As I mentioned earlier this week, I am appearing on television this week to talk about, and showcase the popularity of maternity portraiture, namely how women are coming in droves to capture this special time in their lives, and most are opting to do so nude.

In 1991 Demi Moore appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine. In doing so, she, and photographer Annie Liebowitz broke down barriers, established a new niche for photographers everywhere, and helped us see that pregnancy is beautiful, and sexy. Pregnant women were no longer hiding their bellies, but finding tighter fitting clothing to showcase “the bump” affecting pregnancy fashion also.

It isn’t only celebrities opting to capture their memories in this way. Everyday moms appreciate this as well, as evidenced by the hundreds we photograph every year. Jessica Simpson appeared nude this week on Elle, but we remember also the memorable covers graced by Cindy Crawford, Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears. You don’t need to be famous, just pregnant and desiring to remember this special time.

I hope you can tune in, Tuesday March 20th at 7pm EST on channel CTV.

Are you between 32 and 36 weeks pregnant?

Were you considering doing maternity photographs to capture this special time in your family’s life?

Were you considering nude portraiture as part of your maternity session experience?

Would you like the opportunity of a free session and discounted prints?

We are seeking a maternity model, willing to have her maternity session captured for a television segment which will air next week. The segment will be talking about maternity photography, in the wake of recent celebrities showcasing their glowing curves. With Jessica Simpson having just appeared on the cover of Elle this week, Britney Spears a couple of years ago, and Demi Moore before that, having brought maternity photography into the mainstream with her shoot with famed celebrity photographer Annie Liebowitz, the segment will feature everyday folks like you and me (non celebrities) and how a nude portrait session takes place.

Jessica Simpson's nude maternity cover for Elle Magazine March 2012

I was approached today by a local television network, wanting to film the making of a maternity session, featuring a nude model. Discretion is assured, nudity will be involved, and the crew will ensure your complete comfort throughout. While you may be ‘exposed” to the crew at some point, the footage for television will not show any behind the scenes, awkward angles, or compromising positions, but rather will be taken from the perspective of the camera I am holding, using creative posing and lighting to hide any sensitive areas in question.

If you are interested in this opportunity, which provides a complementary maternity session, access to the digital files and a discount on prints, please get in touch as soon as possible. We need to cast for this position immediately, and will be shooting next week for TV.

Email me at info@heatherrivlin.com or call the studio at (416) 782-6482. Interested participants should also email 2-3 images of themselves (clothing optional in these images) to me, taken within the last month, and from different viewpoints (front view, side belly, etc.)

Thank you in advance for your interest!

It has been a long time in the making, and considering how simple and clean it is, you’ll probably say, “THAT took you so many years to create?”, but I’ve been looking to rebrand and get a new logo since about 2007….more seriously since 2010.

Which fonts do I like?
Which fonts does my name look good in?
Do I want a graphic element alongside the business name
Do I just want the business name alone?
What colours should I go with?
How do I combine the elegance of the upscale experience I aim to provide, and the kids concept of my target subject?

The hardest part, for me, was finding a font I like.  I’ve poured over hundreds, literally HUNDREDS of fonts, and although I may have loved the sample wording in that font, I didn’t like MY name in that font.  The way the letters looked together, the way it flowed….it was always wrong.  I’ve probably driven logo designers mental with my concepts, never knowing what “ME” should look like.  I’m sure some photographers are much more decisive, and can say, “I am fresh, fun, colourful, wild, and love trees”, and they would get a wildly colourful tree with roots of rainbow, and crazy limbs, but with clean lines.  DONE.  Me, not so much.  For me, it wasn’t so much about WHO I am, as it was about how to marry KIDS and ELEGANT.  Kids aren’t elegant…kids are messy a lot of the time, and not sophisticated little creatures…yet.  So, that combination was hard.  I knew I wanted some pink in my logo because as a mom to three boys, we don’t have enough pink, and frankly the colour has grown on me since having my third boy.

Many of you will know that I lost my mother this past fall.  She was an avid gardener and lover of all things flowers.  Although I am not a flower person, and cannot stand floral patterns on anything, I decided a lone flower would be a good graphic element.  Something clean, simple, and elegant, but not over done, too fancy, or too whimsical either.  Hand-drawn for sure.  The flower would represent new life in the newborns I capture, but also the love that my mother brought to nurturing all things gardens….she really had a green thumb (it didn’t pass on, by the way).  So, to keep her, and the things she loved close, I incorporated her love into my logo with a single stemmed flower.

The font needed to be easy to read, handwriting-based, scripty, but not too overdone.  It needed to be elegant, but not stiff.  Nothing Victorian or French.  Just…..pretty, and simple.

With all of that in mind, here is what I designed, and what will now be the new face of Heather Rivlin Photography.  I hope you like it as much as I do.  

With more and more people surfing the web from their mobile devices, iPad’s, tablets and iPhones, many photography sites were impossible to visit or appreciate since they are built using Flash.  Any techie who has followed the debate knows that Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, did not want flash content on his devices.  For those who viewed my website, and others on their mobile phones, we would get the dreaded “you need to install FLASH to see this site”, knowing full well that we couldn’t download Macromedia Flash Player to an Apple device.  Grrrr.

Along comes the ability to adapt these sites for mobile, and we are finally there!

Now, when you visit the Heather Rivlin Photography webpage, you will see a new image portal on the right hand side, to take you to the mobile-friendly version of the site.  If you are at a desktop, don’t bother, as the images are optimized for small screens and will appear very pixelated and yucky

The new and improved website with new 4th entry portal for mobile users!

Over the next few weeks, you will see a lot of changes to the website.  Not only am I in the midst of rebranding my logo and colours, I am also working on a brand new website design which is clean, crisp, and beautiful!  I hope you will like it too

As photographers, we are visual people.  We rely on visual information when we recollect, ponder, consider, reminisce.  I know that for me, I am a very visual person.  My dreams are usually very vivid, and I feel through pictures much more than through other senses.  Some people, as you know, are visual learners, others are auditory learners.  I am certainly a mix of both, but the visual plays a huge role.

I have a photographic memory.  I remember once, in University, I was called into my social psychology teacher’s office following an exam the week before.  Her name was Dr. Smart  She asked me why I had cheated on my exam.  Flabbergasted, I begged for an explanation as to why she thought I had cheated.  She pulled out my exam paper, and showed me my answer, circled with her red pen with the words “plagiarized” written across it.  I explained to her that I hadn’t plagiarized, copied, or cheated, but that I had recalled verbatim what had been written about that particular question in the textbook.  I recalled it well because it set apart in one of those fancy text boxes off to the side.  It stood apart. I read it.  I read it again.  I probably read it without realizing I was reading it, as I was skimming other things.  Needless to say, I retained it.

So, Dr, Smart didn’t seem impressed, nor did she appear to believe me.  She told me she would have given me an A had I not cheated, but this was an automatic F.  My face went pale and I panicked.  Thinking quickly under pressure, I recited to her face the contents of that text box, and question #6 from the exam – word for word.  She went pale this time.

I say this to illustrate the fact that I organize information visually, and I think many people do. I know that most of my photographer friends will agree that they do too.  It is for this reason, that I love Pinterest.

Have you heard of Pinterest?  You haven’t?  Are you living under a rock?  May I come and relieve you of your predicament?

Pinterest is, in essence, a site upon which you can visually bookmark pages from the web.  Let’s say you are surfing the web looking for a recipe for Key Lime Pie and you stumble onto a site that has among its hundreds of recipes, one for Key Lime Pie.   In the OLDEN DAYS, we would create a bookmark for the page and try to keep our bookmarks as organized as possible.  Personally, I can’t remember the last time I used bookmarks.  They are words….I need pictures.  Pinterest does that for me.  When you join pinterest (you need to request to join, or be invited by another member), you can create BOARDS.  Your boards are essentially organized drawers that you label according to what is inside of them.  I have boards for graphic design, home decor, health and beauty, words and quotes that I love, etc.  When I see something online that I love, I simply PIN IT, and it appears in my pinterest catalog, which I can refer back to later, and guess what?  Instead of being a list of words that mean nothing to me the day after I saved it, it is an image of the very thing that compelled me to want to save it in the first place.  It is a luscious picture of the pie.  Catches my eye, and easy to find.

I started out with Pinterest because something about the “exclusive club-feel” was intriguing.  ”Who are all these lucky people who are members, and how can I feel included?”.  I asked to be invited by someone who I knew was a member, and voila, I was hooked!

So here is, for example, what I see when I open my “Photographic Wall Display Ideas” board:

One click on any one of those images, and I am immediately taken to the webpage that contained that article, post, image.  Easy!  I never have to search through boring lists, nor try to find interesting ways of classifying the bookmark nomenclature.

I will be doing a post this week on wall displays, and I will be linking to many of the images above, and the pages they originated from.  Thanks to Pinterest, finding them will be a snap

So, if you notice, there is now a little red flag at the top of every post.  If you are on Pinterest and want to Pin any of my images, feel free to PIN ME for your collection, and I will be flattered.

Starting today, January 16th, we are having a giant warehouse sale on all canvas sizes up to 60×60!

That’s right, ALL sizes are on sale for 20% off from now until Wednesday at 11:59pm, so get the goods while you can.

Clients who miss these sales always kick themselves, so if you are friends with another client, pass this message on, and save your buddy some money, she will love you for it

Don’t know which image to select?  Can’t make up your mind before the end of the sale?  Have a session booked for next week, and feel bummed that you won’t get access to these prices?

Fret not….the sales I run ALWAYS allow you to get in on the sale price, by pre-ordering and paying for your canvas now.  We will figure out later which image will go onto the canvas, but you will get the sale price now, so what do you have to lose??   Nothing….except maybe the chance to see that gorgeous piece of art hanging in your home, and we don’t want THAT now, do we?  I didn’t think so

Happy Winter Warehouse Sale!

At Heather Rivlin Photography, we would like to wish you the very best for a healthy and happy upcoming New Year.  At the studio, 2011 has been a very busy year, having welcomed close to 70 newborns into the world, peek-a-booed with over 30 babies, chased countless toddlers, and brought smiles to the faces of many families.  I am so blessed and flattered that you’ve chosen me as your family’s photographer, and I don’t take that lightly.  I know that photographs represent a tangible link to our past, and firmly believe that each and every one of you should have as your New Year’s Resolution for 2012 to be make an effort to be IN more photographs this year.  Forget what you look like.  Forget what you are wearing.  Forget that your hair has seen better days, your lipstick’s worn off, or your gray hairs haven’t been camouflaged in what feels like forever.  Get out there, love your family, and let someone capture that love for you.

Whether it be professionally with me, or at home with your point-and-shoot camera, take the time to be PRESENT in the memories that your children will rely on for years to come in order to remember YOUR part in their lives.

Have a prosperous and Happy New Year!  The studio reopens for sessions on January 9, 2012.  We’ll see you then, and look forward to capturing some adorable moments for you, OF you.

Are you considering canvas for the holidays?  Want to send a great gift to a loved one, but aren’t sure what to get?  Who wouldn’t want an heirloom gallery wrapped canvas of their loved one?  You’re right, they’d need to be crazy, and when I am having a Canvas Sale, YOU would be crazy not to take advantage!

This sale runs from Friday, November 11th-Monday November 14th at 5:00pm EST, and will feature canvas sizes 20×24 and larger.

20% off all canvasses, so get your order in before the end of the day Monday, to secure your pricing?  Don’t know which image?  Haven’t had your session yet?  Booked for next week, but want to get the sale price?  No problem!  Simply pre-pay your canvas at the sale price, and we will worry about the actual image to be placed on the canvas later!  **you need to know your sizing only, as this will determine your pricing, but the actual pose can wait!*

Enjoy this pre-season holiday treat from Heather Rivlin Photography!

When you love babies as much as I do, nothing says lovin’ like TWO at the same time!

Photographers who specialize in newborns know how much work goes into a newborn session, and the patience required to capture that one iconic image you been coveting in your mind’s eye.  The lighting has to be just right, the exposure bang-on, the focus spot-on, and the posing….well the posing has to be perfect.  Put all of those together, and you have a great image!  But, what happens when baby won’t fall asleep.  What happens when you have twins and one won’t fall asleep, and the other is fast asleep?   You slowly feel your iconic shot slipping through your hands, but with perseverance you will get that shot, and for me, that shot was yesterday morning with these two cuddle-bugs

Boy/Girl Twin Newborns photographed by Heather Rivlin at 8 days old

With all of the factors hanging in the balance, some find newborn work too challenging, opting to specialize in older ages, when children can take direction (I’m guessing you’ve never worked with a two year old….)  For others, the challenge of posing a newborn in a way that is adorably pleasing, while also honouring the die-hard “rules” of light ratios, composition and exposure is thrilling, and the challenge met with enthusiasm.  I think I fall into the latter category, always striving for something better, something new, something different.

Twins present a challenge above and beyond the usual newborn session.  There are TWO of them, after all, and you aren’t simply feeding, rocking, and swaddling, and posing one….you have to do both at the same time, and hope that they cooperate together.  Add into that mix mom’s desire for their 3 year old toddler to be included in the session, and we have ourselves a challenge worthy of sainthood if one pulls it off

I always counsel moms that newborn sessions are for the NEWBORN, but invariably, many moms want to capture JUST ONE image of the older child with their new sibling.  That is understandable, and so we accommodate, allowing a small portion of the session to be devoted to sibling imagery.  I always find witnessing the siblings first moments together amazing.

Ying and Yang - Newborn Twin posing for photography

Did you notice in the image above that they are holding hands?   Twins are born with a connection to one another that we have only begun to understand.  Having been conceived and grown together, they have a sense of the other’s presence from the very beginning – something that soothes, calms and reassures them.  They will be intimately connected throughout their lives.  I always aim to pose newborns in a way that showcases that connection.  Holding hands was one of those ways.

Newborn Twin Photography in Toronnto

As I was capturing the above image, I decided to shoot a little video on my iPhone for their mom.  Little A (male) was lying behind his sister P, and squeaking as he had the hiccups.  It was too cute not to capture or share.

Heather Rivlin Photographing Newborn Twins

In all, we captured images of the Toddler E and her new brother and sister, each twin alone, and then several of them together in multiple ways. Mom was very excited, and booked the Newborn Storybook Session after seeing the images we were getting, which will allow her to have a 12×12 hinged-page storybook of this session, two 5×5 copies of the same press printed books for grandparents, the DVD slideshow, and five web-files for sharing.  I already sent mom the first image last night, as I knew she would love it.   She was over the moon

Baby Bears - Newborn Twin Photography

The only thing better than having a newborn baby to cradle for three hours in the studio, is having two

While trick or treating with my little ones, my pocket vibrated.  No big deal, that happens all the time when you  have your iPhone in your pocket.  Then it vibrated again, then again, and again.  I had to check what was up – obviously something was going down.  I checked my phone, and received notification that my name had been mentioned on Twitter as Toronto’s best portrait photographer by Toronto Mom Now.  The subsequent buzzes were those of congratulations from those who’d seen the mention before I did.

Heather Rivlin named in Toronto's best photographer

You can see the web page here:  http://www.torontomomnow.com/2011/best-toronto-portrait-photographers-heather-rivlin/

I sent a thank you to Diane West the creator of the page, and of the “best of” series, to thank her for the nod of approval from Toronto Mom Now.

Toronto Mom Now is a site dedicated to all things moms want to know about, from exercise, to programs, recipes, and of course where to find the best photographer for your baby in Toronto.

You can check out their site here:   http://www.torontomomnow.com

Thanks for the mention!