Josh’s only requirement was that we did the session around a lake and I happen to know a perfect spot for that (Thank you Lindsay & Rob!).  Kristin and Josh’s laughter was contagious and they were super friendly and we stood around after the session just talking, which was awesome.  They even brought their spoiled rotten, but adorable puppy to get in a few shots!

As we were walking around looking for places to shoot that weren’t in the GLARING sunlight that was coming off the lake, we looked over the wall and someone said, “Ooh that would be pretty.”  So we all rolled up our jeans, took off our shoes and climbed into the lake (which was surprisingly warm!)

I saw an idea for this tutu dress on Pinterest and KNEW my friend over at FruFru’s and Tutus could make it for me.  So I showed her a picture and she produced the most amazing tutu ever!  It was exactly how I imagined it!  I then asked my husband who, at the time worked for Tiffany and Co. to bring home a few old bags for me to use as props.  I found the strands of ‘pearls’ at the flea market for TEN CENTS each (super proud of that find!) and Heather had a crown for her daugther to wear and we were set!

If this were my daugther, these pictures would be hanging on 16×20 canvases in my living room and one day when I have a permanent studio (I’m dreaming big for this business!) at least one of them will be placed up on a wall!

I needed a model for an idea I had brewing and when I asked around, Heather offered up her adorable daughter for my use.  While we were planning session dates, she asked if we could do some of both her girls and maybe a few family pictures.  Of course, I was more than willing to do that and we met one afternoon at Glen Carin Gardens for a quick session before moving on to another location to finish the stylized shoot I wanted to do!

Her oldest took direction SO well and her youngest was simply precious!  Enjoy!

Little K hadn’t had pictures done since she was born (and is now almost TWO!) so we had to do some solos of her

…when a two year old decides she’s finished being a photo diva…she means it!

I thought this was an awesome way to get your shirt off after having your hair fixed.  All the girls made shirts and then just cut them off when they went to get ready!

After the ceremony, the wedding party took a limo (services provided by Exclusive Limousine) over to the reception at Embassy Suites – Concord.  I was super pumped to see that on their schedule we had from 3:30-5 for pictures around the place before they headed to a private wedding party cocktail hour!  We had plenty of time to get their party photos done!  I love schedules where we have all that scheduled time : )  The reception was a blast!  Their DJ’s, Split Second Sound, kept the party moving and dancing through out the night!

(See what I mean?  Super fun wedding party!)

Amy and Calvin – thank you for letting me be a part of your special day!  Everything was beautiful and I know you two are going to be so happy together!    You can see their engagement photos here and Amy’s stunning bridal portraits here!

First we have adorable Ms. G sporting a fancy tutu made by Jill of Fru Fru’s and Tutu’s.  You should definitely check out her work because it’s pretty awesome!  (More of her tutu’s will be featured in this post and again later in another blog!)

Would you look at that face?!  Priceless!

Up next we have little Ms. E’s session!  This was an Easter spring mini shoot and she rocked it!  I love shooting kids this age; it’s all about letting them be themselves and chasing them around with the camera!  Don’t bother trying to pose because they will do EXACTLY what you ask them not to do!

Finally we have a few pictures from a planned party that I did with Children’s Party Plus.  If you’re looking for a party planner for your child’s next birthday, I HIGHLY recommend them!  They put everything they have in to every party they do and I just love working with them!  Sadly I can’t show the awesomeness that was this party as the images are currently being submitted to blogs and magazines but I can’t show a few of the super cute kids we worked with and feature a few more of Jill’s tutus!

I promise to (try to) get better!

Up on the blog today, I can FINALLY post Amy’s STUNNING bridal portraits!  Since her dress was satin, she requested that we do her photos inside which could pose an issue if her parents house wasn’t perfect for bridal photos!  Keep an eye out for a sneak peak of Amy and Calvin’s wedding posted later this week!  (And hopefully a session or two!  )

All day long, people kept commenting on they love they have for each other and it shows in every single picture I took.  These two are so full of life and I know they’re going to have such a happy marriage!  Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your day!  I hope the Bahamas were gorgeous and that you have safe travels up to Minnesota to start your new life together as one!

Such a FUN wedding party!  They kept me laughing the whole day!  You can tell how close all of them are together – most of the party is related!

I turned and managed to catch this moment between brothers – LOVE!

See?  It was pouring rain – luckily we had an umbrella for the bride but the rest of us weren’t quite so lucky!

Some of my favorite captures are always the parents and their respective children.  It’s always such a tender moment.

Best. Bride. Pose. EVER.

(These are just a few of my initial favorites – there will be many many more to follow!)

The first of many as I try to catch up is Michelle and DJ’s engagement session!  Michelle and I have been emailing back and forth for about 4 months now, trying to find a date to meet up and do their pictures.  First she’d be busy, then I’d be busy…then the Christmas holidays came and before we knew it, bam!  Four months had passed.  We FINALLY settled on a day in February and wouldn’t you know it, it POURED rain and was freezing cold so we had to reschedule.  Again.

But oh it was so worth the wait!  I had such a great time working with Michelle, DJ and their 2 year old son who joined us for a few of the pictures!  The weather and locations were a perfect fit as Michelle and DJ are the outdoorsy type!  I can’t wait to continue working with this awesome couple!  Your October wedding is going to be a BLAST and I can’t wait to see little Brayden in a tux!

(Did I mention that they were brave enough to try out a new location with me and that I fell in love with every image?)

While Heather is the “face” of our joint venture, I do a lot of the behind-the-scenes work.  If you’ve browsed through this website, received written materials, or been emailed a receipt or contract, you’ve seen a little bit of my handy work.  Every day, I work with Heather to make sure that you all, as our clients, get the very best experience possible.  I also keep track of the not-so-small details like our licenses and insurance (I will post another blog discussing why these simple documents are critical when you are looking to book a photographer).

Working towards our goal of making sure that every client is thrilled with our services, I want to encourage everyone to reach out to Heather and I with any questions or concerns.  You will NEVER hurt our feelings – I’m always impressed with the customer who asks lots of questions because it means that they understand what they want.  It also gives us the opportunity to illustrate how we are going to meet your specific needs, and that’s really what our company was founded on – offering customized packages at affordable prices so that you can keep your memories without extras you don’t want or need and without breaking the bank.  Trust me – we know how it is to be newly married and broke!

Anyway, now that you know a bit about what I do, I wanted to share with you some photos that I recently took of Heather during an impromptu trip to Savannah.  It was fun to get to exercise my shutter finger, and it was a good opportunity to experiment with different types of lighting with only minimal equipment at the shoot.  As I said before, I am available for hire as a second photographer to work with Heather at weddings and events!

In the meantime, if you want to learn more about me, you can visit my “About” page at http://www.hmkphotography.com/andy.  I look forward to working with you soon!

Several of these shots were candid.  I simply watched Heather as she took some shots and then took advantage with some quick snaps.

None of these use artificial lighting.

This next one was almost more luck than anything; the angle of her lens made for a nice reflection.  Like several others, this one was candid.

This next one is a play on a famous Tiffany & Co. ad, originally shot in Central Park.  I overexposed it on purpose to imitate a high-key portrait.

Same place but exposed correctly (considering how bright the sun is) and in color.

I always struggle with deciding if I should send an image to a client in black and white or color.  Often I will edit the image twice, sending both with different levels of contrast, and editing specifically for the final print.  This one was posed but the location we found when looking for a place to eat lunch.  I grabbed Heather and we quickly shot a few photos in the alley.  Often times I find that even the best posed photographs are spur-of-the-moment.

As a side note – I was able to use my brand new 70-200mm lens for these pictures.  I LOVE it!  So excited to use it more as wedding season starts in 3 weeks for me!  Yay!

What not to do at a roller derby match

Yes…  it’s that brutal.  I was a little nervous coming to sit down on the line based on the fact that I had about $5000 dollars of equipment mashed to my face : )

Now the legal stuff I hate:
These images are Copyright Heather Rickelman 2012.  Downloading these images, saving them to computer or altering them in any way violates copyright.  If you wish to use an image please contact me at heather@hmkphotography.com.  These images are sized for web viewing, meaning that they will be blurry/grainy when printing.  Contact me and I can get you higher resolution for prints!