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  • Change

    As with all things, life changes. Our relationships grow and some come to an end. As silly as I thought it was when Graeme Mitchell had his "The End" post, well... here's mine. This blog will be coming to a close as I move to clean up my commercial photography site heathercuriel.com . You'll still be able to find me regularly adding new content at heathercuriel.com/blog just not in the wordpress format nor will it be among these old posts. It took a long frustrating day and a three mile run for me to come to the conclusion that despite losing 3+ years of blogging chronicles, "tintype" seo power, and a few emotional words, I need to embrace change to grow. Like Graeme's post says "we have to change to stay the same". By next Tuesday night this blog won't be here, so I say to you farewell and hello...

    heather curiel jeff hopkins

    photo by my beloved, Jeff Hopkins

  • SXSW Tintypes

    Being invited to participate in the SXSW Analog Anonymous Meetup 2013 has brought me to an interesting idea. Inspired by the social networking frenzy and pop up feel of the upcoming festival, I've decided to do things a little different for this session. Only FIVE advanced reservation spots are available during 3/14 and 3/15 then another FIVE pop up tintype sessions will be available.  You'll just have to find me via FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER to see where I am on the day of the session and have your portrait taken. I'll definitely be in downtown Austin  on 3/14 and 3/15 from 11am-4pm, weather permitting. SXSW is about the experience and magic of not knowing what exactly will happen. Please email me to reserve your spots, cause once they're gone, they're gone. Find more info over the upcoming two weeks using #sxswtintypes on instagram and twitter. I can't wait to tintype you.

  • SXSW Tintypes

    Being invited to participate in the SXSW Analog Anonymous Meetup 2013 has brought me to an interesting idea. Inspired by the social networking frenzy and pop up feel of the upcoming festival, I've decided to do things a little different for this session. Only FIVE advanced reservation spots are available during 3/14 and 3/15 then another FIVE pop up tintype sessions will be available.  You'll just have to find me via FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER to see where I am on the day of the session and have your portrait taken. I'll definitely be in downtown Austin  on 3/14 and 3/15 from 11am-4pm, weather permitting. SXSW is about the experience and magic of not knowing what exactly will happen. Please email me to reserve your spots, cause once they're gone, they're gone.

    Find more info over the upcoming two weeks using #sxswtintypes on instagram and twitter. I can't wait to tintype you.

  • 2013 and conquering fear

    I've written this post in my head a hundred times over throughout the year. 2013 will be the year of conquering fears. When I seperated this blog from my wedding blog earlier in 2012, I felt like I lost a sense of experimentation. I feel like I've held a lot back to fit more into a mold of what I see from other wedding photographers. And when I think how I felt shooting my first wedding all on a twin lens, making connections, laughing, dancing, I think about how it was only me there, photographing in my own skin. Not worried about getting the "right" images or copying anything I had seen before. It was me connecting, focusing, shooting. The beauty of the internet is the connectivity of it all and for this I'm greatful. However the largest downside for me has been seeing what other wedding photographers are doing and comparing and fitting into other people's molds.

    2012 brought with it the wonderful opportunity to meet, connect, and listen to inspirational talks from several other wedding photographers. And throughout the year something changed in me. I recognized that #1 for me in weddings, is not just about the photos that I'm making, but mostly importantly about my clients. Without each and every one of them falling in love, bringing together groups of their wonderful friends and families, all of them trusting me, I  would not be making any photos at all. Maybe it's part of growing up, being a growing business owner whatever it is, I realized things had to change... but in doing this, making sure my clients were taken care of I feel like I may have gone too far in the other direction. Lost a sense of myself... In moments of decision I feel like lately I've taken the easy route and not followed my heart. Followed instead to create images I know I've already seen, not written words that are personal to me on this blog. Been more caught up with facebook likes than liking my own images I've created. Not everyone's photography (or business) journey is personal, but mine is. My photography and the images for my clients, are ones that I hold incredibly close to my heart. And for this reason in the new year I'm taking the risk to experiment again... On the suface level it may mean shooting more twin lens again or more film on my diana but as a whole it's a promise to push myself and my business further. Let's see what the year brings...

    heather curiel austin texas

    Some really great interviews over on Musea's blog inspired me enough to group my thoughts together for this post. Links to a few of my favorites with Ryan Muirhead, James Moes, John Dolan and Holger Thoss, and Bryan Johnson.

  • Tintype Portrait Studio. Session #1

    It's finally here...

    tintype portrait studio

    Here's the scoop: You and me at an indoor studio making your very own beautiful tintype. These session appointments are for two days only, July 28 and July 29. You can wear whatever you want, bring whoever you want, we are gonna have a really awesome time! The plate is a 4x5 inch aluminum wet plate, also known as a tintype. Before we take the actual portrait, we'll talk a little about what you want and then make something special. Each plate will be different and unique, just for you. After your session, I'll be scanning the image and mailing the plate to you shortly after it is varnished. What is a tintype? It's a beautiful image on metal, using the same process used during the civil war. Each plate is hand coated and processed within 15 minutes resulting in a beautiful dreamy portrait.

    To sign up just send me an email heather@heathercuriel.com and let me know your first and second choice for a time slot. The appointments are available on the hour between 10am and 4pm, once they are booked, they're booked. I hope to see lots of you and make all your tintype dreams come true! 

    Update: Current availability is 12pm-4pm and I'll keep updating as we book.

    Availability: Saturday 2pm, 3pm, 4pm. Sunday 12pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm. ONLY ONE SPOT LEFT! Email me anyway, I'm about to open a wait list on the this.

    Update: The wait list is open with one person currently on the list. Keep emailing! Spots might open up.

  • Brides Magazine Austin Feature

    Sometimes wonderful things like this happen and I'm truly honored and REALLY EXCITED to have a sweet little writeup in the July 2012 issue of Brides mag.

    brides magazine austin

    brides magazine austin texas

    This blog has been on a little break while I've REALLY been working it over on my wedding photography site. There's a new wedding photography blog there too. Trying to keep my wedding photography separate from non-wedding work (which I'm still not convinced is best for business). The timing of things is always funny, not merely coincidence I think. A lot of what has been going on in my mind lately is whether I should shoot film or digital and how to build my niche. But most of my energy has been spent comparing myself to the rest of the market. And that's a game of chase that no one ever wins. That's why this write up is so sweet to me. Whoever wrote it deserves a big thank you. (And anyone who threw my name into the pot for the list deserves a fat hug and double thank youu!) It's really the perfect description of the sort of photography business I've always wanted to be and I guess stepping back and looking at it, the type of business I now am.. so weird. :)

    It's a delicate balance of being able to really listen to an inner creative voice and still build a consistent aesthetic for my clients.  Recently I've come to a realization that what I'm doing isn't just for me anymore. It's not about just making pretty pictures, it's about giving Janet really beautiful images that she can look over for the next two months while Keith is away in Cambodia, it's about tangible photos that Kylie and Jake can have of the places they've explored since they were kids, and really just being part of the beautiful energy of Kae and James' wedding on a sweet Wednesday morning. I've really found myself working for my clients lately, and in the best way possible. They all deserve it and deserve so much more, really. I've said it before, but still, I love you everyone.

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