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!

“Do you think I’ve gone round the bend?”

“I’m afraid so. You’re mad, bonkers, completely off your head. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are.”

- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

It never seems to happen like I plan.  The idea for this shoot started out as something completely different.  I found the skirt last year at a time when Giuliana was obsessed with ballet and princesses.  I could picture the joy on her face when she got the chance to twirl around in it.  I thought it would be amazing for Grace’s newborn portraits.  I envisioned Giuliana finding her new baby sister swaddled in a basket, deep in the woods.  That shoot never happened.  It turned out to be much too lofty a goal for a sleep deprived new mother.

The summer came quickly and I had a new vision for the skirt.  I could see Giuliana running down the beach at sunset, the tulle of her skirt skimming the shallow water, stomping in tide pools, twirling in sunflare.  That never happened either.  Then autumn approached and I pictured Giuliana as a woodland fairy gathering fallen leaves and picking apples.  You guessed it… never happened.

And so, the skirt collected dust atop a pile of props in our studio basement.  Every time anyone tried to pull a prop, the skirt fell down and consumed them in a maze of tulle.   Everyone began asking me, “Are you ever going to use that skirt?”

I was.  But when?

I had started thinking that perhaps I would wait for a snowy day and finally get the pictures of Giuliana in the skirt before she outgrew it.  I was waiting for the perfect winter day.  I needed fresh snow cover, but warm enough temperatures that my kids wouldn’t freeze or be miserable.

Coincidentally, this past Friday I started looking around for a favorite photograph I took of Giuliana in the snow a few years ago and found that the original is gone.  All I have is the watermarked version from Flickr.  Do you remember this one?

Still grieving the loss of my favorite snow photo, on Saturday morning I saw the forecast for the weekend and decided I would FINALLY use that skirt for once and for all!  While I was at it, I would recreate my old favorite portrait and include Grace in it as well.

Contrary to popular belief, Giuliana does not like modeling for me and no amount of bribery will change her mind.  When I tell her we are going to take pictures she gives me a giant “aaaawwwwwww  I don’t want to!” and proceeds to hide behind the nearest large object while sucking her finger.  She’s a typical four year old, only probably worse because she’s had a camera in her face her whole life and she’s a pretty shy kid.  I actually showed her the “Princess Skirt” that I bought thinking it would be her dress-up dream-come-true and she immediately whined, “Mom, I’m not wearing that!  It’s silly.  It’s too big.  I don’t want to do pictures.”
Given her aversion to having her picture taken, whenever I do a photo shoot with her, I have to turn it into something fun so she forgets she’s having her picture taken.  As I hurriedly shopped and plundered the studio for the shoot, the idea for a scavenger hunt came together.

Giuliana ended up having a ball running through the woods, trying to sound out the words scribbled on tiny slips of paper and finding each of the treasures I had hidden for her amidst the snow.  Sweet Indulgence was the icing on the cake, giving us some sweet little confections to scatter throughout our set.  G has never met a jellybean she doesn’t like!  We even brought Grace out at the very end for a quick snap to pull off the infamous bunny tea party, version 2.0.

It all came together even better than I could have planned.  Sometimes, things just happen that way.  Here is my Alice, in her winter wonderland.

“Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood: and how she would gather about her other little children, and make their eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago: and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days.”

- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

It’s FREE! Book a full Heidi Hope Photography session for 2013 before January 11th and earn a FREE Valentine’s Day Mini Session at our studio!

Mini Sessions will be held on: January 17th, 2013
Deal Expires: 5pm EST, January 11th, 2013

Exclusively available to our 2013 clients, the Valentine’s Day Mini Session is a great way to get to know us at the studio and capture a few keepsake images for you or your child’s Valentine cards!

• A 15-minute shoot that captures up to three people in a custom Valentine’s Day set in the Heidi Hope Studio.
• Post-session custom image preparation with attention to each image by our team of editors.
• Approximately 5-8 images presented to you in an online ordering gallery available for 1 week.
• 24 free custom-designed wallets that you or your child can give out as Valentines!
• One custom Valentine’s Day-themed Facebook cover photo for showing off online.
• No minimum investment.

How do I take advantage of this deal??

Call the studio (401-864-1919) today to schedule and submit your session fee for your Full Session (must take place in 2013) and receive a complimentary Valentine’s Day Mini Session.  Please note we are here to answer your calls Monday through Friday 9-5pm.  Calls during non business hours will be returned in the order received.  Session fee must be submitted before the deal expiration date above.  If you already have a session booked for 2013 and would like to come in and visit us for a Valentine’s Day Mini, just give us a call and we’ll get you in the schedule.  We can’t wait to see you!

Restrictions:
The complimentary Valentine’s Day Mini Session includes photographer’s time and talent, custom image preparation, 25 free wallets, and 1 week online gallery hosting only.  All prints and products from your Valentine session are available for purchase approximately 2 weeks after your session in your online ordering gallery and are not included.  There is no minimum investment and no purchase necessary.  Online ordering gallery will be available for 1 week and will not be eligible for reactivation.  The Valentine session must be scheduled during our normal business hours after booking a full family shoot for 2013.  Session Fee for full photography session must be submitted in full to schedule your free Valentine’s Day mini session. Full photography sessions include family, boudoir, newborn, maternity, senior, or modeling sessions. Full photography sessions do NOT include Little Star or other special Heidi Hope Photography sessions. During the winter months, all sessions must start by 1pm due to the availability of natural light in the studio.  There are no rain checks and the session is non-transferable in the event of rescheduling. There is NO minimum investment after a Valentine’s Day Mini Session.

Hope to see you in the studio!

~ The Heidi Hope Team

Need a last-minute, meaningful Christmas gift that’s already wrapped for you? We offer gift certificates in any denomination at the studio! They’re perfect for friends and family, especially those who already have an upcoming session with us.

You can pick a gift certificate up at the studio, or we can ship one to you if ordered by the end of business today (Monday, December 17th)!

Give the studio a call at 401-864-1919 for more details and to order.

We’re so excited to be bringing back our December Deals! Every week from now until the new year we’ll be offering a special deal for a Heidi Hope Photography session.  Each deal is available for ONE WEEK ONLY.  After one week, the deal, and the opportunity, expires! If you’re a newsletter subscriber, you’re already in the know about the entire series. To hear about future promotions, sign up for our newsletter here.

This week’s deal (expires 5pm EST, December 14th, 2012): 25 free custom-designed birth announcements with a newborn session booked for January-March 2013!

This week’s deal is for those expecting mamas due in January or February of 2013.  Our calendar is now filling fast in those months and we want to be sure to save room for our newborns! Book a newborn session this week when mom’s due date is in January or February and receive 25 of our LUX custom designed birth announcements for FREE to share the gorgeous portraits and the joy of your new arrival with friends and family!  These are our most amazing custom cards, and a value of up to $100.

How do I take advantage of this deal??

Call the studio (401-864-1919) this week to schedule and submit your session fee for a newborn session. Please note we are here to answer your calls Monday through Friday 9-5pm.  Calls during non business hours will be returned in the order received.  Session fee must be submitted before 5pm EST, December 14th, 2012.

Please visit our Website or browse our newborn sessions on the blog to learn more about Heidi Hope Photography sessions!

~ The Heidi Hope Team

The adorable G family has been traveling a long way to the studio ever since biggest sister C, now 3 1/2, turned 1 year old.  Since then, I had the joy of helping them welcome  little sister S, now 2 1/2, as a newborn and then celebrate her first birthday.  I was thrilled to hear that they were expecting a baby BOY this year to complete their adorable family!  Little brother L was adorable, a great sleeper and adored by his two sweet big sisters.  They were so full of excitement around him that I’m surprised we nailed a shot with them standing still for a moment!  The carriage image was especially important to mom because we used the very same carriage when S was a newborn.  Thanks for coming to visit us again G family!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

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

Wow!  Holiday madness is in full swing at the studio!  As we started brainstorming our 2012 Holiday Studio card, I became sentimental.  It has been SUCH a good year!  Both personally, as Shaun and I moved into our new home and were blessed with our new baby girl Grace, and professionally as we had our best year in business yet.  What I am most thankful for is our clients, who have become like family to us.  All of you moms have become my girlfriends, all of these adorable babies have grown up before my eyes, and I’ve been honored to take pictures of it all along the way!  When I got teary eyed at a recent cake smash, I realized just how much I love my clients.

We’ve had lots of new families sign up for our Baby Plan in 2013 and I’m already thrilled just thinking about being a part of their lives.  And for each new family who joined ours this year, another family returned to us with their second or third babies.  I was able to watch my former newborns become amazing big brothers and sisters or celebrate their first birthdays.  I feel so grateful looking back on it all.  So THANK YOU to our amazing clients who choose us time and again.  Thank you for trusting me to capture the most special time in your lives.  And thank you to all of these babies for making me burst with joy (and giving me my daily baby fix so I’m not eternally pregnant)!

Here’s our studio card from 2011!  We can’t wait to thank you again with this year’s card!

Best wishes for a joyful Holiday season!

I first met this fun family for mom and dad’s maternity session when they were expecting big sister E.  It was such a joy to help them welcome baby girl number two into their family and see what a great big sister E had become.  Baby D was quite different from her little sister as a newborn.  She was bigger, had a full head of hair, and was wide awake for much of our session!  Quite the social butterfly!  I loved watching E dote on her baby sister, showering her with kisses, and when she hugged her in the family shot below, I totally melted.  We have so many sweet shots, it was hard to choose favorites.  Enjoy your sneak peek!