Couture Portraits
Award winning Charlotte portrait studio specializing in baby, family, expecting, children, senior and beach portraits.
Book your summer beach portrait session today!! We will be traveling to Hilton Head, Kiawah Island, Wild Dunes and Myrtle Beach
The studio is located in Charlotte, NC. We are in the Blakeney shopping center in South Charlotte. Our studio features a constantly changing print gallery, a workspace for planning and laying out designs, and a comfortable projection viewing area to watch slideshows and discuss your photographic possibilities.
We are availible for travel world wide and can be commisioned for sessions in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina coast during the summer months.
We are an appointment only studio. We are booked approximently three weeks in advance and 4-6 weeks in advance September - December.
Custom portraiture is a unique experience. There are no wait lines and crowded rooms of strangers. Instead we strive to make each session a relaxing personalized experience. Since we never schedule more then one or two sessions per day, you can rest assured that all of our attention is on your child and there will never be a rush. Sessions fill up very quickly and it is always best to call at least 6 weeks in advance for an appointment. For newborn sessions, the best time to call is before the baby is born to ensure availability
- although I do leave time in my schedule to accommodate new arrivals each week. Newborn sessions are held within the first 2 weeks of life (preferably within the first week) so that we can capture those precious new moments and the sleepy brand new stage that are only present within those first few weeks. Sessions generally can last 2-3 hours to allow for feedings and changing.
Each addition session of the first year is created as a custom session and we will discuss and plan accordingly.
about heather
I never knew this would be my profession, raised by a professional photographer, I thought I would be a corporate lawyer. After many years in college, a dawning occurred “I am my mother”. I have the same passion for children and the love for creating portraits.
I am very fortunate to be married to my wonderful husband of ten years (we married at 10 haha) and I am even more fortunate to have two beautiful children, Reese and Denver. I was raised in South Florida where I had a studio for many years. Even though the beach was hard to leave, I moved to Charlotte for a better place to raise my children.
about Dean
Dean was also raised by an artist. His father had a passion for photography and currently has an art gallery. Although Dean was in the financial field for many years he has an amazing gift for the design aspect of photography. In 2008 he decided to join the studio full time and leave the stuffy suits in the closet. We could not be happier to have a lifestyle that allows us to have a career that seems like a hobby. Dean handles all aspects of our business leaving me to focus on just the photography.
We know that a photograph can have the power to evoke the emotions of a moment passed in time. It is our goal to tell the story of your love, relationship and your family bond. I am an artist and a historian: I will preserve your memories and document your emotional history. It is a honor to be able to capture and produce a visual narrative for families who understand how important it is to capture the essence of their children that may otherwise be forgotten. The moment may pass, but on film, the moment is seized for the heart to revisit many times over.
The line between passion and profession is blurred for me and I pray that never changes.
Thank you for visiting our website. Relax and enjoy the music as you view our gallery. We look forward to hearing from you-
Heather & Dean Matthews
What can I expect at a photo session?
You can expect your child(ren) to have fun. Heather doesn't have rules, nor expectations of the parents, nor the children. She prefers if parents can just consider Heather your "nanny" for the duration of the photo session. Children are expected to laugh, play, run, sing, and do whatever makes their heart content. A session usually doesn't go well when parents encourage their children to "sit still", or smile on command. Heather prefers to capture children as they are. Just let your children be, and trust that she will anticipate the moment to capture the types of images that drew you to her work.
It is often hard to tell a client what to wear. We are definitely a "jeans and t-shirt" type of studio. Heather is an extremely casual person, and prefers to photograph her clients that way. Her style of photography doesn't work well with traditional styled clothing. If you are a potential client hoping for a more traditional photo session, with fancy dresses, we can refer you to a few outstanding photographers in the area that specialize in that look.
It can be hard to tell parents exactly what to wear, therefore we will mention a few things you shouldn't wear during a photo session with Heather
- No big bows..or big bow barrettes. They aren't flattering.
- Anything made by Strasburg children
- Adult clothing on newborns. Newborns do not look cute in a baby tuxedo. Formal clothing not only makes your child uncomfortable, but it makes Heather uncomfortable as well!
- If you have to wear nylon stockings with your outfit...you're overdressed.
- Dad's save the starched white button down white shirts, dress shoes, and suit coats for the office.
I recommend looking at Peek A Boo Couture for some ideas. The owner, Canadace is wonderful and the clothes are hip and trendy but still allow children to look young and innocent.
Location
The most natural portraits are created when people are relaxed and comfortable. Therefore, all family sessions are created either at your home or on location. I prefer not to be confined by the boundaries of a studio setting. I can offer many suggestions for a location to create a portrait that is personal and distinctive to your families style. However for infants and children indoor portraits are more ideal, for these sessions we can create a portrait in the studio.
Typical Session
My sessions are never rushed and there are no time limits. I do not have a certain number of images I create. Generally I want the session to be short and sweet because I understand that children and men have short attention spans. Some of my favorite portraits are from sessions that were only 20 minutes. Because I am an artist I work on impulse from your child or families energy. I will create the images from what I see and feel from you. This gives each family a unique session, but because there are not pre-thought poses we move fast and try a lot of things. This is what keeps the session fun and exciting.
After the Session
At the time of your session a viewing/ordering appointment will be scheduled approximently one week from the photo session. I will show you a musical DVD slideshow of your images. After the DVD presentation we will go through each image and select the portraits you would like to invest in. I will help you choose your finishes and choose sizes that best fit your ideas for displaying your images. Please make sure that all the people that you need to help you make your portrait decisions are present. At this time all orders should be placed. I generally dedicate 1-2 hours for this portrait selection time. Due to the time frame if orders are not placed a $100 additional preview appointment will apply. Orders must be paid in full to be processed, however for orders of more than $1500 I can construct a 60 day payment plan. Purchased images are kept on file for the period of one year should you need reprints at a later date. Please note that a $50 archive retrieval fee will apply for all order placed 60 days after the session. Unordered images will be purged 30 days after viewing and are not subject to archiving. Orders generally take 3-4 weeks. I am also available to help hang your wall portraits and design portrait galleries.
(704) 541-8006
