographers I learned so much about my craft. But it wasn't until starting my own business by chance two years ago that I really learned about myself.

The story of how the business began is close to my heart and not a plan I had in mind at the time. Jim and I were living in MI when we felt a clear calling from the Lord to move to TX. This was a huge shock to me because I thought I would never live in TX again. (One day I'll have to share the whole story in detail because it's pretty crazy!) We moved by faith alone, and what a blessing it has been that we trusted that God would provide. We had no money to move, no home, no jobs, and no urgent reason to move back here. Our dear friends Jim and Shirley Hollars invited us to live with them until we could find a place of our own. I placed an ad on Craigslist for portraits, had a couple of friends interested in me photographing their family, and there ya go, Heather Essian Portrait Arts was official. We moved into our own townhouse four weeks later. I honestly thought that once Christmas portraits were over business would be dead and I would be unable to continue working for myself, but somehow I just steadily started to grow. It was clear that God had a plan, and because of the way it all started I now trust in Him with this business because I know it was His to begin with. My constant prayer is that I would be a good steward of what I've been gifted with.

Owning your own business is one of the most vulnerable things I think one can do. This is a place where I have learned what I'm really made of. I've placed my heart and soul into my art - into my business. One thing I've learned is that business can quickly take over a passion, and since I learned that harsh reality I've been working to balance my passion and my business very carefully. This journey has showed me my gifts, but more importantly my weaknesses. I've always been a person who strives to be the best they can be, never settling for just good enough...of course unless we're talking about anything that has to do with numbers (right mom!?)

I remember thinking the way I would run a business, the kind of leader I would be, while watching fellow less-then-perfect-leaders lead me.  Foolish me for assuming that I knew what it was like owning my own business! The respect I have now for those who persevere, break the mold, and start their own identity in a business is beyond anything I could express in words. Even as I write out the last years to share with you I struggle to put to words just what I feel. One thing I know I feel is incredibly blessed. Blessed to have the opportunity to express myself through my work. Blessed by each and every one of you who have encouraged me and believed in me when I've continually doubted myself. Blessed that perfect does not exist; it's taken me a long time to accept the understanding that there is no perfect, and for me to recognize this does not mean that I'm not trying hard enough.  I've learned how to properly communicate expectations which surprisingly can be difficult at times.  I've always known that I wanted to feel a connection with each client.  Growing too quickly can easily create a disconnect because with vast change comes less time to connect and for me that's one of my favorite things about this business - the relationships I build. I've realized no matter how hard I try, no matter how much effort I put in, I'm just one person and I simply cannot handle an infinite work load.  Booking your life a year out poses a huge problem because it can take some serious time to catch up.

I know that I've just scraped the surface of the things I have left to learn, but the most important thing to me is that I do learn, and my character and ability to lead a business continues to grow. I praise God everyday for this walk. It's joyful, painful, and incredibly fulfilling and an experience I know I would not have if I was the average clock in and clock out working gal, although it's tempting at times :). Thank you all for allowing me to share my heart with you. I hope to continue to show you this passion I have for photography, and more importantly my passion for the relationships I build with all of you. I hope that I will continue to show you in a deeper way just how important your relationship is to me. Thank you for choosing me as your photographer, and I cannot begin to tell you how much your encouraging words keep me going! Thank you thank you for allowing me to do what I love!!

If you've ever considered starting your own business...do it! But know that a good leader of any sorts is one whom approaches all things with humility and tenacity.

how. jimmy. boy. ALMOST. got .his .cowboy .boots

Let me just say it's super hot to have a husband who can laugh at himself. I love you my sweet city Yankee!

Well as most of you know my husband Jim is from MI. In the last couple of months he's acquired a TX drivers license, TX plates, a pair of working boots, and a TX phone number...it's about time honey it's been 2 years. Oh! And he even went four wheeling and gun shooting on a friends ranch a few weeks back!

Let me just set the scene for you:

Jimmy comes running in the house and this is what unfolded after...

JIM: "Babe there's a dead animal in our garage!" "A dead raccoon!"

ME: Thinking to myself I better go access the situation

I walk outside to our garage to find Jim standing with a shovel and gloves in his hands

ME: "That's a possum."
JIM: "What do I do, I'm not touchin that thing!"
ME: Thinking "I have to go get my camera, this is going to be good!"

Out I come with camera in hand
Jim: "DON'T TAKE PICTURES...YOU'RE MAKING IT WORSE"
ME: "Babe, I want to blog about your bravery"

I proceed to plead with him that it's mind over matter, "pretend it's a brick" I explain. After my coaching wasn't working I expressed to him that I would pick up the dead possum. He handed me the shovel and the gloves and said "Gladly, I will never live this down but I don't care!"


(me sporting my new short haircut that's not quite grown on me yet)

So mind over matter, I swiped the possum up by it's tail and shoved it into the garbage bag as fast as possible. I couldn't bare but to only show the possum in it's trash bag of a grave. And that my friends is how Jimmy Boy almost got his cowboy boots!

studio. update .info

Hey hey friends!! Look for a new blog post in the next couple of days, and I have a really funny story to share with you guys as well ;)

We got a new studio telephone number so please save this number as our official contact number
817 . 201 . 9401
we also have a new email address that will help us keep emails more organized please email info@heatheressian.com for any questions regarding your wedding or portrait sessions, Kim will be happy to help!

I have lots and lots of sneak peeks to come...for now I'm going to work on some teaser images...

.kansas.!

Hey y'all! I'm here in Kansas resting up for Erik and Karen's wedding tomorrow. After a canceled flight and 7 hours in the airport I'm so glad to be here in my cozy hotel room. Flying is becoming more and more of pain these days...what's going on with the airport folks, I don't see many workers with a smile anymore?!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, I'll be back in the office on Tuesday.

Up next to be blogged...

Korrie and Landon's Barcelona Spain wedding
Harrison Family
my personal Europe images
Jen and Josh e-session
and many many more to come!

.what. a .lovely. day!

Hello all! Sorry for the long pause with the blog posts. We are sprinting to keep up with all of the weddings I've shot, as well as getting prepared to move into a new studio. Where do the weeks go???

I do have some exciting news...we move into the new studio on Saturday!!! We will have our first portrait session there on Monday so I'll post some pictures as soon as possible.

What will the studio offer?
Well first it will be a natural light studio (no artificial studio lighting) for me to shoot in with funky furniture, cool fabric backdrops, and still have the ability to be clean and simple for your portraits. No worries, I'm not turning into a traditional photographer the studio portraits will be just as unique and artistic. Perfect for children and babies! We will still have the option of shooting on location as well. We will also begin portrait and wedding album proofing at the studio for your ordering convenience. During this proofing session you will get to see your portraits for the first time, as well as wedding album design for the first time. We will walk you through all of our print and book options, and help you decide on the perfect prints for your home. The studio will also be a place for Wedding consultations, and portrait consultations. It's going to be great!

We are running an introductory studio special from now until the new year. This special is $175 with a $45 print credit, plan on a 30-45 minute session with me. If you would like to book a portrait session for prints and Christmas Cards this year CALL THE STUDIO today to set up your appointment. We will only be able to take on a few more sessions before Christmas, if you wait then you may have to send out New Years Cards (which I love anyway:)

And I just want to also take this time to thank all of my amazing clients for helping me grow, Kim and I are taking all the necessary steps to keep up and fine tune your experience with us. We greatly appreciate your patience and support, what a blessing!

studio: 817.989.7674

.in. Michigan.

Hello Friends! I will be in MI for a wedding and will return to the office on Monday. I will be responding to emails only.

Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday!

What a relief from the heat and rain, I think I want to go..........never mind running is never a good idea.

*question for you*

Hello friends!! Okay the time for us to move into our new studio space is getting closer and closer! I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to have a space all our own that I know will help simplify things a bit for everyone.

Question:
How many of you would love to have a cute portrait of your fur-baby (ies)?!
If you're not familiar with this term I'm talking about your cats and dogs :)

Here's what I'm thinking... An affordable way to get a professional print of your baby...the new natural light studio will be perfect for this sort of a session!

Please please leave me a comment if you like this idea. Zoe will be first in line and I can't wait to have a big ole print of her cute face hanging in the studio for all to see :)

If I feel that enough people would like something like this then I'll announce a Pet Portrait special very soon.

Have a fabulous Tuesday!

.barcelona!.

Wooo hooo!!!! Barcelona is finally here... I'm off tomorrow to go shoot Korrie and Landon's wedding in Barcelona, Spain! We will be there for a whole 2 weeks. Can someone please tell me how the heck you pack for two weeks when you've never been to Europe and have no idea what to expect??? How do you not bring 100 pairs of shoes? Jimmy won't let me go over the 50 lbs required, so flip flops and a pair of heels it is!

Kim will be responding to emails only (heather@heatheressian.com) so give her a shout if you have any questions. The phone line has been acting up and I can't, for the life of me, figure it out : (

I will miss y'all!

~Heather

tipper. .tuesday. on .wednesday.

On Friday we had a Fence builder come out to our house and give us a quote. He greeted me with the warmest smile. I don't know what it was about his niceness that struck me as so refreshing but just him being polite got my day off to a good start. It got me to thinking how easily we can all affect each others attitudes IN A POSITIVE WAY. I mean look he affected me so much I'm now blogging about his kindness! It makes me think of those of you who have called the office and I've had the opportunity to chat with you and we just seem to hit it off. I love that feeling! Although after we got his quote his niceness didn't stick out in my head as much ;)

On Monday I took the day off because I had to get some work done on Sunday and I went to Calico Corners (a fabric store) and just struck up the best conversation with the nicest lady there, she might teach me how to sew!!! And I left with a warmer heart then when I arrived, she was just so kind, It makes me want to sigh...


So I'm going to make a conscious effort to be a random nice girl :)

I LOVE NICE PEOPLE!!!

.officially. official.

oh my gooooodness y'all. Heather Essian Portrait Arts has a home all it's own. Complete with hardwood floors, beautiful white paned windows, and loads of charm! Located in the Historic hospital district of Downtown Ft. Worth easy to get to for all of my Dallas clients (we love you Dallas peeps!)

We will use the space for meeting future wedding clients, proofing portrait sessions and album designs, and use it as a natural light studio as well. It's going to be a swanky fun place to be with huge prints, and lots of albums and products to see, oh and lets not forget the fabulous furniture (really excited to decorate). I can't wait to share it with all of you!


The building is being remodeled and it looks like we won't be moving in until August or September 1, be ready for a big ole open house cocktail party!

I feel like doing the running man right now, care to join me?

.tips. on .tuesday. but. today. on .wednesday.

(one day late)

Let me say there is nothing wrong with any of these “musts”, but if it’s the deciding factor on who you pick for a wedding photographer you may want to reconsider.


What I’m asking you to reconsider is this:

Do you like and trust the photographer?
Do you LOVE their work?


If the answer is yes to these questions then know that all of these “musts” can be added later after the wedding, but you absolutely can not go back and change the vendors you hire for your wedding day. You’ve heard the term “you get what you pay for” That’s not to say that just because you’re spending more money than you intended that you’re going to get perfection, but it does mean that you’re probably going to hire someone with great talent, respect, and value for their work.

Lastly know that we as photographers are commissioned to create "Art" sounds cheesy I know but I think of a better way to articulate that right now. All this added of course to documenting your day.

Art through your e-session, your bridal session, on your fast moving wedding day, and Art through you the average person (not a trained model) All of this here "Art" takes loads of practice, time, and passion to do well.

Hire vendors with heart, passion, and integrity and you're sure to have a good experience.

Now don't get me wrong I don't take myself too seriously. It's not brain surgery, but it sure is my passion, and joy!

Thank you for this great oportunity to share with you, check back every Tuesday to see a new post on tips for brides and other topics as well. I promise not every "Tipper Tuesdey" will be about photography!

in light of me wanting to get to know my clients better ...*THE FIRST BRIDE WHO IS AN EXISTING CLIENT (PAST AND FUTURE) TO LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST RECEIVES YUMMY DESSERT ON ME WITH ME :) I may even throw a print for ya ;) !

if you're out of state no worries I'll take you out when I'm there for your wedding, or when you come to TX again!

Note: the first 3 comments are spam.

being. vulnerable.

Allow me to be a tad vulnerable for a moment...

Sometimes the blog is an after-thought, or just a thorn in my side. Not because I don't love sharing with you all but because the image prep can be quite time consuming. Sometimes I wonder if anyone out there really pays attention to my little blog. I love that my photographer friends encourage me with their kind comments, but sometimes I wonder if clients and maybe even future clients see what goes on here. After all that's really my purpose for having an Internet identity, if you will for my business. So this leaves me to wonder how can I get more of you involved? Not at all for my own self indulgence but to share with you my heart, my work, and most importantly you. Is the time it takes worth it? Or should I spend my energies elsewhere in the business?

I've had many ideas as to how to communicate with you all (my clients) through this blog, but I wonder if my efforts would go unnoticed or fearfully unanswered because you don't know about this here little blog ;) So this leaves me to ask would you mind sharing with me, or mind commenting about what you would like this blog to be, or what you like about it now?

or just say "no... don't abandon the blog!!!"

just in case you don't know you can leave a comment by clicking on "comments" under each post. You can sign in anonymously (although I don't encourage) it or you can sign up with google/blogger by using your email address and creating your own password. It's really easy just select the option to create an identity, post a comment, publish it and vuala (sp?)!

Hopefully some of you will share in the blog love and I can get back to preparing the images to share with you ;) If you're shy and want you can just shoot me an email to heather@heatheressian.com


the "comments" tab is right under here! :)

Riviera Maya Mexico .here. .I. .come.

image not shot by me ;)

whoop!!! I leave tomorrow to shoot Cassie and James's wedding in Mexico- so very excited! Cassie and James are willing to *gasp* jump in the ocean or do whatever we see fit for amazing images. Stay tuned...

I will be out of commission until Tuesday Morning.

Have a blessed weekend!
~Heather