This new year, I wanted to start with a BANG!
Following your dreams is something I have always supported. So I asked myself... "What are my dreams?" "Who do I see myself working with?"
My answers were pretty broad. I've always dreamed of having my work published in magazines. I've dreamed of photographing destination weddings. And I've dreamed of photographing celebrities. Those are just some of the few I could name on the top of my head. So who do I call? My mother of course. My encourager, words of wisdom, my fighter, my hero. She has always supported everything I do. And she told me I needed to make the right connections.

So I did just that. I researched all I could. I found the most amazing people here in San Antonio who I dreamt of working with. I started following them. Planting seeds, helping people, sharing eachother's gifts and talents, and good ol' fashioned prayer is what I am all about. Community versus competition.. Of course there are tons of other talented photographers out there. Photographers who have been in the business years longer than I have. Photographers who have barely started. Some might say they are my competition. I say they are my teachers. How could I not respect them? They are here creating the same art form as me. ​Beautiful souls who came to Earth; to capture the small micro-second moments we all desperately wish we could re-live, over and over again. That is my power. I can freeze time. What is yours?
So I started to create. I saw a vision in my head of being on the cover of San Antonio Wedding Magazine. I designed it myself. My bride & groom of choice?
Erin & Diego Merino. They were my "birthday couple". I captured their wedding on my 20th birthday last year. And I've never had more fun at a wedding.
Here they are, on what I call, "Heather's version of San Antonio Wedding Magazine"
*Note. this is not an actual issue. It is all for fun, and logos & copyrights remain with San Antonio Wedding Magazine. Photograph is by me.

While on the phone with my mother & staring at my laptop, I didn't want to just leave it here; sitting on my Adobe Photoshop workspace.... I knew this needed to reach the magazine editor. But how? Having no idea how magazines work, or how I would even get a publication, I messaged San Antonio Wedding Magazine on facebook.
​And here is what happened....

I got a reply back almost instantly. I started shaking. My nerves were all over the place from excitement. They LOVED it.  It wasn't long before a magazine representative contacted my business page & wanted to arrange a meeting...

By this point, I knew something great was going to happen. Would I actually make the cover of San Antonio Wedding Magazine? This was all panning out so quickly. I didn't realize the power social media truly had. 
We will find out and see.... I'm meeting her on Friday!

Today is Monday, and it has still yet to become cold here in Texas. We don't have any vibrant "fall colors", like everyone dreams of having. There are no huge piles of brown leaves to swim in, and there is definitely no such thing as needing a jacket. Although we may not have these things, that is no problem for the imagination to be at work. (Or photoshop). Cindy Flores and her family came back to see me for family fall photos. 

Their first visit with me was over the summer, when Cindy was pregnant with their first son, Christian Jr. Her maternity photos were absolutely breath-taking to say the least. 

When she called me up last week to take her family's fall photos, I was so excited! I couldn't wait to meet her new bundle of joy! (Who was now around 4 months old).
Baby Christian was such a relaxed & happy little boy. But man, does he sure have some adorable chubby cheeks!! I could pinch them all day! 

I would have taken him home with me if she had let me! But then, towards the end of our photoshoot, we had a little unexpected surprise... 

I was almost in tears from how hard I was laughing!! I couldn't believe I got the shot! I have seen many other photographers get hilarious shots of babies throwing up, pooping, and all kinds of crazy bodily functions. But it has never happened to me, until now!
Just look at that little smile! 

Thank you so much for coming back to see me. I hope to have you back again real soon!

I am new to this whole "blogging" thing. I've been building and creating my business for two years & I've always known I needed to make a blog. It wasn't until I skyped with my new photographer friend Laura (who by the way, is amazing! See her work here - http://www.beautifulday.photography), and she asked me "Do you have a blog?" and that's just when it clicked.. I need to make one! So I asked myself.. "Where on earth do I start? I've already done so many amazing things that I have not documented on these blog posts." So with that, I figured I may as well just start fresh. I will start with the wedding I just did last night. It was so relaxing, very laid back, and definitely one of my most favorite weddings. Simplistic, small, and intimate, Maria Diaz & Lizbeth Roque had a small backyard wedding here in San Antonio. Only the closest family and friends attended. The atmosphere was so warm and inviting. Sometimes you just receive clients that you know are meant to be in your life as great friends. Liz & Maria are definitely just that! They came all the way to Texas from L.A on super short notice. 

We had a beautiful "Bride & Groom" Session.  Maria kept Liz giggling the whole time with kisses, tickles, and jokes. Being the first wedding I've ever photographed in a backyard/neighborhood, we took the photos in the front yard. It was hard not to catch some cars or houses in the background of the photos, but luckily we did have a few trees to block the eye sores. 

A hot topic I've been asked several times; is my view on same-sex marriage. I have photographed many same-sex weddings & fully support gay rights. There is no reason, in my opinion, that any photographer should turn down clients simply because their sexual preferences are different than what the photographer may personally agree with. Love is love. If it were not for the law being passed that same sex marriage is now legal, most people would still be very judge mental about the weddings I  photograph.

"If we are all truly created equal- then truly the love we share for each other must be equal as well." -President Barack Obama

I support gay rights & gay marriage. 
Period.