Early exposure sparks lifelong photography passion

Lori Himes
Posted 10/17/18

Heather has been interested in photography since she was a child.

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Early exposure sparks lifelong photography passion

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Heather Irvine-Goddard, owner of Crown & Cross Photography, has been chosen by the Niobrara County Library to exhibit her photography artwork at the library during the month of October. A reception was held October 10 in her honor.

Heather has been interested in photography since she was a child. She was exposed to professional photographers from an early age since her maternal grandmother was a professional outdoors and wildlife photographer as was her maternal grandfather.  Her grandfather tested outdoor optical equipment for Pentax and her family was given a little 35mm point and shoot film camera. As a child this was the camera her parents allowed her to use for all 4-H projects. When she was a little older their family had a Pentax film camera with a macro lense and this ignited a desire to really push photography into how she saw the world instead of just snapping away. 4-H was integral to developing not just her interest in photography but her skills. It was through 4-H that I connected with my first professional mentor, Lonnie Slack. He stepped in to lead the 4-H photography group and is an amazing portrait and outdoor photographer. He helped Heather not only learn the basics, but understand the process and work that goes behind exceptional photos. He didn’t just teach photography as an art but as a process, business and presentation technique. She also had the good fortune to watch Alan Sinner work. Alan was fundamental in helping her understand posing, lighting and interacting with subjects.

At 14 she was given her own Pentax (film) camera and she shot as much film as she possibly could. She states, “I know for a fact I have taken more terrible pictures in my life than good ones. For every finished photo that I entered in fair I probably developed 40 or more that no one ever saw. I really appreciate my parents investing in me. It wasn’t cheap to buy film and pay to have it developed, but they never, ever told me I couldn’t keep pursuing my interest in photography.”

Heather took her first formal portraits in high school for friends and family. In college she had the opportunity to learn dark room techniques and film developing. This was when digital photography was really becoming available to the mainstream market and becoming more affordable, though it wasn’t yet common. She continued to invest money in shooting as much film of as many subjects as she could, though her personal projects continued to revolve around portrait and lifestyle work.

In 2011 she purchased her first “professional grade” digital camera, a Cannon Rebel. This was when she decided to begin learning digital photography and post-processing techniques.

“This was a big leap for me. As someone that focused so much on learning my film camera and really pushing the limits of whatever film speed I had, and specifically black and white film, it was almost overwhelming to have all of this at my fingertips without ever shooting a roll. All of a sudden I didn’t have to shoot an entire roll just to try out a different speed. While the concept of ISO/F-stop/Shutterspeed didn’t change, the ability to manipulate all of these in every single frame if you wanted was such a game changer. I became more efficient as a photographer, but also had a lot to learn about my new camera’s capabilities and it was daunting.”

She was apprehensive about turning her passion into a profession. She was worried that doing it for money would result in too much pressure, or a decrease in the pleasure that she found in photography but in spite of those fears, in 2014 Heather began building her professional business. While she mainly focuses on portrait work she also varies her personal projects to keep creative burnout at bay. One of the hardest things was really forcing herself to learn post-processing; the applications and software that allow her to process the pictures after they are taken. While many natural light outdoor sessions can come straight out of the camera or need only a small tweak, studio and high contrast work, still life work, and more creative marketing photography often require more time and knowledge of processing software. The primary software that she uses are iPhoto and Adobe Photoshop.

Following her own struggles with miscarriage and those of a friend who lost her child at 3 days old, she decided she wanted to become a volunteer photographer with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, an organization that provides remembrance photography for families who are dealing with infant loss, stillbirth and children that will never be taken home. In order to do this she had to present a portfolio of photos that were taken in natural light and those taken with auxiliary lighting. In order to really feel as though she had the skills to do this she decided to dig out her backdrops and auxiliary lighting and brush up on her indoor skills. In 2018 she became an affiliated volunteer photographer with this organization.  NILMDTS works with hospitals all over the world to ensure that families are provided with heirloom quality photographs of their child.  

She now specializes in newborn and family photography, memorial photography (object and picture still life) and lifestyle photography. She travels all over the state of Wyoming for sessions. 

“I love seeing a client’s face light up when I have managed to capture the personality of their children, or hold that moment in time for them. It is so special to present someone with a piece of art that helps them remember a loved one or fill their home with beautiful images that they will value forever. I also love that a photograph never looks the same to two people, because it is art. My style isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay.  As I have grown and changed as a person, so has my photography, and I would suspect that in another 10 years I will be able to look back and see how I have changed as an artist again. One of the most valuable lessons I learned from the artists in my family is that your art and your process change as your life changes. Your focus, your skills and your style will all evolve as you do, so it is okay, and even important that you allow this to happen. That is how you continue to feed that creativity and maintain a passion for what you do.”