Archive for the ‘Photography Related’ Category
we all know who the king of rock and the king of pop are, but few people are familiar with the king of ska: jamaica’s own derrick morgan. last year i had the opportunity to meet and photograph him as part of a documentary by generoso fierro who puts together the roots of reggae, rocksteady, and ska on film. 
some of my favorite music comes from jamaica. ken boothe, hopeton lewis, delroy wilson, alton ellis, just to name a few.
i was recently contacted to do a shoot in jamaica and i couldn’t say no! while most americans hadn’t held passports for years and were able to still flock to the caribbean, my passport is on its last legs and i have never been to the caribbean – or jamaica for that matter. i will be working on two shoots in the town of negril. i used allison at CRC Travel (773-525-3800) who has been great in helping me understand booking with the right layovers & thus ensuring even with delays i have a higher chance of making it to important destination shoots. i’ve also passed her name on to several clients for their honeymoon travel agent needs. though we all have the capacity to book travel online, sometimes it is very helpful to have someone to guide you through decisions you may not have even thought of.
those of you who have seen me shoot know that i often carry around my trusty jelly bean trolley made by designer hideo wakamatsu. how could you miss it, right? you’d be amazed how much gear you can fit in this little beast. it’s not specifically a photographer’s equipment case, but it does the job well. i use the tamrac modular accessory system to safeguard my equipment and with a little practice, i am able to fit a lot of gear into a small suitcase – and whats even bettter, it fits in airplane overhead bins.
two of the most important things i will bring on my trip are my hasselblad and my iphone. over wifi i will be available by phone and have access to email. 
unfortunately although my dog has been on airplanes before, she has to stay home for this trip.
random note: for any film photographers who follow me, the best investment for a hasselblad system is the acute matte D focusing screen. i swear by it!
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during their engagement shoot, abigail and sam told me about their wedding planning and were excited about having hired a professional lighting design team for their stan mansion wedding. they transformed a space that was a true blank canvas by choosing purple lighting that created an atmosphere for their wedding that guests commented about all night.
i photographed abigail getting ready at her home, and on the wall i noticed a painting by jamie haynes! i immediately recognized she had a connection to my favorite city: new orleans. abigail’s mother lives in new orleans’ garden district and we chatted a bit about second line parades. abigail didn’t grow up in NOLA otherwise i probably would have photographed another bride and groom in new orleans. abigal and sam headed to logan square for a planned meeting where they would have a documented “first look,” followed by some fun photos before the ceremony. after we finished creative photos in the park, sam went to stan mansion and made sure every detail was set perfectly, and gave a thumbs up to begin the ceremony. i wanted to make sure as much purple light was visible in their wedding photos as possible so i used my one of my favorite lenses for most of the night, that enables me to shoot without use of flash. whenever possible, i try to shoot without flash, or with low flash, so that the natural colors, shadows, and true look is preserved. i want my clients to have photos that accurately document their wedding from the little details, to the atmosphere of the room.
wedding vendors:
venue for ceremony & reception: stan mansion
photographer: heather parker photography
florist: lasalle flowers
lighting/drapery: art of imagination
br>caterer: food evolution
wedding cake: b true bakery
br>ceremony music: guitarrista neil dixon smith
Tags: bride, chicago, details, groom, heather, heather parker, heatherparker.com, ideas, illinois, inspiration, mansion, modern, new orleans, neworleans, NOLA, parade, parades, park, parker, photographer, photography, photos, planing, planning, purple, second line, second line parade, secondline, shoot, stan, stan mansion, stanmansion, wedding, weddings
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i am proud to have been selected as the wedding photographer for liza and nia’s wedding, and to be from massachusettts – the first state to allow gay marriage.
Tags: gay, heather parker, lesbian, ma, marriage, mass, massachusetts, photography, published, same, same-sex, sex, waltham, wedding, weddings
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i love when engagement shoots have props, couples that dress smart, and loads of colors. alison and steve arrived ready for some fun. i pedaled to the shoot on my vintage schwinn yellow bicycle and alison asked if we could use it during the shoot. the yellow bike and her fun red shoes coordinated perfectly wiht the vibrant colors we passed while making our way through their neighborhood.
the couple will be using me as their wedding photographer for their upcoming wedding at loyola university’s beautifully restored madonna della strada chapel and reception nearby downtown.
Tags: bicycle, bike, chapel, chicago, chicago wedding photographer, couple, fashion, heather, heather parker, loyola, parker, photographer, university, wedding, wedding photographer
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michelle and tom are one of the nicest couples i have ever worked with. they had a fabulous friday wedding. their ceremony was at saint athanasius church, which restricted the use of flash photography. i was able to conquer that obstacle by using the right lenses and i love the natural lights and shadows that are visible when flash is not used. challenges like this often create the most wonderful, emotional images. thank you michelle and tom for allowing me to document your special day!
update august 26, 2009, from the bride michelle:
“Picking your wedding photographer is so important — and Heather made that decision easy. Heather is not only a very talented photographer who knows her craft expertly, she was also able to capture our wedding day without intruding into it. Heather knew which parts of the day were especially good for “Kodak moments,” offered suggestions when appropriate, and was very easy and relaxed to work with. All while being very professional. My husband and I are camera shy, but Heather made us feel comfortable and has produced pictures that we can’t stop looking at! We couldn’t be more happy with Heather and our pictures!”
Tags: bride, groom, heather, heather parker, illinois, parker, photographer, photography, wedding, weddings
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i have photographed many jewish weddings and many christian/jewish “combo” weddings. this particular wedding brought together a catholic bride and jewish groom. it is always interesting to see friends and familiy being introduced to new traditions, especially the horah.
update august 24, 2009, the bride jill writes:
“Heather photographed our wedding in July, and we were really happy with the results. Her photographs truly captured the day, from makeup application to dancing. In looking for a photographer, we wanted someone who would document everything beautifully, but we didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg. We were also looking for a little style and creativity; we didn’t want just stuffy posed shots. Heather and her assistant were the perfect choice for us. Their style is modern, fun, creative, but they also do the group shots that you want.
Since we received the link to the online gallery, we’ve been getting rave reviews of the photos from family and friends. My uncle, in particular, was really impressed. He emailed me: “Without question those are the best pictures of a wedding I have ever seen. Incredible job.” One of my friends thought the photos looked like those you’d find in a magazine. It was the perfect ending to our wedding experience to get such amazing photos to reflect our day.
We were also really happy with our communication with Heather prior to the wedding. Since we live on the west coast, we were unable to meet with her before the big day. She tended to be super fast at replying to our emails, though, which comforted us and made us more confident that we were being listened to and were being taken care of.”
Tags: bride, groom, heather, heather parker, horah, jewish, parker, photography, photojournalism, photos, wedding, weddings
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though photographers never expect this from any client, i am often surprised with a show of appreciation either in the form of a regular tip, or with random, fun little gifts. kelly and patrick had a second wedding reception out of state shortly after their wedding. even though summer is peak wedding season, i wanted to make sure my client was able to show a few photos to their guests who were unable to be at their main wedding reception. it took some staying up into the weee hours of the night, but i was able to pull together what they wanted in record time. when kelly told me i should be expecting something in the mail, i had no idea what it was. kelly remembered how much i loved scooters, and got me the above lovely scooter pouch that i keep talking about to everyone.
and for those who are interested, now i will blog about scooters. i love them, as much as photography. below are some of my favorite scooter photos and scooter portraits (some taken while riding) in no particular order:
one of my 1974 vespa primaveras
montréal eric in las vegas with his vespa P200
what goes on when i’m not at work
the doohers on their lambretta jet 200
vespas in montréal
one of my primaveras
on a side note, these are not mopeds, there are no pedals.
Tags: vespa scooter lambretta scooters vespas
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i had a ton of fun shooting sara and andy’s beach wedding. during their ceremony (and of course during the important moments) the rain began to fall. it soon cleared up and we took a few photos along the water before making our way to the reception venue. as i am working on editing a ton of weddings, here are just a few teasers followed by a link to some more photographs.
click here for more photos
Tags: beach, bride, coastal, groom, heather, heather parker, parker, photographer, photography, sand, sandals, shoot, summer, waves, wedding
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the challenge continues! more photos at millenium park! i love this white sculpture better than cloud gate. the sculpture has these curves that take your eye around the negative space in a manner that reminds me of the images of one of my favorite photographers, herb ritts. he played around with lights and darks and curves to create refreshing images within a tired genre. the couple i photographed for this engagement shoot is having me photograph their wedding at the newly renovated spertus museum. spertus is just as much a piece of art as it is an architectural marvel. we were able to walk around inside touring the stark, beautiful spaces where the wedding ceremony and reception will be held. i even bumped into someone who was a guest at another jewish wedding i photographed recently.
Tags: architecture, engagement, heather, heather parker, millenium park, modern, museum, parker, photographer, photography, sculpture, spertus, wedding
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