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