I met Heather Huffman on a road trip to Houston, TX to see Queens of the Stone Age in concert. I love reading people and feeling out their energies. I was instantly drawn to Heather. She is someone that you want to hear from, someone that you care to hear speak. Sweet in spirit but has the soul of a train. It’s incredible how much you can learn about a human when you have the honor of working with them. I enjoy working with people who make me feel something inside, something new, something cool. There are boundless amounts of photographers in the DFW area, SO MANY HIPSTA PHOTOGRAPHAS. I chose Heather. Heather is simply good at what she does; there is no fluff or façade. She’s stunning in appearance and stature. She is my blonde bombshell, taller than a tree. A pretty eyed woman that I call friend. She wore blue jeans and flats to the shoot. Her time was spent hustling in the dirt and weeds to find the most intrinsic angles and candid moments. She captures spirits, not just faces. She captures souls, not just silhouettes. I lucked out and was able to pick her brain for some insight… What were your childhood hobbies? I have adored writing stories and poems since I was a little girl. I had an affinity for anything really tiny, like exceptionally small toys. I collected pigs (mostly stuffed animals and piggy banks). I also loved to draw. Childhood aspirations? Like many animal lovers, I swore I was going to be a vet and save all of the endangered animals. I can recall making signs that read "save the animals" when I was in elementary school. What interested you in photography? My sister gave me my first camera when I was in middle school. It was a film camera. I remember having impromptu photo shoots with my cousin, Mallory, in my living room wearing my big sister's dresses. I never actually considered it as a career possibility because my eldest sister is a professional photographer and I didn't want to step on her shoes, you know? But every time I took a personality/career inventory assessment (like Myers-Briggs and Strong), photography was always at the top of my results/suggestions. When did you start snapping photos? It was only a little over a year ago. My sister (the photographer one), at my surprise, asked me if I wanted her to train me to help shoot weddings with her. Of course I did!! So, she brought me along to weddings and trained me. When I started getting the hang of things, she began paying me an hourly wage and giving me more leeway. It wasn't long before I was able to buy my own DSLR and lens so that I could explore my own style of photography. How do you feel when you photograph someone? Photography is one of the most magical things in the world. To be able to stop time and capture a beautiful moment for someone never gets old. When I am on a shoot, my body just gets this crazy energy. It's hard to explain but it works kind of like caffeine for me. I also love capturing landscapes and skylines. Me, my camera, a beautiful sunrise and a vacant landscape...the most serene and spiritual experience. Photography is the beauty of life captured. It has little to do with what you see but everything to do with HOW you see it. When did you begin your photography career/business? Pretty recently. My first independent photo shoot was for a beautiful model named Bree last summer. Where do you see your business going? What do you envision for the climax? One of my dreams would be for Josh and I to begin our own business together. I would be the photographer and he the videographer. We would shoot weddings, engagements, senior pictures, graduations…the whole enchilada. It is also a dream of mine to do some fashion photography. The perfect climax would be getting my work published somewhere. What is your desired feel or style for your work? I love warm and earthy tones so I generally only shoot with natural lighting, specifically during golden hour, which is "photog" talk for the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset. It creates the most breathtaking, ethereal warmth and glow for images. I have become quite obsessed with lighting. It's so important. Do you mainly photograph families? Weddings? Graduations? What's your favorite? I do it all. I love capturing weddings, engagements, family portraits, senior portraits, nature...all of it. What I find most rewarding is artistic/conceptual photography. What is your camera/lens of choice? I shoot with my Canon 5D Mark ii. I usually carry a 50mm 1.4 and a 85mm 1.4. Do you have a favorite quote? "Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt."- Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Your favorite author? Kurt Vonnegut. Your favorite band? Man, tough one. Either Radiohead or Sigur Ros. See more of Heather's work on photo page.
Date Sunday, January 25, 2015 Location Arbor Hills Nature Preserve Plano, Texas Feel Eerie Astral Unalike Stylist Me Threads Free People Urban Outfitters Tony Lama Target Gypsy Warrior Texas Thrift Earthbound Random Shops Cosmetics Chanel Bare Minerals MAC Urban Decay Tarte Sephora Rimmel London Musical Readying Aerosmith RUN-DMC Men At Work Comedian/Boss Sheila Aguilar @valiumskies Booking heather.e.huffman@gmail.com @heather.e Soleil et Lune Photography
1 Comment
Boots are priority.
I feel like I’m always crushing on a pair of boots. Boots are home, comfort and security for me. My boots have an average life span of five years. After a good five years, they die in my closet; I watch them die. I can’t imagine throwing them out. Who does that? I spend good money on them; let me watch them die. I was staring at my closet one morning and wondering, “How much of this shit do I actually wear?” Still haven’t worn that copperish colored motorcycle jacket (so much prettier than what you’re currently imagining). It’s been over two years and I still haven’t left my house in it. Money hangs in my closet while I bitch about hating all of my clothes, tisk tisk. A garment has to really be something special for me to keep it around for any length of time. When I love something, I REALLY LOVE IT. I will wear it 2-3 times a week. Sheer Black. Jaded Flannels. Rendered Denim. Faded Black. Mean Boots. Wilted Fabrics. Vintage Band Graphics. Aged Denim. Black Leather. Eclectic Kimonos. Lengthy Silhouettes. Black. Hippie Threads. I love what I love. Let us all love what we love! However, I can be very flighty with my clothes. Love it in the store but ready to re-sell it two days later. Some things stick, some things don’t. I loaded up 25% of my clothes into black trash bags, kind of felt bad, like I was hurting their feelings. With confidence, I scurried across the parking lot to Plato’s Closet. I sell to Plato’s Closet at least four times a year… Like a snob, I submit my trash bags thinking, “Surely, they are going to pay me $5,738 for all of my awesome shit.” “Jodi, your buy is ready for you to review.” “We are willing to offer you $54.50 for your items, would you like to accept?” Bitch, what? Couldn’t make it $55? Fifty cents? Always heartbreaking to know you’ll never get what you paid for 25% of your closet. What a tragic beating for women who like to shop… Must Not Be So Impulsive Jo. You Do Not Have As Much Money As You Think Idiot. As the lady is counting out my cash, I turned to my left, there they were. SON OF A BITCHIN’ BOOTS. Tony Lamas. Vaquero style. Snip toe. Wingtip metal accents. Authentic stitching. High-rise. Muted gray. Like a desperate moron, I shouted, “MAM! Are these for sale?!” I flipped the dangling neon price tag to find out that they were FORTY-FIVE DOLLARS!!! Y’all, these boots were worth a minimum of three hundred in their prime. I returned forty-five dollars cash to the lady at the counter and walked out with my dream boots. I was high. High as a kite. Thanking the boot gods. Grinning for the universe. Bury me in these. Jo |