Location photographer. Getting behind the scenes. Showing off the secret, and not so secret, treasures of the world.
The beach - my calm during Covid-19
Told to stay at home, not see friends, work cancelled... being the people person I am, I'd understand if I struggled a little. Or a lot. But one thing kept me aligned during Covid-19. And that is my daily visit to the beach. The place I call my soul home. Where I get fixed.
I always feel refreshed and clear after being at the beach. Surfing, walking, sitting, swimming - it doesn't matter. Saltwater, sea air, sand between the toes, the sound of waves crashing. Preferably with a dose of sunshine.
During Covid-19 'stay at home' time, I went to the beach every day. Mainly walking, some surfing and no swimming. It's cold in April!
I walked a lot and started to look at things closer. The colours, the atmosphere, the patterns, the way things changed each day. The way the sand and rocks change as the tide comes in and out. The objects that are left stranded on the beach. And the evidence of other people reaching for their respite.
I'd return home with a clear mind - ready to tackle my day. Not sitting on the sofa getting bored but working on my business, myself and being the best I can be.
Reopening Photo Shoot Package – capture the first moments as your business opens up with natural shots
Reopening energy photo packages for you….
Reopening Photo Shoot Package – capture the first moments as your business opens up with natural shots
Do you want everyone to know that you are back, open and trading again?
Over the past few months, you may have experienced the loss of income, customers, staff issues, and it may have got you and your team down. To not be able to do what you love is really disheartening, and working with restrictions can be frustrating and tough.
With recent announcements, you may be planning to be up and running again, hopefully with renewed energy and working towards a more optimistic picture, albeit in different circumstances.
Opening up cautiously, still with concerns about how things are going to go, the next few weeks is a golden opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. A unique time to capture, the first moments as your business opens up with natural shots.
Showing that you are providing that safe and comfortable environment, reconnecting with customers and staff, and marketing a little bit differently, while still doing what you do best, is the focus now.
A Reopening Photo Shoot Package can be booked from 30 minutes, for locations in the Adelaide CBD and broader metropolitan areas, from 22 May 2020. The package includes ten edited images, taken with social distancing in mind, for $220.00 incl GST.
Photoshoots can be for businesses and organisations, councils and regions, local business and Mainstreet associations, shopping centres and strips.
Spots are limited, so please reach out to Heidi at Heidi Who Photos, via heidi@heidiwho.com or 0402716406.
* sample photos taken pre Covid-19
Helping you get better photos...
Since we can't get together and create amazing photos together, I am going to continue to help you with other options.
If you have been taking your own photos, but want a little help, I'm here for you!
Retouching - colour, straightening horizons, editing out elements making them look a little something extra than straight out of camera. Still keeping it real though. From $70 per hour
Resizing - resizing your photos to make them fit the different places they need to go. Bulk photo re-sizing from $35
Stock photos - check out www.heidiwho.com/buy for tourism style stock photos. More being uploaded weekly so if you are looking for something in particular, get in touch and I'll prioritise. From $5 an image
Mentoring and courses - $195 for 2 hours ‘one on one’ or other online options at www.heidiwho.com
Hoping these services can help you until we can get out and have fun on a shoot together!
Tourism Stock for you!
heidi who photos now has a tourism stock photo site! Something I have wanted to do for a long time. Something I have seen a need for, for even longer. And now it's here.
Check it out at heidiwho.com/buy!!!
The last month or so has seen me sitting at my computer, searching my archives for images and uploading them to this fabulous new site. The process is tedious - search, retouch, keyword, upload, add pricing, add to galleries. But it's a chore that is making me happy. I know how much benefit you are going to get from it. Especially at this time when it's crucial to keep telling your story. Travellers will be very ready to get out and explore as soon as they can, so keep yourself in their mind when they are making plans.
Why is this site great for you?
These photos are from my travels and shoots around Australia.
They don't look like 'stock photos' and are real.
If you are a business, you may even find I have pics of you ready to go.
You can search via keyword (location, subject, etc.) to save you time looking through loads of photos.
Pricing is super affordable - from $5 an image!
Licencing is for social media use, as many times as you want. You can contact me if you want to use it elsewhere too.
Of course, this is very much a work in progress. I have thousands of images to go through - so if you there is something that you are looking for, email me, and I'll upload it asap (if I have it).
Even more exciting news... at the moment, you can help me build my galleries on the stock photo site!
When I can travel again, I'll be hitting the road and coming to you and the regions. So I want suggestions!!!
What do you need?
What is missing?
What do you wish you had a photo of?
What photo has been 'done to death' and could use a refresh?
Whether it's of your business, local town, another biz, or the area and region in general. Let me know. I want a good list to be able to help you even more.
There will be a limited number of collaborative shoots available too - where you get a super discounted personalised photo shoot. Now it seems you may be able to have your cake and eat it too. ;)
Please email me your interest so I can let you know when I have more details!
And don't forget to have a look at the stock photos already up...
A night in Burleigh Heads...
I fell in love with Burleigh Heads within hours. That was about five years ago, and now I'm back. And super excited.
Only here for the night, I booked an Airbnb close so that I could walk to everything. However, of course, I didn't know there would be torrential rain the majority of the time I was there which didn't help with walking everywhere.
Having used AirBnB only a few times, with very mixed experience, I was not sure what to expect. Would it be clean? Would it be nice? Would I feel comfortable in a room of someones home, rather than hiring the whole place as I have done previously?
Arriving, I was shocked in a very positive way. Clare greeted me, showed me the room, then left me to settle. Naw, there is a little welcome sign with my name on it.
The room was not only clean but stylish and homely. There was a bar fridge stocked with wine, milk and yoghurt: a coffee machine, breakfast and snack supplies. In the bathroom, there were fluffy white towels, makeup face towels, and toiletries.
The location - quiet neighbourhood, yet only a 10-minute walk to the beach or cafes. Even in the rain.
Verdict? Absolutely would recommend!
https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/40657659?source_impression_id=p3_1584496411_j9RkXMD98y5rNDkP
Meeting people: Melanie, Our Planet Marketing
I'm really trying to bring my online connections into my real life - with coffees, lunches, wines and chats. I love people and being with people. Online relationships are great, but I think to make a real connection, we need to get to know people in real life.
So that brings me to Brisbane, walking a sweaty 30 minutes or so to meet Melanie. We had connected online and while I am in Brisbane, organised to meet over lunch and coffee. I'm excited. And it is such a pleasure. We talk industry, how we can help tourism, our love of photography, and how we can share our travel stories (our own and for our clients) to more people.
Melanie has 30 years of tourism marketing experience, so she knows her stuff! Queensland Institute of Professional Photography photographers have been lucky to have her teach them how to market their businesses better too.
A few hours went by very quickly, and soon enough, I had to leave for a photo shoot. My mind was buzzing with ideas and inspiration - see that is what people connection does!
Check out a bit more about Melanie below...
What to ask your photographer before the shoot...
Are you hiring a photographer? Want to make the most of your shoot? There's a bit of prep involved to get the most out of it. Here are 10 tips.
On shoot with Adelaide Sightseeing - fun and relaxed.
Know why you need your photos. What size? Any layout requirements? Ie. Website header images, specific crops, print size, billboard size, only web size. Think about all the places you might like to use them. If it's for a specific purpose, you need to know the image dimensions required - this can alter the way a photographer shoots and crops their images. They may need to leave space around the image, so when it's cropped, it won't cut out vital aspects.
Develop a shot list and mood board. List all the images you would love. Then prioritise the images. Have a look at Pinterest for examples of style, colour, light, feel that you like.
Think about other uses for your images. It's much easier to get similar scenarios while shooting than to re-shoot. Different angles, different angles, or adding/subtracting elements can be quick and give you easy options for different uses. Remember how much content you should be sharing? Shooting like this is a good way of getting it, so you don't have to re-use the same image all the time.
Use talent that fit your client demographic. You need people in your images that can relate to your clients - so they can see themselves there, using your product etc. Don't settle for anyone you can get.
Prepare all the props in advance. If you buy props and don't use them, you can always take them back. If you already have what you need, collect them and make sure they are in good condition. Think about all options, even ask your photographer what you may need.
Clean and tidy everything. A photo can show everything. And it's quicker and more economical to get it right before photographing rather than relying on retouching. Fresh food, ironed sheets/bed covers, clutter etc. Look at what you are going to shoot with a critical and detailed eye.
Research your photographer. Do you like their images? Do they have the experience you need? Who do they work with? Find them on social media to get to know their personality, the way they work etc. Sometimes it's worth paying that little extra to get that extra.
Like your Photographer! You are going to be spending some time with them - why can't you make it fun? Yes, you need exceptional images, but if you don't enjoy the process, it's going to be hard. Plus, you need to trust them. They are creating something that you have paid for, which obviously, can't be seen. The more they know about your vision and desires, the closer they are going to get to it.
Ask your photographer about usage rights - what do you need to use your images for? Photographers charge different amounts for different purposes. Photographers retain ownership of the photos they create so essentially they can re-sell and use the images however they want. Do you need exclusive use? Are they only for online use? Can you send them to media for use? Can you give images to another company to use? Ask.
Share as much information with your photographer as you can. Let them get inside your head. Your idea of 'funky and casual' can be different from theirs.
On shoot with Adelaide Sightseeing. Quiet and observing (sometimes).
Two hotels: a few nights in Brisbane...
Ok, so many travels are being put on hold, but we can start planning. I always am. Let's talk hotels...
I'm a sucker for a nice hotel room - but never splurge too much on them. I like bang for buck. ;)
And these two Brisbane hotels didn't disappoint.
Pros - funky, great restaurant downstairs, rooftop pool area, huge room and bathroom, basic kitchen in the room, big windows for natural light.
Not that I got to use the pool - it was raining and not enticing enough the entire time I was there. And as for the kitchen - no, I don't cook while away on my own. But if I had the kids, it would have been handy.
Cons - old, fridge made noises
It also would have been handy to have a minibar price list in the room - just in case I wanted a glass of wine or paint an art piece.
Pros - great location in CBD, beautiful old-world style hotel including lobby, halls, bathroom and bedroom, an excellent coffee shop in the lobby
Cons - weird smell in lobby, dark room facing onto pool courtyard
Again, I didn't use the pool. The water was cold, and it was raining - it has to be hot, hot, hot for me to get wet without a wetsuit.
I loved the grandness from another era of the lobby.
Check out the pics to see what I’m talking about…
Celebrating 16 years of heidi who photos
Sixteen years ago today I received my ABN for 'heidi who photos'. I had a dream to be paid for something I love - photography! Now I'm getting paid to not only photograph but also to travel the world and tell stories that inspire.
The love began at Strathalbyn High School - I still remember one of my first shoots with an SLR, photographing the old buildings around town. We had to load the film into canisters, then load into the camera, take photos, develop the film and finally make prints. Whenever I had a camera in hand or was in the darkroom, I was transported. I forgot everything going on and was in my peaceful place. Any issues, sadness or worries disappeared. I loved creating photos so much that, when I moved schools to Victor Harbor, I created a project in Craft (yes, that was actually a Year 12 subject) that required photos, liaised with the schools so I could drive back and use the darkroom to print photos.
Leaving country SA to live in Brazil when I was 18 was a game-changer—being alone in a foreign country where you don't speak the language forces confidence, pushing fears and living in discovery. I came back more confident and ready to get what I want.
Oh dear… food 16 years ago. I’m sure it tasted better than it looks. And the flash. Now I work with a lot of natural light that gives texture and feel. And makes the food look just as yummy as it is.
While working as a supervisor at Woolworths after returning from Brazil - I saw a PixiFoto photographer set up in-store. I decided that's what I wanted to do - so asked about a job. Seems to be the way I always got my jobs, by asking, not waiting. Perhaps a skill that has helped me with my success in business. After PixiFoto and being sent through Northern Territory I got a new job with a school photos company. We worked all over New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. These jobs fuelled my passion for travel even further, so not too long after, I headed overseas on a grand two-year adventure. I got a job on a cruise ship as a photographer, sailing the Greek Islands, Italy and Croatia. More fuel to the fire but I still didn't know if I could be a photographer "for real".
Now I can light better, get straight horizons, add emotion and story…
Arriving back in Adelaide, I gave up a job as a travel agent and decided to give the photography career a go. Why not?
I worked in a photo lab, an Italian wedding studio, a photo store, News Limited and Melbourne Commonwealth Games before going full time in heidi who photos. In the 16 years of heidi who photos I have worked with Huffington Post, In Daily, News Limited, South Australia Tourism Commission, various magazines, hotel chains and boutique hotels, tour operators, Adelaide Showground, Statewide Super, Beerenberg, Leukaemia Foundation, universities and government agencies. Photos have been on websites, social media, buildings, trams, buses and print. These collaborations have taken me all over South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland, as well as Bali, Thailand, Fiji and Cuba.
And now? I'm inspiring more people, telling more stories, and travelling further to get them. I love creating a life I love while helping others live their dreams too. Funny how hard work and persistence pays off. ;) I've never really given myself time to reflect. But I'm going to start. I think it's time. Now to go and work out how to celebrate...
The eyebrows are still telling stories… but now, better light, crop and story.
CLIENT: Fleurieu Living Magazine
I’m heading to the launch of Autumn 2020 tonight… so here are some photos from Summer 2019/20. Oops, a bit behind…
I love working with Fleurieu Living Magazine. Exploring, meeting new people, having laughs, telling stories…
