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Roanoke Photographer l Stitch Fix Box Two Review

July 23, 2015

I received my second Stitch Fix box the other day and wanted to share my latest review. If you haven’t heard of Stitch Fix yet, check out my original blog post.

I was pretty disappointed in this second box of clothing. The first box really surprised me in that most of the fashions were spot-in for my tastes and the clothes fit well. The second box was a flop.

I had a new stylist this time around and I really doubt I receive her again given that I had left negative reviews for all my pieces of clothing. I’m not blaming that poor stylist personally—we just clearly aren’t a good match and that’s okay. I’m cool with going through some trial and error as I find the perfect stylist, but the blow did hurt a bit more this time because my first experience with Stitch Fix was so amazing.

First off, I got a pair of Lillie Cuffed black denim shorts. These fit really well and were flattering. In retrospect, I should have kept them. If these shorts had been denim, white or pretty much any color besides black I would have purchased them. I just don’t wear a lot of black (like, at all). Unless I’m wearing a black dress or yoga pants you probably won’t see me in black. I just felt like I didn’t have anything appropriate to pair with these bottoms so I sent them back.

Next up was a Fun2Fun bind tie neck top. This is the one piece I kept from my box. I wasn’t crazy about it by any means, but it really makes sense to keep either 1 piece from the box or all the pieces, and I didn’t want my existing $20 investment to go to waste so I determined to buy at least one piece out of this shipment. That’s why the pink shirt made the cut. My sister convinced me that because it was light-weight yet still had ¾ sleeves I could wear it as a transition piece into the fall. I have now worn this top about 3 or 4 times and I am sad I kept it over the shorts. The keyhole opening at the neck is too large and when I bend down you can totally see down my shirt. This means I have to wear an undershirt which totally defeats the lightweight purposefulness of the shirt in the first place!

The Sam Hi-Lo short sleeve t-shirt wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. It was baggy (which I know is the style) but I feel like baggy things just make me look like I have no shape.

The Jamie button down cotton shirt in white was just a “what was the stylist thinking” moment of exasperation. I have explicitly said I don’t want things that are hard to clean (or dry clean) in my Stitch Fix profile. Granted, this shirt is machine washable, but it’s WHITE! What mom wears white on an everyday casual basis? Maybe girl moms, I don’t know. But there is no way I am paying $40+ for a plain white, button up blouse that I will destroy after one wearing. Major fail.

Lastly, the Norma Lace dress. I love the way this dress looked until I put it on. It just didn’t fit my body right. I felt it was built more for a junior as the waist hit in a really weird place. Besides, the dress was really overpriced compared to the quality. That’s the first piece of Stitch Fix clothing that I’ve felt like was of inferior quality at all. I also purchased a dress in June from Stitch Fix, so I really didn’t need another dress. I was kind of relieved that I hated it because I have a weakness for dresses and if it had fit I may have ended up buying it.

I’ll totally keep you posted on the next box, and if you feel inclined to try out Stitch Fix yourself, please use my referral link! Any questions, just give me a shout and I’m happy to share more of my experience: heather@hparkerphotography.com

PS- I don’t get paid or anything by Stitch Fix for writing this review, it’s just my true feelings that I felt like sharing with my readers.

H. Parker Photography specializes in newborn, baby and child photography in Trophy Club, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to Dallas, Ft Worth and Roanoke.

Trophy Club Child Photographer l Underwater Camera Review

July 15, 2015

The other day I bit the bullet and invested in one of those point-and-shoot tough cameras. I had thought about purchasing one before our Florida trip last month, but I just couldn’t bear taking only a point and shoot and not one of my “real” cameras, as I thought “Why waste the money just to still lug around two cameras?”. Well, I’ve been sitting on that decision for over and month and finally decided that I really would like to have a tough camera in my arsenal–something I can take with me on trips or out by the pool at our house without constantly stressing over damaging my equipment. I purchased it and have been using it (mostly in and around the pool at home) to test out its durability underwater, video and image quality, so I figured I’d share my opinion here.

I purchased the Olympus TG-4. My main reason for going with this camera as opposed to some of the other tough cameras on the market (including a Go Pro) was that the image quality is supposedly better and it has the ability to shoot in RAW mode (something useful to folks who like to play around in Photoshop). The Olympus TG-4 got the best reviews for overall image quality, and decent review for video. Thusfar I have mainly used this camera while swimming, but I know one of its other major perks beyond being able to go underwater is that it is reportedly shockproof up to a 7 foot fall. I haven’t tested that one…and I don’t think I will since I’m not a professional reviewer or anything. 🙂

I will say that the underwater video is pretty nifty. I felt like the results were clear enough for what I wanted to achieve, and I got some cute videos of my son swimming over the weekend. I have heard great things about GoPro’s and I believe that their video quality is superior to this Olympus TG-4, so if you plan on doing a lot of video I’m not sure the Olympus is for you.

Here are some videos I took of my son swimming using the Olympus TG-4 so you can see for yourself. I didn’t do any editing to these videos, so what you see is exactly how it came out of the camera:

PS- If you want to know more about my son and his swimming, check out my blog on our experience with Infant Swimming Resource (ISR)

The real reason I purchased the Olympus was because I wanted something light that I’m not afraid to get wet or keep in rugged conditions for when we go on vacation. I would say the image quality is so-so. Someone that hasn’t been working with professional bodies would probably be very happy with the results, but to me it’s missing something. As a point-and-shoot, it doesn’t preform that well in low-lighting and I am having a hard time manipulating the focus quickly. Still, I’m happy enough to use it as something to take snapshots at the beach, the pool, the splashpark or some other excursion. My favorite part of this camera is that it is able to shoot in RAW. Long story short, this means that I have a bit more freedom in editing my photos. 90% of the time if I’m just taking basic snapshots of my family I really don’t care about editing because I’m just trying to preserve a memory and not creating a piece of art. This camera isn’t on par with my other gear, and I am not expecting to get creative with this or capture fine art. It’s just a click and shoot, lightweight, affordable option to keep on me when bringing my other gear would too stressful. However, I can’t deny the creative part of me that sees some images and just wants to do a bit of tweaking to make them pop. You can see the difference between this image, which is SOOC (straight out of camera) and the one below which I edited. Granted, my editing isn’t amazing because I am just learning how to work with underwater photos as they are a different beast to me, but I am pleased that I have this option.

H. Parker Photography specializes in newborn, baby and child photography in Trophy Club, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to Dallas, Ft Worth and Roanoke.

Trophy Club Child Photographer l Baby S First Birthday Cake Smash

July 14, 2015

I can’t believe it is already this little guy’s first birthday! I first met him as a newborn for his family’s newborn lifestyle session, which was absolutely gorgeous! Now he’s a little dude already walking.

Trophy Club Family Lifestyle Photographer | H. Parker Photography | www.HParkerPhotography.com

Baby S’s family lifestyle session- July 2014

Baby’s S’s first birthday/cake smash session was held at the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens. Mom brought along some fun vintage aviator props to fit with his birthday theme. It was a sweaty experience with a lot of walking around, but in the end I think it was worth it as there are some great images captured of Baby S.

I was also so excited to see Baby S just devour his cake. Truthfully, most cake smashes are somewhat staged because babies are bit timid and they kind of skirt around the cake or sometimes even cry because it’s an unfamiliar food. Baby S was ready for that cake though and I loved capturing the destruction in all its glory. Mom said they were headed on a road trip to Oklahoma following our session, so I’m hoping the sugar rush didn’t hit on the way.

Enjoy the sneak peek:

H. Parker Photography specializes in newborn, baby and child photography in Trophy Club, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to Dallas, Ft Worth and Roanoke.

Trophy Club Photographer l TasteBuds Kitchen

July 13, 2015

I had the best time visiting TasteBuds Kitchen Southlake last Friday. Their local storefront opened in Southlake a few months ago, and I was there to take some commercial photos of the space, as well as some of kiddos having fun in the kitchen.

If you don’t already know about TasteBuds, definitely go check out their website. They are all about fresh, unique cooking events and they call themselves a “kids’ kitchen by day and a BYOB adult kitchen by night.” They offer camps, parties and workshops for people of all ages. I was really impressed by the space and was especially intrigued by watching a group of children whip up some strawberry chocolate chip scones right before my very eyes.

So far I’ve only ventured into baking chocolate chip cookies with my own son at home, but I am totally psyched to try out some of their workshops in the future and see how my mini chef takes to it. I’m also going to gather some of my girlfriends for a ladies night out learning some nifty culinary skills like homemade pasta making!

Here’s a quick preview of my time at TasteBuds Kitchen!

H. Parker Photography specializes in newborn, baby and child photography in Trophy Club, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to Dallas, Ft Worth and Roanoke.

Keller Newborn Photographer l Baby C

July 3, 2015

Baby C visited my residential studio in Roanoke, TX yesterday for his newborn photos! This guy was a few weeks early, so I expected a little peanut but he was all cheeks and squish–so adorable!

Mom requested a lot of ivory, grey and blues so I chose a pretty neutral color palette for Baby C which is honesty my favorite for boys. Plus, Mom brought along a gorgeous navy knit blanket that I was able to incorporate into a few images. It is always nice when parents bring something extra that speaks to their family and baby’s personality.

Baby C was a fabulous little one to work with–he was so sleepy and snug. I paid for it by getting peed on a few times, but I am totally cool with because this man slept through it all. Mom is also a labor & delivery nurse and she was really chill about the whole ‘having a newborn’ thing, which I think often reflects onto baby and helps keep the whole environment supportive, loving and calm. I couldn’t have asked for a better baby to spend my morning with yesterday, and I am loving going through his images.

Enjoy the sneak peek from Baby C’s newborn photo session!

H. Parker Photography specializes in newborn, baby and child photography in Trophy Club, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to Dallas, Ft Worth and Roanoke.

Trophy Club Child Photographer l Bailey The Dog

July 1, 2015

Some quick photos taken in my Roanoke, TX residential studio of my dog, Bailey. I have two dogs, both of them in their senior years, and I just thought it would be a good idea to take some “official” pet portraits of them. Bailey was first up and I will have to tackle Rufus some other day. My son, Holden, was “helping” during this session so it was pretty abbreviated as I was trying to juggle both dog and child and the whole thing lasted maybe 3 minutes with 2.5 of those minutes being devoted to attempting my dog and child to listen to commands. So I thought I’d do Rufus’ photos on a calmer day when perhaps Holden is at school or something.

Just a quick peek into my life and the things that are important to me. 🙂 Enjoy these happy pup photos:

H. Parker Photography specializes in newborn, baby and child photography in Trophy Club, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to Dallas, Ft Worth and Roanoke.

Roanoke Baby Photographer l Baby T First Birthday Cake Smash

June 29, 2015

I met up with Miss T this past weekend for some first birthday/cake smash photos! We went to the Grapevine Botanical Gardens–I totally love this spot. It’s full of beautiful greenery, flowers, stone paths and there is almost never a crowd.

I actually did Miss T’s newborn photos as well, and Mom brought along the same yellow tutu to feature as part of the first birthday cake smash. It is always fun to see how these little ones grow up in a flash, and bringing along the same item of clothing really shows that off.

Baby T was super mellow for me–she was super relaxed through the whole session and I don’t recall her having meltdowns at all–Mom and Dad should be proud. She was also a fast walker, and I can’t believe that the last 5 to 10 “first birthday” babies I’ve had recently have all been runners by their first birthday photo sessions.

H. Parker Photography specializes in newborn, baby and child photography in Trophy Club, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to Dallas, Ft Worth and Roanoke.

Roanoke Family Photographer l Destin Vacation Pictures

June 24, 2015

Things have been fairly quiet on my blog here because last week I was out of town for vacation in Destin, Florida! The vacation included myself, my husband, our son, my Dad, my two sisters and my middle sister’s boyfriend.

We had a great time and I always like sharing some of my vacation photos with my followers (check out my post last year from Gulf Shores, Al)! I took most of the photos pictured with my first DSLR, which remains my backup camera (a Canon Rebel T3i). Obviously, I had some limitations with taking this camera instead of my real gear. Plus, I took what I consider my backup lenses (a Canon 50mm 1.8; a Canon 70-300mm f/4 which only works on my T3i). The exception to that is that I did take along my Sigma Fisheye, but you won’t see a HUGE amount of fisheye distortion in the images because I was working on a crop body, thus minimizing the effect. I say all this because a lot of time people get hung up on what gear they are working with, and the truth is that this “backup” gear worked just fine for my vacation. A trained professional is going to see the difference–and I see the difference–but capturing memories is so much more important to me than sweating it about ruining my top notch gear. Okay, so that’s my random side note for the day. 🙂

Our main activity was hanging out at the beach. The surf was really rough the first three days of our visit, but that didn’t stop the older ones from riding the waves on floats. My son stuck mostly to the sand and surf.

One afternoon the boys in our group went golfing and the ladies (plus my son) went to the Gulfarium just outside Destin. It was basically a half indoor/half outdoor marine aquarium and I was really impressed. They had a mama dolphin with her baby, penguins, sea lions, sting rays, turtles, alligators, tortoises and a touch tank.

The other big activity we did was a sunset dolphin excursion. My son was totally not feeling the whole boat thing at first, but eventually he warmed up to the idea and some of my favorite photos were from that outing.

Remember, you don’t have to be on vacation to capture family memories! Email me to learn more about scheduling your family photography session this summer!

H. Parker Photography specializes in newborn, baby and child photography in Trophy Club, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to Dallas, Ft Worth and Roanoke.

Roanoke Family Photographer l Stitch Fix Review

June 22, 2015

Every now and then I like to take a break from talking about newborn photography stuff and just post some regular tidbits from my life, so today I thought I’d offer up my personal review of Stitch Fix. Stitch Fix is, according to their website, “the affordable and accessible personal styling service” that sends five items to your doorstep for $20. You can use this $20 to purchase item(s) from your box. If you purchase all 5 items in the box you receive a 25% discount off your total bill. Any items you don’t purchase can be sent back to Stitch Fix completely free in a prepaid envelope. So basically if you hate everything in the box and return all items you are only out the $20 styling fee. If you love everything you are out whatever the cost of the items is, minus your existing $20 investment. I heard buzz about this company for years now, but given that since 2011 I’ve been at home I did not really think it was something that I could justify spending money on. However, the buzz has grown stronger and louder over the past few months, and I recently got involved with a Facebook thread in my Moms League group where a bunch of Stitch Fix users were talking about their experiences. I decided to take the plunge and go ahead and schedule a Stitch Fix box. [Read more…]

Roanoke Newborn Photographer l Baby N

June 14, 2015

Baby N visited my residential studio in Roanoke, TX this morning for his newborn session. This little guy was about a week overdue, so he was definitely roly-poly and adorable. I loved his head of blonde hair. Plus, the blonde hair suited Mr. N as he was such an angelic baby for me.

I always advise parents that newborn sessions can take anywhere from 2-4 hours, but Mr. N was such a champ that he never cried, peed or pooped on me at all! So I deliver an A+ to little Baby N for adorableness and newborn photo taking skills. [Read more…]