Wait, did I just say that? 

Yes, I said that.  I said that even though digital negatives are the most profitable item any professional photographer can sell you after your session.  We all know that the material cost of a CD or thumb drive is exceptionally inexpensive compared to producing albums, prints and frames.  I said that even though digital negatives still remain one of the most popular products at my own portrait studio.

I’m here to tell you today that a disk of digital negatives should never be the only product you walk away with from your professional photographer.   If you do, you are probably wasting your money.  We believe in this so strongly at our studio that our team works hard to ensure all of our clients walk away with heirloom, archival safe keepsakes from their sessions in addition to their digital negatives.

Before I get everyone up in arms, let me start out by saying that we sell digital negatives at our studio after almost every session.  Digital files certainly have a place for the consumer.  We generally sell digital negatives to clients for the purpose of sharing with their family and friends.  They love showing off their images on facebook, on their mobile devices, and printing out 5×7’s for grandparents and friends.  That is all great, but surely that isn’t the only reason they invested in a professional photographer.

Why hire a professional photographer?

We all now have access to amazing equipment and technology to take everyday photos of our own lives.  If we want snapshots of our kids to show off on facebook or print for Grandma, we can do it on our own.  We can Instagram, email, Facebook, Tweet, and 1-hour-photo to our hearts content.  I’m amazed every day at the artistic and photographic capabilities of Heidi Hope Photography clients.  They definitely have a good eye!  So many of our clients are amazing photographers in their own right and have equipment at home that rivals ours.

So why does anyone hire a professional photographer anymore?

We invest in professional photographers to capture the details of our life beautifully and in a way that no one else can.   We invest in a service that caters to our specific requests and takes care of the whole process professionally from end to end. I can cook a gourmet meal at home, but there is nothing like going to my favorite fine restaurant and having the amazing staff take care of everything for us.  We hire professional photographers to create “artwork” for us and for our families.  We hire them to document a time in our lives through their unique artistic eye so that we can enjoy looking back on it for generations.  If all you get is a dvd in the mail, upload to the pics to facebook and then stuff your DVD in a drawer, you are missing out on what professional photography truly is!  Couldn’t you have just as easily shared some Iphone pics?

Enjoying your professional photography for generations.

“From the iPhone to the Garmin, advancements and gadgets introduced this decade changed the whole world.  In the process, a few things that once were considered social mainstays are now either obsolete or well on their way. Remember busting out a map to figure out directions? Or using a cell phone that had actual buttons? Yeah, those days are a bit hazy for us, too.”  – Bianca Male  Business Insider

I began researching to revamp our 4-year-old website and came upon an astonishing bit of news;  Flash is dead.  Flash is DEAD?  In 4 short years it went from being the darling of visual media, taught in all of my web design classes, to DEAD?  Where have I been?  It isn’t just flash.  CD’s are dead.  Desktop computers are soon-to-be dead.  Yep, they’re as dead as payphones, road maps, and Blockbuster.

So what happens in 10 years when you finally have some free time and actually want to do something with those photos you had taken way-back when the kids were little?  Like most people, you didn’t know what to do with them at the time, so you bought the disk.  Where is that disk?  If you are far more organized than I and can actually locate that disk 10 years later, chances are, your computer won’t read it.  That’s right, computers won’t be manufactured with optical drives much longer.  Oh, but you backed it up on that external hard drive.  Sorry, fire wires and external hard drives are soon to be extinct too.  Desktops won’t be around much longer either, so you probably only have a laptop or tablet that you were never even able to transfer those files to.  At least you uploaded them to Facebook.  Thank goodness Facebook is still in existence in this future hypothetical!  What a shame you can’t print a 16×24″ for your wall off of Facebook.

Okay, maybe your photographer was up with the times and started offering flash drives in adorable little packaging.  We’ll be offering flash drives rather than CD’s later this year for the aforementioned reasons.  At least they have a longer shelf life.  Or do they?  Unfortunately, flash drives are equally unreliable with industry experts warning that flash drive failure and file loss is at epidemic proportions.  “The price of USB flash drive data recovery services at typical data recovery labs can reach into the thousands and it might take weeks or even months to get your files back“ (http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/9/prweb8735457.htm)  That’s if you didn’t loose the little thing, like I surely would have.

Well, at least you can contact your photographer.  They have a 20% chance of still being in business after the first 2 years.  That’s if they were in fact a legitimate business.  Did you check to see if they were a registered business?  If they weren’t, the statistics are worse.  Here’s to hoping they still have those files for you!

See where I’m going with this?

With the rapid change in technology, the only way to preserve your photographs so that they can be enjoyed for generations is by producing something tangible out of them.  What’s even greater, I can guarantee that you will be even happier with your investment in professional photography if you do so!   No one ever calls to say how much they love their DVD.  They call to say how much their friends raved about their greeting cards this year, or how their wall art makes them smile every time they walk by, or how their toddler daughter looks at her newborn album every day!

This is so important to us at Heidi Hope Photography that we don’t sell digital negatives without giving clients their counterparts in print.  We also include beautiful heirloom pieces such as wall art and albums in all of our collections that come with digital files.  We take the time with clients during their viewing appointments to help them plan and design how to use and enjoy the photography we have created so that their investment lasts a lifetime… or longer!  We show wall display options and custom design beautiful storyboards and albums so that the portraits clients adore can be proudly displayed and enjoyed.  That is, after all, what you hired us for!  We never want someone leaving saying “I wasn’t sure what to do with them, so I just bought the disk.”

I understand the desire to have access to digital files so that you can print and design on your own.  I also believe some people actually do create beautiful artwork at home out of their digital files, even when I’m hesitant to give up the control of quality that is lost when we can’t check over the final product.   If you are one of those people who still hasn’t ordered your wedding album however, you probably need some professional help figuring out what to do with all of those gorgeous photos you’ve had taken!  If you do opt for digital files in addition to your heirloom pieces from your professional photographer, please back them up in multiple locations on a variety of platforms so that you have them to enjoy in the years to come.

Yes, in our digital world, digital files still certainly have their place, but you are cheating yourself, and wasting your investment, if all you walk away with is the files.

Did you have a session with Heidi Hope Photography in 2012?  We’d love to thank you for your business and help you show off your favorite HHP photos in style with our fun new Facebook Cover Photo Collages!

Our Free Gift to You!

Heidi Hope is now offering complimentary facebook timeline photos for our 2012 clients. You can choose any image that you purchased or that was featured in a preview from your session.  Did you have more than one session with us?  Feel free to combine them!

How do I get my free cover photo?

1. Pick out a template from the options below.

2. Pick out images to fit in the spaces within your template.  (Please choose images that were purchased or featured in a preview from your session)

3. Email your choices to [meg @ heidihope.com].

4. We’ll upload your design to facebook and tag you so you can enjoy showing off your gorgeous HHP photos to everyone you know!

I was waiting to lose the rest of the baby weight.  I was waiting for Shaun to be able to take an afternoon off.  I was waiting for the perfect time of day when the kids wouldn’t be cranky.  I was waiting to score the perfect outfits or to dream up the perfect concept.  I was waiting to have enough time in my schedule to do it all…

Then I looked at Grace, her two bottom teeth sprouting out of her gums, and realized it is all passing me by too quickly.  First days of school and leaving for prom flashed in my hormonal mind!  I don’t want my girls to grow up!

Of course I have no control over that, but what I can do is put everything else aside and make my family portraits a priority!  So I did.

We began our journey of incorporating video portraits into our studio offerings last year with our newborn sessions (see a sample here!).  We loved the finished product: “A Birth Story” (check it out here!) so much that we decided to offer video portraits to all of our Heidi Hope Clients.  Now, you can add on a video component to any Heidi Hope Session.  Information about our video portraits is sent with your welcome package when you book your session, but give us a call to learn more about it!

Mariah and Joe were happy to use my fam as a sample so you can all get an idea of how our Video Portraits work.  You can see the gorgeous photography from our session by visiting Mariah’s blog post here!

Was I afraid to jump in front of a camera… no liquifying or airbrushing…. for the whole world to see?  HECK YEAH!  But, I can’t possibly express how much the resulting movie and portraits mean to me.  I don’t even see what I was worried about.  I see my beautiful, happy, blessed family, being exactly who we are in this perfect little moment of our lives.  The messy hair, chapped lips, extra tummy… they all take on a significance I didn’t even know I appreciated until now.  I am so thankful we did this.  And I am so thankful to Mariah and Joe who captured it all so beautifully for us.

So, without further ado, here is a sneak peek of our family video portraits!

Video Portaits from Heidi Hope Photography on Vimeo.

I still cry every time I watch this… I can only imagine what prom night will be like!  ~ Heidi

For all those HHP fans with an addiction to your mobile device (ahem all of us here at the studio)… we have a addition to our popular Rewards Program and we’re sure you’re going to love it!

The Digital Brag Book is an album that saves as an application right on your cell phone. You can share the album with friends and family to show off your Heidi Hope special moments at any moment. Check out the photos below of what the product will look like on your ipad. This way cool product will only be available through the rewards program, so make sure you are checking your boxes! For more information on earning your points or questions about the rewards program, please call the studio at 401.864.1919 for more information.

An HH app?  How cool is that?!

 Here’s a slideshow of a recent session so you can have a peek!

We are super excited about this new product and know you will all be as well

We started this project back in early 2011 when we met with the talented Joe Maggiolo (of Joe Maggiolo Media) so that we could offer our clients something in addition to beautiful portraiture for their walls.  While I am able to freeze the moment with my lens through photography, Joe can capture the movement of a newborn’s breath, the sound of a baby’s laugh and the expression of new parents beyond the still frame.  When the H family traveled to our studio from London, they were thrilled with the opportunity to document their experience with Joe and I together.  Combining the art of still and video was amazing.  The results were beautiful and we’ve been waiting over a year to finally offer the video experience to all of our clients.  To create our Birth Story, Joe and I work together at the Heidi Hope Photography Studio.  I pose our sweet newborns and Joe quietly records our session.  At the end of our time together Joe interviews mom and dad and then puts it all together for a video keepsake, beautifully documenting the beginning of a new life.  You can see from just the preview below how breathtaking the outcome is.

We revisited with the H family just last week for A’s first birthday session.  Our staff sat down at the studio just before their session to re-watch this promo, as so much time had past since we created the video.  We were all in tears!  Seeing how big A has already grown makes what we captured even more special.  Mom and dad still treasure their full video as well, as we know they will forever.

If you have a session with Heidi Hope Photography, our newest package combining photography and videography is available for all sessions.  Please contact the studio for more information.  401-864-1919 or email info@heidihope.com.

Can’t decide on a single image to put on a canvas? Create a custom storyboard! Storyboards are a collection of images that tell a narrative about your family in one stunning wall display. These adorable canvases use multiple images to capture the connection of twins and the playful personality of a 2-year old!

Meg, our graphic designer, works with clients to create a storyboard that’s completely their own. All you have to do is choose your favorite images, and she’ll take care of the rest! Shown are two layout options- a simple 6-image grid, and a 5-image collage.

Storyboards are available for all Heidi Hope Ready-To-Hang pieces, including Organic Bloom Frames and Float Wraps. Contact the studio for more options, and our product pricing guide!

~ Mariah

Our product line is expanding with our business! We’re now offering products from Little Black Books to Custom-designed Magazines for our Boudoir clients.

We have to show them off! Check out the full line over on the Boudoir Blog!

~ Mariah

Custom cards are one of the most popular products at the Heidi Hope Studio.  With a full time graphic designer on staff, our studio ensures that every product is uniquely beautiful!  Clients love showing off their favorite portraits with family and friends and we love hearing the feedback of the recipients:

“We just sent out our cards and we are so thrilled with them.  I need to order 100 more when you get a chance.  My husband’s boss even called to say that these are the most amazing Holiday cards he’s ever received and we’re setting the bar pretty high for everyone else!” – Amy

We love these designs so much at our studio that we want our photographer friends to have them too!  Our card templates take all of the time out of creating the perfect design for busy photographers.  Just insert your client photos, customize the text, and they are ready to print with your favorite lab.

This week we’re giving away one set of card templates to one lucky blog reader.

How can you win?

Simply visit our card templates HERE.  Then come back to this post and leave a comment letting us know what your favorite design is and why you’d love to win it!  We’ll draw a winner using Random.org on Monday, April 16th at 9:00 AM EST and the winner will win their favorite set!

BONUS:  Purchase any of our templates between now and Monday’s drawing at 9am and use the discount code giveaway4 at checkout to receive 25% off!

Extra Entries:

1  Share the following on your facebook page and then leave a comment under this post saying that you did:

@Heidi Hope Photography is giving away a free set of card templates!  http://www.heidihope.com/blog/photographers-template-giveaway

2 Tweet the following and then leave a comment under this post saying that you did:

@Heidi_Hope is giving away a free set of card templates! http://www.heidihope.com/blog/?p=7888

Of course, we have to show off our custom-designed albums! A client favorite at the studio, albums show off every image from your session in a gorgeous, hand-made keepsake book.

Albums come in 9×9 or 12×12 size with up to 50 high-quality, thick photographic pages with a matte finish. The album is constructed to lay flat when opened, allowing for stunning full spreads of your favorite images.

Meg, our in-house graphic designer, works with each client to create a perfect album layout. Often, products such as cards or keepsake boxes are ordered as well, and the designs can coordinate with each other for a seamless presentation! Little Rose has a birth announcement and matching album from her newborn session:

We love to see new albums come into the studio, and ship them out knowing that families will enjoy them for years to come!

~ Mariah

Our second product showcase is for our custom-designed cards! Our graphic designer, Meg, designs cards for our clients using their personal style, party theme, or even nursery decor for inspiration. She creates birth announcements, party invitations, greeting cards, holiday cards, or anything else you dream up using your Heidi Hope images!

We’d love to show you some. First, some pretty pink birth announcements:

Then, cute tri-fold cards for party invites and just saying hello:

We can’t forget this golf-inspired first birthday party invite, using photos from a cake smash shoot!

Lastly, our favorite holiday cards from 2011 (never too soon to start planning 2012′s holiday shoot!):

Each card is unique and completely customizable. Meg has also created custom card templates for photographers, which you can find here!