Heather Ahrens - Orlando Wedding Photographer - Photography for Happy People

Preview: Christine and Brett

Heather — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:48:13 +0000

Christine and Brett had a beautiful wedding at Lake Nona Country Club. Here is a sneak peek:

**All content on this website is property of Heather Ahrens. 2009 copyright HA! Photography. If you would like to feature our work on your wedding blog or in your magazine please contact Heather for permission.**

A Walk Around Key West

Heather — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:22:00 +0000

Key West has turned into my favorite travel destination for weddings. I am so thrilled that my company, HA! Photography is starting to travel down there more and more for weddings. It is the perfect little spot to get married. While down in Key West a few weeks ago for Jayson and Lisa’s wedding my assistant and I were able to take some time and just walk around and take some photos. Every time I go down to Key West we end up having the most fabulous couples! There is something about getting married in Key West that just attracts adventurous laid back people.

One of the people that I met down there was Kevin May. Stefanie and I met Kevin last May when we were photographing Leslie and Andrew’s Key West wedding. Kevin is an amazing writer. I am currently halfway through his book, Eden, and I am super excited to read a copy of his next manuscript that he slipped me when we met up this past trip. I find it fascinating to meet new people and keep in touch with them when I travel. I try to stay in touch but I’m not always the best at it. If you are traveling to Orlando and want to meet up, feel free to drop me an email, I’m always looking for new people to meet!

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Lee Anne and John

Heather — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:34:00 +0000

Lee Anne and John radiate excitement. They are super excited about their new marriage. They wanted to start off the new year as newlywed’s and decided that the best way to do this is to get married on New Year’s Day. They had a beautiful outdoor wedding planned but unfortunately it didn’t just rained, it poured! Lee Anne and John took it in stride. They moved their wedding indoors knowing that even though their “perfect” wedding day didn’t go exactly as planned, they are starting off on a wonderful journey together and that was the thing that really mattered most to them. John’s expression after he kissed his new bride for the first time was fantastic! They were finally married. This was the day they had been planning for months and here they were. Congratulations Lee Anne and John!

Lee Anne and John’s wedding was held at Mead Gardens in Winter Park.

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Inspiration: Travel

Heather — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:08:31 +0000

In case you haven’t figured this out already. I love to travel. It is absolutely ridiculous how much time and effort I put into my next travel plans. Usually while on a trip somewhere I will be inspired to plan my next trip the minute I get home.

Does anyone know of any really good travel blogs? I am looking for inspiration for my next adventure. One of my favorite travel blogs is about a young woman’s travel around the world, called, Me-Go. I poured over her blog in early 2007 longing to travel like she does. One thing that I hadn’t made a priority in my life is travel. That changed this year. This summer I embarked on my first adventure out of the country in over 5 years. After that trip I was hooked! Another adventure presented itself this winter which lead me to the most memorable night of 2009. The night I got lost in Madrid.

After several days of roaming around Madrid with my travel partner, we were ready to head our separate ways. I had an amazing evening planned of tapas, beer and flamenco. I made reservations for a flamenco show later in the evening that was rather expensive. I had a feeling that this evening would be a memorable one, though it wasn’t the flamenco show that did it. I ended up at a tapas bar on the way to the show knowing that I had an hour and a half to kill before start time. This evening was the first I’ve had drinking and dining alone in a foreign country, and I was a bit nervous about it. I went to the tapas bar and ordered their beer on tap. With each drink that you order at a tapas bar they bring you a small dish of basically whatever they would like to give you. I don’t remember exactly what I had that evening, it’s not pertinent. The bartender and I didn’t speak the same language but that didn’t stop him from flirting with me. When I closed my tab he even brought me another beer and tapas. I must say, it is definitely fun to be a single woman in Spain.

Saying goodbye to the young bartender, I headed out to find the flamenco show. I had seen a flamenco show in Puerto Rico a year earlier when I traveled with my friend Abby to photograph a wedding in San Juan. I knew that I was in for a treat. It might have been the 3 small glasses of beer and the fact that the flamenco show was in the most confusing part of Madrid, but of course I got lost. After about 30 minutes of not finding the flamenco show, I noticed that I was walking through apparently the hip young downtown area of Madrid. I found a local bar that looked like a small dive bar that maybe would fit 20 people max.

After ordering a drink from the crowded small bar a guy next to me asked me a question in Spanish. I told him that I only spoke English. He got excited and started speaking to me in English and introducing me to all of his friends who were with him at the bar. I learned over the course of the night that this bar was one that only locals go to, and by locals, people who lived on the street where the bar was located. Once one group of my new friends left another new group was introduced. Everyone knew everyone else! It turned into such a great night of laughs and talking about life, culture and values. It was so unexpected and unplanned. The best planning that night would have never led to great conversation with people who were open and friendly.

You never know where life will take you and the people you might meet along the way. I’m thinking my next trip is going to be done solo as I have found that the most enriching experiences have come when I fully immerse myself in the culture. For me it is extremely easy to meet new people, so being alone on my next journey won’t be an issue. I’ll just be more open to strike up a conversation with the person next to me!

Please excuse the I phone Polaroid photos. Sometimes a girl just needs to leave her real camera at home and go out for the night.

Some of my new friends dancing and singing along to the music. They even played the Cure at one point.

yes. That is a dog in the bar.

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Preview: Lisa and Jayson

Heather — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:58:31 +0000

Lisa and Jayson were married down in the southernmost point in the United States. Jayson, Lisa and 40 of their closest friends traveled down to Key West for the weekend for their wedding celebration. My assistant Alex and I had such a blast traveling down to Key West and hanging out with Jayson and Lisa. The weekend was filled with funny tee shirts, a sunset cruise, bar hopping in the rain, a beautiful ceremony at the Westin, and to top it all off an underwater bridal session!

I was able to work with some amazing people including:

Alex Boyle – Photography Assistant
Julie Shreck - Wedding Planner
Mama Flowers – Floral Decoration
Lorri Bolander – Hair and Make-up

Here is a sneak peek from Jayson and Lisa’s Key West wedding weekend:

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Film Friday – Bridal Portraits

Heather — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:14:37 +0000

Here are two film shots taken at Christy’s bridal session a few months ago.

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Inspiration: Music

Heather — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:34:45 +0000

Music that has been inspiring me this week:

1. Fanfarlo – I am a huge fan of the radio show on NPR, All Song’s Considered. On NPR’s website in the All Songs Considered section they have this feature called Tiny Desk Concerts. These concerts are short 3 song concerts that are played in the offices of All Songs Considered. After spending time looking through different concerts I stumbled upon Fanfarlo. I was grinning the whole 3 song set. Take a listen to them in the video below:

2. Dark Was the Night – This album is was a compilation album made for the Red Hot Organization produced by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of the National. The song below is by Yeasayer called Tightrope.

3. The XX – This record has been growing on me. It is a great album to listen to at 3 am when the photo editing process is just winding down. I’ve become a night owl.

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Amy: Senior Portraits

Heather — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:47:44 +0000

My cousin Amy was in town for a few days last week and wanted to have some senior portraits done. Amy is a wonderful actress from North Carolina and is currently auditioning for conservatories across the U.S. I can’t wait to see where life takes her next.

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In Love Sessions – Feb. 14th

Heather — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:54:18 +0000

Who wants an IN LOVE SESSION?

You know you do…

We are hosting a special Valentine’s Day In Love Session. Looking for a cute date idea on Valentine’s Day that you will remember forever? Schedule your session with HA! Photography. We have 5 sessions open on Sunday, Feb. 14th. Each session will take place in Downtown Orlando.

Info:

Sessions last 20 minutes and include 25 full sized images on a DVD. Valentine’s Day Sessions will take place in Downtown Orlando. Session cost $129. Want to book your session on another day? No problem, pay for your session below and we will figure out a time a day that works best for you.

Take a look at some past sessions:

Aubrey and Ben

Kim and Nathan

Like what you see? Book it here:

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Preview: Ashley and Steve

Heather — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:00:09 +0000

Stefanie and I had the please of photographing Steve and Ashley’s wedding in Lakeland, FL. Enjoy this preview.

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Film Photography – Macon

Heather — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:05:06 +0000

Film shot in Macon, GA in October 2009. Mamiya C330.

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Patty and Gary

Heather — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:24:29 +0000

Patty and Gary are the amazing parents of Christy, whose bridal shower I photographed last fall. Christy gave her parents an In Love Session as a thanks for all of their help with her recent wedding. I have gotten to know Christy’s family pretty well over the several functions that I’ve been able to be a part of as their photographer.

I love these photos of Patty and Gary. After years of marriage they are still so in love!

In Love Sessions are a great time to test out HA! Photography! In Love Sessions last 20 minutes long, the perfect amount of time to create some lasting portraits. You also can’t beat the price! $129 for the session! You can contact us here we will send you some information about our fabulous engagement sessions and In Love Sessions.

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Preview: Monica and Louis

Heather — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:51:50 +0000

Monica and Louis were married at the beautiful Don Vicente Historic Inn located in Ybor city, FL. Here is a sneak peek from their wedding:

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Wedding: Liz and Adam

Heather — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:21:31 +0000

Liz and Adam are two highly creative individuals. When I first met them for Wine at the Eola Wine Company in Thornton Park, they told me about their graphic design experience along with their plans to open a comic book shop. How cool is that? I love photographing weddings for creative professionals, they have an attention to detail and a love for photography that shows in the final images.

Liz and Adam were married at my favorite place in Orlando, The Courtyard at Lake Lucerne. Not only is it my favorite place to photograph because I live two blocks away, but it is also very beautiful. There are opportunities to take photos in every corner. I also love the look of the I.W. Philips house as it needs very little decoration, it is already decorated!

Becka from Studio 222 Photography was able to join me for Liz and Adam’s courtyard wedding. She photographed the two photos below, which I absolutely love.

Anna Cakes did a wonderful job on their cake!

This photo above is another wonderful one from Becka… I am in the green coat in the photo.

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Elizabeth and Isaac

Heather — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:38:46 +0000

I am excited to photograph Elizabeth and Isaac’s wedding this upcoming spring. Here are a few images from their In Love Session:

In Florida we have the most beautiful light about an hour before the sun goes down. I love photographing at this time, especially in the winter when the weather is nice a cool. These photographs were taken about an hour before the sun went down.

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