E and R’s family vacations in Hyannis Port every Summer, and it happened to be the perfect time to get maternity photos done during their stay! We took advantage of the perfect light and quintessential Cape backdrop to capture their soon-to-be family of three (well, five, counting their two energetic dogs!).

Sunset light is always the best for beach shoots, but the soft glow seemed to fit this session especially well. It created such a poignant, anticipatory feel for the photos, and absolutely matched this mama’s glow.

It was lovely to meet you, E and K, and we hope you enjoyed the rest of your vacation!

~ Mariah

All of these maternity sessions can only mean one thing- we’ll have plenty of adorable newborns to share with you soon! In the meantime, it’s been so fun working with expectant families. K, P, and their 2-year-old daughter K were beautiful subjects, and the day couldn’t have been more perfect for their session by the bay. This little spot has served us well so far this year!

How cute is little K with mom’s belly? You can already tell she’ll be a doting big sister to her little sister-to-be.    I love the last shot of her and mom…so pensive and sweet.

B family, it was great to meet you! We can’t wait to meet your new little girl soon!

~ Mariah

We’ve had some pretty gorgeous maternity sessions lately! This one is no exception. T is completely stunning, and it was such a pleasure to photograph her, her husband I, and their very well-behaved labradoodle, Rufus!

We started out in the studio for a few simple, clean shots against the window and with our wrap. T and I were so laid-back and fun, and even helped me try out a shot I’ve wanted to get for a while! Rufus patiently waited for us outside, and we headed to the park with him next. Normally, you hope for one good shot when you’ve included a dog in family photos. I didn’t have to worry with this one- he posed for group shots, sat patiently while I blurred the background, and walked alongside mom and dad like a pro. Of course, we compensated him for his time with treats.

T and I, we can’t wait to meet your little one! Congrats!

~ Mariah

When we took these photos, K was 6 days away from her due date. This girl might just get valedictorian of being 9 months pregnant- she was stunningly beautiful, up for anything I asked her to do, and simply glowing alongside her husband, S.

It’s always a privilege to capture expectant parents, but this session seemed extra sweet. Any moment could be the moment they meet their baby, find out if they have a son or daughter, and become a family for the first time. The photos we captured show them as they were- totally in love, happy, and ready to meet their little one. S even surprised K with candy at the end of their session!

Congrats, K and S. Thanks for letting us capture you!

~ Mariah

It is just days, or perhaps even hours, until Shaun, Giuliana and I welcome our new baby girl into the world.  With my due date approaching so soon, I thought I would check in with all of you for a little farewell.  What else is a girl to do in between timing contractions?

It feels a bit strange to look ahead at the Heidi Hope calendar and see a whole month without any shoots.  It feels strange to wake up in the morning and not have a to-do list I can barely manage.  It feels strange to not have my brain buzzing with session ideas and the daily business of the studio.  I’m a Libra, so I’m constantly seeking balance in my life.  Unfortunately, I think balance is something mothers rarely feel.  Especially mothers who are business owners!  I must say however that focusing on the arrival of this baby has brought me some resemblance of balance in the past days.  It has forced me to slow down and pay attention more to home and family.  I’ve had to say “no” (which I’m not very good at).  ”No” to over-scheduling, “no” to over-committing, and I even wearily said no to a publishing company and the chance to author a photography book (GASP) which has always been a dream of mine.  It’s scary to say “no” when you’re a “yes” kind of gal.  That’s why I’m so thankful for my wonderful team at the studio.  They remind me that it is okay to prioritize.  That sometimes “no” can mean “just not right now”.  That it’s okay to envision how I want to spend this baby’s first year and make it happen for our family!  And then they help me on a daily basis to run an amazing business AND keep that balance.

Of course you all know Mariah by now.  She’s the super talented new addition to our team and in case you were fearing crickets on our blog (how on earth would you distract yourself at work??), rest assured that you’ll still be able to enjoy her gorgeous photography in my absence.   The studio will also still be running as normal, but my camera and I will be HOME getting some R&R for the first time since starting Heidi Hope Photography back in 2008.  Okay, well at least my camera will be getting some rest.  If you have caught some of our recent previews, you know it is no wonder that our clients are going wild for Mariah’s work.  Check out some of her recent shoots for HHP below as well as the maternity images of our family featured in this post!

2 year old N

Senior portraits

Mariah’s calendar for May and June is already almost completely booked so if you are thinking of a Heidi Hope Photography session during those months, it’s time to call the studio and get in while you can!  Believe it or not, we are already talking about family photos for holiday cards with our clients, high school senior portraits are in full swing all summer long, and we’re booking well into the end of 2012 with sweet newborns and fabulous cake smashes!  We’ll likely sell out our summer calendar as we always do, so don’t hesitate to call us up and get all the info you need to make a session with us a reality this summer.

I’m also still receiving so many inquiries for mentoring and class opportunities and want to update all of our photographer friends out there.  2012 started off at a crazy pace for our family (pregnancy, selling our home, moving twice, buying a new home… all while juggling our normal studio schedule, growing the business and continuing our volunteer work and mentoring).   Needless to say, I haven’t had much time to plan a teaching schedule, but when I return in the summer I will be ironing that out for you all.  I had a wonderful experience as a Celebrity Photographer on the Chic Critique Forum this spring and I do plan to do it again, likely in the fall.   My last class sold out, but you can now sign up for a waiting list and be one of the first to know the next time a I host a class with them!  I also plan to offer mentoring opportunities at the studio beginning in 2013 on a very exclusive basis so keep an eye out this fall for details.

In the meantime, sign up for my Chic Critique waiting list here!

As for me, I will be back shooting in July part time and then full time in August.  I’m looking forward to having a few weeks away from it all and coming back inspired and excited to work.  I’m looking forward to mentoring and teaching again along with picking up the camera and capturing all of the wonderful clients who are already on the schedule this summer.  Until then, you will certainly catch a little photography of a personal nature from me, including glimpses of our new baby girl, big sister Giuliana and daily life around our new house.  Shaun and I may even jump in for a few!

Now, there is nothing to do but wait for this baby!  We can’t wait to share our good news with our Heidi Hope family  :0)

~ Heidi

All of my favorite sessions in one- family, toddler, and maternity! Roger Williams is now one of my favorite locations, too…it delivered beautiful light and flawless backdrops, as always. It took a little bit for the morning sun to warm up, but when it did, we had awesome t-shirt weather.

The C family chose a casual, classic wardrobe, and it matched their easygoing personalities perfectly. Mom wasn’t sure how little B would react to the camera, but we had him smiling and running around in no time. He loved tickling and kissing his ‘baby brother’, exploring the bridges, and talking to the resident ducks and geese.

C Family, hope you love the preview! Can’t wait for you to see the whole shoot.

~ Mariah

This beautiful couple visited the studio last week for their maternity session and it was so much fun getting to know them.  E and I are due just one week apart, so I will be seeing them next and meeting their bundle of joy for a 3 month session!  E and P were super laid back so we created some maternity keepsakes that were classic and timeless to show off that bump!  Mom-to-be looked amazing in every shot.  I could feel the love and excitement they already have for their baby-on-the-way.  Best wishes in the coming weeks E and P.  Can’t wait to hear your good news and meet your little one!

I loved meeting K and J last week for their maternity portrait session at the studio.  K and I are due just weeks apart so while I sadly won’t be seeing them for a newborn session, I’m already looking forward to meeting their sweet baby boy for a 3 month session this summer when I am back from maternity leave.  If he is anything like mom and dad, he’s sure to be perfectly photogenic!  Mom was stunning in her pregnancy.  She couldn’t take a bad picture, as you can see below.  Enjoy your sneak peek!

Mariah, here! Heidi and I wanted to test out a few outdoor locations this morning, so we thought- why not do a maternity shoot while we’re at it? The weather was perfect, and we headed just down the road from the studio to a little spot by the bay. I love the location, and the reeds and water matched the pastel styling perfectly. We brought some Organic Bloom frames for props, that you may recognize from a certain gender reveal shoot!

Needless to say, Heidi, Shaun, and Giuliana made my job pretty easy, and I love the results.

- Mariah

This month has been full of fun maternity sessions including all of our maternity minis from our Holiday Promotions last December.  Maternity minis have been a great way for me to get to know couples and capture a few special keepsakes of their pregnancy before our newborn session together.  Mom and dad -to-be visited the studio last week for their maternity mini and were so laid back and easy to chat with.  We captured some great classics that I know will be so fun for their little bundle of joy to look back at one day.  I had to share just a couple from our time together before their full gallery goes up.  Enjoy your sneak peek!