trophy club newborn photographer Archives - Page 4 of 9 - Ft Worth Newborn Baby Photographer

Roanoke Newborn Photographer l Consumer Lab Comparison

August 14, 2015

Want to know my biggest pet peeve about being in the professional photography business? It’s when people don’t print their photos!! I’m know I’ve been super vocal about that on this blog over the past year, but I honestly can not understand why anyone would invest in custom, fine art, professional photography and then never bother displaying their images.

Of course I do offer the digital files and many of my clients choose to go that route. To be honest, sometimes I cringe when handing over digital images because I fear that those precious images that the family invested so much time, effort and money into making happen are just going to sit on a flash drive or computer and eventually will be lost to the digital abyss.

I know the main reason clients order digitals is so they can print their own images and save money, and I get it–I mean, I am all for saving moo-lah. In fact, I even visit two grocery stores every Wednesday (that’s the day that grocery stores publish their ads) and do the whole price-matching pain in the caboose thing at Wal-Mart and Aldi. Side note: if you pay over 99 cents a pound for apples you might be crazy.

Here’s the thing, I really want to give my clients the best education in what you are paying for because ALL PHOTO LABS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL!!! Even professional labs have a ton of variation, and I’ve spent the money printing samples with different pro labs so I could choose the one I felt best reflects my photography work. [Read more…]

Ft. Worth Newborn Photographer l Now Booking Fall/Winter 2015 Newborns

August 7, 2015

NOW BOOKING FALL/WINTER 2015 NEWBORN SESSIONS.

My fall weekends are filling up, but I always leave spaces open for my fall and winter newborns! How could I survive the season without scheduling in some baby snuggles?

Newborn sessions booked by Sept. 1st will receive 25 complementary birth announcements!

Email me (heather@hparkerphotography.com) to book your 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.

Roanoke Family Photographer l Now Booking 2015 Fall Sessions

August 4, 2015

H. Parker Photography is now booking Fall 2015 sessions.

Only a few weekend spots left in my fall lineup!!

I know it feels early (and too hot) to be thinking about holiday cards and family photos, but my calendar is getting very full. Please get in touch with me ASAP if you’re thinking of doing photos this fall before I’m all booked up. Want to get in the mood for fall photos–check out my blog on my favorite DFW fall photography locations! [Read more…]

Roanoke Family Photographer l Top Fall Photo Locations in DFW

August 4, 2015

As a photographer I have had the opportunity to explore so many places in and around Dallas/Fort Worth. Each location has different features and aspects that make it unique. I like to have a pre-session consultation with all of my full session clients to discuss location possibilities and what is right for you and your particular session needs/wants. However, I thought it would be fun to share my favorite places in DFW to take fall photographs:

Bear Creek Park, Keller: If you’re looking for fall color close to home, this is one of my favorite spots. There is a little alcove of trees that tends to pop with fall color. Fall foliage is a pretty tough thing to find in Texas, and this spot has to be timed just right before a big cold front blows off all the leaves. When this spot works though, it really works and that is why I held some 2014 fall mini sessions here as well as my own 2014 fall family photos and my son’s 3^rd birthday pictures.
T&P Warehouse: I love the browns and rust colors at the T&P Warehouse. There may not be any nature in sight, but I feel like the industrial color palette still sends off a fall vibe. Plus, because these images aren’t taken in nature you really can’t place what season they were taken in, and it is possible to dress in a completely non-seasonal wardrobe if you want your images to be in-style year round.
Bob Jones Nature Center: This area boasts lots of open fields, a rustic red barn and fall grasses. You will see more green and gold here than typical fall foliage, but with the right clothes you can definitely get that crisp, autumn style in a rustic setting. I also did a few 2014 fall mini sessions at this location.

[Read more…]

Roanoke Baby Photographer l Baby F First Birthday Session

July 29, 2015

Baby F and his family met with me this past Saturday at the Grapevine Train Depot for a first birthday session. This little guy wasn’t so sure about having his picture taken, but in the end I think there were some great shots captured.

This little guy actually first visited me around six months, and I am still in love with this adorable baby photo from back then:

I can never believe how quickly time flies, and I am so honored this his family chose me to document his first few months of life and his first birthday!

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 Christmas in July Sale

July 24, 2015

It’s Christmas in July time!! From now until July 26, 2015 at midnight I am offering 15% off image blocks. [Read more…]

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.