Heather K Cook Photography: The Final Year in Business

I will start by saying this post has been the hardest to write because I honestly didn’t want this to end. This decision took a lot of soul-searching and talking with friends, family, and my husband, and it wasn’t easy. I haven’t regretted any minute of my business or the decisions I have made. I still remember picking my website name, designing my website on my boyfriend’s couch, and thinking about all of the opportunities ahead of me. Every minute in my business has resulted in so much satisfaction and joy that I won’t ever be able to express it. But as the saying goes, “All good things must come to an end”. And that is why I have decided that these next 12 months will be the last year of Heather K Cook Photography.

So, you have to be wondering why I’m closing the doors. It probably helps if we go back in time to when I first started my photography career. I initially started this as a creative outlet that grew to dream of going full-time in order to be at home more. My husband and I have always talked about having children and I knew that I would have to be around more because of how demanding his job is on his schedule. I knew that if we were to have kids, I needed a career that allowed me the flexibility to put my family first, and during that time, I was in a career that didn’t have those opportunities. That was until 2020 and COVID-19. The corporate world opened its eyes towards working from home and people proved that it is possible to get things done while not being in the office. And I finally found a career that allows me to be home and still provide for my family.

I’ll probably go into this more over on Instagram at some point, but I want to go into some important details first:

Mini-Sessions and Portraits

I plan to continue my mini sessions and portraits through November of 2022. If you are a current client, you should see no difference and if you are thinking of a mini-session with me, I still have Christmas Tree minis available! 

If you are looking for a session after November of 2022, I would HIGHLY recommend reaching out to my friend Audrey Grace Photography. She is PHENOMENAL and photographs beautiful family and newborn sessions!

Weddings

Next Spring will be the last wedding season for Heather K Cook Photography. I have some WONDERFUL engaged couples that I have enjoyed getting to know and can’t wait to help them celebrate their wedding day next Spring. If you are looking for a wedding photographer, I would recommend Laura Watson Photography and Wynne Photography. I cannot recommend these two highly enough. They have even done my headshots in the past!

Your Photos and Products Moving Forward

Are you a current or past client and wondering about your digital gallery? Your photos will be archived on hard drives, and your galleries will be closed down starting next Summer. If you wish to purchase an album, canvas, print, or any digital negatives, now is the time to do so! If you need access to your photos again for any reason after next Summer, there will be a fee to access and deliver your photos to you. 

What if you have a question or concern down the road regarding your photos? I’ll still be available on Instagram! While I won’t be doing photography work, I’ll be happy to answer questions and re-direct you to any businesses that could assist with products you might want: albums, prints, canvases, etc. But, if you’d like the quality products and custom design you’d get with me, plan to make your purchases before 12/31/2022, which will allow me to fill those orders in time before I close my doors. 

<3

Looking back, I did give up a lot for this business, and I don’t regret any minute of it. I love my business and that is why the reason I’m closing is so hard for me to describe. I’m walking away from my business while it is still something I love and leaving on a high note. I will still be using my film cameras and taking photos for my own personal use. My love of Photography hasn’t gone away. I am choosing to showcase it in a different way. I’m just choosing to let go of something old so that I can let something new into my life. Just like pruning a pumpkin patch, you have to cut out some of the fruitful ones so that the leftover pumpkins can grow bigger. 

I am grateful to all of my friends and family for supporting me all of these years. I couldn’t have kept a business alive for 6 years without you guys. Thank you for everything and know that I will always be around if you want to meet up for a glass of wine or a margarita. 😛

Love you all!

Heather