On a personal note - I am one Lucky Girl

I am one lucky girl - I have a wonderful husband who supports me in my dreams, two wonderful boys who (at times) adore me and I am forever grateful for having these three wonderful men in my life. As they say a little girl always looks for the qualities of her father in her husband - and that I found - Randy you are my true inspiration and best friend.



Saying that - I was lucky to have the qualities of two father's to look for (don't know if Randy was all too lucky as I was looking for some pretty big shoes to fill). You see sadly on March 31, 1976 my Father - Pte. David Robert Ferguson was killed in action in Northern Ireland - leaving behind a widow who was just 21 and myself - I was only 6 months old.



It was a hard time for Mum (who I and in awe of her continued strength and determination). Mum and I came to Canada to be closer to family - and what a great decision that was for both of us - for in Canada she met my Dad - Douglas Corrigan - a warm, caring and wonderful man (let it be said that my Aunt's, Uncle's and extended family on this side also welcomed us with open arms and open hearts), and I now have two caring brothers, Kevin and Scott.



I found this poem and wanted to share

What Makes A Dad


A Dad is a person
who is loving and kind,
And often he knows
what you have on your mind.
He's someone who listens,
suggests, and defends.
A dad can be one
of your very best friends!
He's proud of your triumphs,
but when things go wrong,
A dad can be patient
and helpful and strong
In all that you do,
a dad's love plays a part.
There's always a place for him
deep in your heart.
And each year that passes,
you're even more glad,
More grateful and proud
just to call him your dad!
Thank you, Dad...
for listening and caring,
for giving and sharing,
but, especially, for just being you!

~Author Unknown~

To my Dad who gave me life - I Love You, To my Dad who gave me Love - I Love You!

To the Moon and Back

Heatherbell

Where has the time gone

It seems like in a blink of an eye we are now at the end of March - in our house this means - putting away the Hockey Sticks and getting out the Lacrosse Sticks - We have our FINAL Hockey Game tonight and are in the middle of Rep Tryouts! But all this chaos means the summer is just around the corner! Green grass, no jackets, the smell of sunblock! I can feel the sun on me now just thinking about it :)


We are really starting to book up for the warm weather shoots - so book early to get the date you want.


Wishing you Sunshine Dreams and Summer Kisses

Heather

The Do’s and Don’ts of Stealing Images From Your Photographer

Recently I came across the following article thought - I could not have said it better myself -

published with the permission of Mom*Tog -

I get asked a lot by both photographers and clients what my policy is on letting my clients post their images to their blogs and facebook account. I personally love it when my clients post their family pictures on their blogs, facebook, etc. It shows me that they truly love their images! I encourage my clients to “steal” their pictures from my blog to use on the Internet. Here are a few do’s and don’ts that you should think about when re posting your images:

1) DO ask your photographer what their specific policy is on taking pictures off of their blogs. Some photographers encourage it and some don’t allow it. If this is important to you this is something you should ask BEFORE you hire your photographer!

2) DO include your photographer’s name and website under the images (a link would be super nice!). That’s just the polite thing to do

3) DON’T crop out their logo. Unless you have paid for the digital negatives don’t alter the files in anyway. Most photographers use their blogs to advertise their work and do so as a courtesy to give their clients a sneak peek. If a client crops out the logo then how will other people know who took the picture?

4) DON’T edit the picture in any way. Taking the pictures is only half of a photographers job. The other half is editing. If you think you can do a better job or want to edit out some of your wrinkles or use selective coloring please don’t show and/or tell your photographer. That is super insulting. If you don’t like your photographers editing enough to want to edit it yourself than maybe you need to find another photographer next year.

5) DON’T try to print from the files on the blog. For me specifically I know that the files I upload to my blog are too small to be printed in a 4×6 size. It’s not cool to invest in a family session and then print the images off of the blog and not pay for prints. Make sure you know how much the prints cost before the session to avoid sticker shock. Same goes for scanning prints that you already bought. Not cool! Some of my family members are guilty of printing images off of my blog. It makes me cringe when I see them FRAMED in their homes with my logo still on there! To be fair, I’m also not great at emailing them the file when they ask for it

ETA: Please feel free to re post this on your blogs and facebook. Just please give a link and a shout out to Mom*tog




Cheers
Heather

Spring ? ? ?

What a wonderful day - don't get me wrong I love my boys - but today they went back to school after their March Break! Do mum's get a March Break - I vote for a place with sun, sand, and a few beverages! Maybe a mum's break is getting to get back into a routine of housework, laundry, and in my case editing! LOL

I would be remiss to not mention in this post how much I L-O-V-E-D the BEAUTIFUL weather we were thankful to have last week - can someone please let me know where it went - is this not spring? What is it they say March comes in like a lamb and out like a lion? Can someone please tell Mother Nature it is not fair to toy with Canadians like this - does she not know we are people who love our flip flops and summer fun?


HMH Photography is busy putting some finishing touches on a few contests for the next few month - stay tuned - in the mean time we are running a Facebook Contest - lets see if we can get more people following my love!
in short the contest is as follows - Share your love of HMH Photography... simply post a little note in your status that reads "I'm a fan of HMH PHOTOGRAPHY(if you are not already a fan - join) put a note on the fan page and have your name entered into a draw - every note and comment is an entry - contest runs through till March 31st - contest details can be found on the FB page.

Until next time - try and stay warm and remember - the Easter Bunny will be here soon!

Love
Heather

Family Day / Gottya Day

Many who know me know that I was asked to be a part of the most amazing family experience last March - The Quinn Family (http://www.meetingsarah.blogspot.com) brought home their precious baby girl Sarah from China - I was lucky to accompany the "welcoming committee" to the airport - well a year ago today Empress Sarah was placed into the loving arms of her Mommy and Daddy (Today is their Family Day / Gottya Day). I can't believe how much Sarah has grown - below are a few images taken over the year of this very special famlily.

















Dear Empress Sarah, you will never know the true amount of joy, smiles and laughter you have brought to so many people.

To The Quinn/Kent Family, thank you for allowing me to be part of this special journey - I look forward to many more smiles over the years!

Heather

Big Hearts Raffle

I have been very fortunate to work with the wonderful Hearts of Durham Ladies for over 3 years now and I am very proud to be their official photographer - they are all true inspirations.

This year in conjunction with their annual Hearts of Durham Gala - they are introducing the Big Hearts Raffle! The prizes are amazing - fingers crossed for all who enter!




Over $10,000 in prizes to be won
Tickets $20 each and only 2500 will be sold
license # M552756

Hearts of Durham is extending our reach and as ever looking for new opportunities to support our community. This year we have decided to put together a raffle with over $10,000 in prizes. All proceeds will go to support Feed the Need in Durham – an umbrella organization that collects, warehouses and distributes food to local food banks.

Our first ever Big Hearts Raffle gives ticket holders the chance to win one of eight fantastic prizes. The draw will take place on March 31, 2010 and winners of the grand prize, 2nd prize and 3rd prize will be each given a pair of tickets to the Hearts of Durham Bee’s Knees Benefit held on April 17th, 2010 at Deer Creek Golf and Banquet Facility.

Grand Prize – Your choice of a family trip or a romantic getaway - $5,180.00
The Family Fun Package includes return airfare from Toronto - Orlando and accommodations for 4 (2 adults and 2 children) in Walt Disney World including Disney park passes. Love in the Sun Package includes return airfare from Toronto, accommodations at the exclusive Sandals resort in the Caribbean, all meals, drinks, daily activities, and nightly entertainment. Travel arrangements provided by Latitudes Plus.

2nd Prize – Home Theatre System - $3,180.00
Watch your favourite DVDs while relaxing in the comfort of your own home on your 54" Viera Panasonic Plasma Television and Panasonic DVD Home Theatre System.

3rd Prize - $1000 VISA card - Let your imagination take you away.

5 Hearts Prizes - $100 grocery gift cards

How is the money going to be used? Feed the Need in Durham requires a refrigerated truck for safe transport of food goods throughout Durham region, as well as a community kitchen/redistribution kitchen (for repacking large quantities of food into smaller packs). Please buy a ticket today and help Feed the Need serve those in need in our community.

Hearts of Durham is a volunteer group made up of our core team of nine women and numerous other volunteers who are helping to make the community of Durham a better place in which to live, work and play. We support one charitable organization each year by coordinating various high level fundraising events.


For tickets, please go to our web site www.heartsofdurham.com or contact me personally at dbaltovich@rogers.com tel 905-655-0651 x1
Hearts of Durham
www.heartsofdurham.com
Hearts of Durham is a grassroots, volunteer organization whose members are committed to supporting and reinvesting in the Durham community.