Bridal Sessions

Melissa & Paulk’s Wedding Day on the Plains of Auburn

Published on October 18, 2016October 18, 2016 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

I met Melissa and Paulk for the first time over coffee at Octane in Birmingham and immediately liked them. I loved that they both came to meet with me so that Paulk could also be a part of the decision making, and they were so real, warm and kind. I was thrilled when Melissa called me a few days later to let me know that I would be the one to tell their wedding day story, which would take place at Auburn United Methodist Church and Moores Mill Club, with planning by Invision Events. But first, I would spend an afternoon together with them for their Engagement Session and then later, a Bridal Session with Melissa. Three opportunities to get to be with this sweet couple! What a privilege for me!

In addition to forming a friendship, I’d like to tell you another beautiful result of my getting to know Melissa. She is a nurse at Children’s of Alabama and is passionate about her job helping children. Just a few weeks ago, our dear family friends’ 6th grade daughter underwent open heart surgery. The night before her surgery, I texted Melissa to see if by some crazy chance she would be working the next morning. She immediately texted back that she was. God is faithful as always, and Melissa was there that morning, provided support to our friends and took great care of their sweet girl, even making sure she had some of her favorite treats. I love seeing the beautiful webs God weaves between people to carry out His purpose for His glory. I hope Melissa and I will always stay in touch. She’s a gem! Paulk knows it too!

Here’s some of my favorite images from there wedding day. Enjoy…

Melissa’s Bridal Session

Published on June 20, 2016June 20, 2016 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

Melissa got married this past weekend, so I’m so excited to finally share her Bridal Session we shot a few weeks before. It stormed all afternoon before our session and we were worried it might not happen, but thankfully it cleared just in time.

I love the clean lines and movement of her Gown by Kelly Faetanini from Carriage House Weddings. Just beautiful! Here are some of my favorite shots of this sweet bride…

Featured on The Birmingham Bride

Published on March 18, 2016March 18, 2016 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

Thank you to The Birmingham Bride for the kind feature last month, which you can read here. If you are getting married, or have a daughter or friend getting married, this is the best inspiration and resource blog for local brides. It’s a wealth of information and wedding loveliness gracing each post. You can also find them on social media.

I’m always grateful for the opportunity to partner with other talented creatives in this town. Birmingham truly is a great place to live, work…and get married!

BhamBride-heather-durham

Caroline’s Bridal Session

Published on August 25, 2014 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

Caroline was a breathtakingly beautiful bride, so I am so excited to finally be sharing her classic bridal session which we shot at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Wedding images to come soon!

Kristen + Jon

Published on August 18, 2013August 29, 2013 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

My kids started school today, so it’s time to get caught up on the blog! I love them being home for summer and being on a more relaxed schedule; but it always slows down my workflow a bit. Since the days are flying by all too quickly and they grow up so fast, I try to take more time in the summer to soak them up and make memories together. I can’t believe I already have a 5th grader and a 1st grader! Before I know it they’ll be going to college and getting married! And, speaking of married…

I had the privilege of photographing Kristen and Jon’s gorgeous wedding, as the second shooter for my sweet and talented friend Jessica Wright. Amidst our extremely rainy summer, we were thrilled to be blessed with sunshine! Thank you to Jessica for asking me to shoot with her, and to Kristen and Jon for allowing me to share in their sweet celebration. Everything was just perfect and Kristen and Jon were all smiles, all day!

Love that they could get a birds eye view of their guests from this loft where they had dinner alone together.

I was taking this shot and couldn’t help but notice the expressions of Kristen’s mom and bridesmaids in the background, so I had to get a shot focused on their faces too!

Ceremony: Trinity United Methodist Church | Reception Venue: Swann Lake Stables | Wedding Coordinator: Anita Kanellis | Catering: Happy Catering | Flowers: Lillie’s

Published in Birmingham Weddings and Celebrations Magazine • Heather Durham Photography

Published on July 9, 2013July 9, 2013 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

The new Birmingham Weddings & Celebrations magazine, summer/fall 2013 issue just hit newsstands and mailboxes. I consider it a privilege each time I am able to shoot for this beautiful wedding publication, and work with such a talented group of people.

Kerri Bunn, a local stylist, wrote and styled the article I shot, titled “Beauty and the Bride”. We were on location at the beautiful new Westin Birmingham hotel. The tricky part was that I was shooting in a bathroom with a large mirror, bathtub, shower, five women and a light stand! Needless to say it was a tight working space and the real test of skill was not getting my light stand or me in a reflection in the shot! We made it happen though, and I had a great time working with everyone. Be sure to read the article that gives wonderful insight into how bridal traditions began and how they have evolved over the years.

And there I am peeking around the corner. I knew at least one shot would expose me…

story and styling | KERRI BUNN

photographer | HEATHER DURHAM

hair | MORGAN MONDY OF MORGAN ASHLEY SALON

manicurist | SARAH DOWNING OF ANGEL HAIR

Melissa + Chris

Published on April 10, 2012April 16, 2012 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

Last month I photographed Chris and Melissa’s Wedding with Jana Sobel of 205 Photography. Jana is such a sweet person and it’s always fun to shoot with someone new! I loved the fact that she used a Pinterest board for gathering and referencing the shot ideas she had discussed with the bride. I’m such a huge Pinterest fan! It’s a great place to store inspiration, ideas and dreams! I’m storing my dream kitchen there right now and hoping that dream will become a reality in the not-so-distant future! 🙂

It was a beautiful afternoon for Chris and Melissa’s wedding at historic Woodrow Hall with its exposed brick and old architecture. Shirley’s Florist did a beautiful job on the flowers as you will see in the images below. Here are some of the highlights of the day. Hope you enjoy!

I got a little carried away shooting the dress! I loved all the folds in it!

Jana and me at the end of a day of shooting.

Lindsey and Mark’s Winter Wedding at Shoal Creek Club

Published on January 21, 2012February 16, 2012 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

Birch trees lined with white lights, faux snow, flickering candles, and the bride’s cake perched in it’s loveliness on a tree stump…just some of the amazing details of the winter wedding I photographed last weekend as second shooter with Emily Kicklighter. And just wait til you see the gorgeous bride, Lindsey, with her fur stole and Kate Spade shoes! I’m not sure who had more fun, the bride, or Emily and me photographing her!

Leslie, the mother of the bride, is a dear friend of my family. I first met her daughters Lindsey and Julie eight years ago. Now, Lindsey is married and Julie is about to graduate from Alabama. My how time flies, and they have grown into such beautiful young women now!

Here’s some of what I saw through my lens. I’m posting a larger selection of my images to an album on my Facebook page, so be sure to “like” my page and check out more images there. Visit Emily’s Facebook page or see the slideshow preview of Lindsey and Mark’s wedding here. Thanks for stopping by!

5803-BC-copy — Thanks to our friend Bill Carroll for grabbing this shot of Emily and me before the wedding.

Photographing the Royal Wedding

Published on April 1, 2011April 1, 2011 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

I can still remember watching in awe the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana. I was 10 years old. Now my daughter, who is 8 years old, will get to watch the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton this month. She thinks she’s “over princesses”, but I think deep down inside she still wants to be one when she grows up.

In this context, if you asked me what I want to be when I grow up, it wouldn’t be the princess, or even the queen, but rather the hired help — the royal wedding photographer! Can you even imagine being one of the many photographers who has the great privilege [and pressure] of photographing this beautiful and historical event with all its pomp and circumstance?! So much planning and preparation; and on the wedding day, timing, technical delivery, creativity, and gracefulness will be of upmost importance. Not that it isn’t on every shoot, but especially when so many hands are involved. They’ll even have a strategy for not accidentally being in each other’s shots and getting in each other’s way.

Guaranteed there will be a large number of shooters to document every aspect and angle of this captivating day because these images will not only be for the royal family’s keepsakes, but for every magazine, newspaper and television station in the world covering the event. One of the photographers who will be shooting the royal wedding is Ian Jones, who has been a photographer to the royal family for 20 years.

You can hear an interview with Jones about his thoughts leading up to photographing the royal wedding here.

You can view some of Ian Jones’ famous work here.

What I can’t wait to see is which shot will be “the shot”. That iconic image that will stand the test of time and define the glory of the day in just one click of the shutter.

This is my very favorite shot of Princess Diana. I love how relaxed it is. It's not about the setting, the dress, or really even the tiara. It's about her beauty — inside and out — that comes through in her face.

lady-diana-kate-middleton-style-engagement-portraits-1040bes012411 — Love that William and Kate wanted the same shot as Charles and Diana for their engagement portrait! Again, I love how relaxed it is; because being the royal figures that they are, some photographers might try to do a really stuffy, formal shot.

diana-1 — Hopefully Kate's dress won't have huge fussy shoulder pads in the sleeves! Can't wait to see her dress!

And just for fun (and for your kids), check out Lego’s miniature version of the royal nuptials as Legoland celebrates its 15th birthday.

HERE COMES THE BRIDE…

Published on April 17, 2010June 22, 2010 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

I’ve been waiting to post images from Barbara’s bridal session at the Botanical Gardens until after her wedding today. She’s now officially Mrs. Christopher Lindsey, so it’s time to share some images with you! This was my very first bridal session and I had so much fun doing it because Barbara is beautiful, and just like her mom and grandmother, she’s full of spunk! I LOVE spunk! Hope you enjoy the slideshow…

http://heatherdurhamphotography.com/viewing/?slideshowID=27238

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