Meet the Artist and Giveaway: Heather from clementseye

Guess what, I enter giveaways, too! I even win occasionally.

You'll be glad I did this time around because that's how I met my next giveaway sponsor!

Heather is going to send one lucky winner 

the print of their choice from her shop, clementseye!

Here's the one I chose for myself:

Buy it here

Let's get to know Heather a little while admiring her work (and possibly your future wall decor!)

Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
A: I began photography when I received my first camera when I was 10. It was a present for my first trip to Europe with my grandparents. It was a Canon AE-1 Program. A real work horse, I am positive of that because I still shoot with it. I became hooked then. I’m now well, let’s say MORE than 40, living in Charlotte, NC with my husband and two daughters. The one constant in my life, and go to when I was trying to figure things out, was photography.  I’m sure it always will be.

Q: When did you start taking pictures professionally?   
A: I had just gotten married and we moved to Charleston, SC with my husband’s job. I was looking for a job, which was scarce at the time, and stumbled upon the Gibbes Community Art School (unfortunately now a restaurant) in a cool old haunted house. I took a couple of classes in photography and was hooked on the darkroom. It was like therapy. It opened me up creatively to things that can be done with film after a picture has been taken. I was allowed to use the darkroom when there wasn’t a class going on. I started taking portraits and shooting weddings, I eventually had a few fine art shows before we moved.

Buy it here

Q: What type of camera do you currently use?
A: I currently shoot with a Nikon 70D and my first camera, the Canon AE-1. I’m trying to get back to film a bit more so the Canon has been winning out recently.


Q: How do you know when you've taken a great picture, something out of the ordinary?
A: I don’t always, especially if I’m shooting film. BUT I do know when I’ve put my creativity to the test and that is usually when I get a great shot. Not always what I planned out but a great shot none-the-less.

Buy it here

Q: The 2 most common subjects in your photos seem to be children and animals. Is there a connection to your personal life there?
A: Well, I started photographing children after I had my oldest daughter who is almost 9. I adore photographing children, especially if you can get the parents out of the way and just let kids be kids. That’s what I like to capture. As for the animals, I was fortunate enough to take a trip to South Africa a few years ago and that was really it. I was hooked. It was the first time that I really had to be very, very, very patient to get the shot. BUT I always knew when it was going to happen. I didn’t always know what exactly IT was but I could feel it was going to happen if I was just patient.


Q: I really love the ballet pictures. What inspired these photos?
A: I have a couple of ballerinas that live in my house! My daughter was invited to be in a class that would perform in the Nutcracker here in Charlotte. She danced 10 performances in 3 days. I had a lot of down time so I figured that I would test my skills. It’s challenging. It’s much different from the other shooting I’d done. The lighting is harsh and drastic, and then add the constant movement. That was three years ago. I am now the official historian. I not only photograph for my daughter but I also have begun creating custom photobooks for individual dancers. We are attempting to record the history of the dance program. So with all of that, I end up with some pretty amazing subjects to record. I also love Feet and Hands so it’s a win win for me!

Buy it here

Q: Are there any photographs that hold special meaning to you?
A: There are three. Two I took, one I did not. First one is of my grandparents as they left the church that I was married in. They are so happy. It’s a great old black and white. I had my photographer, who shot in all black and white and some infrared, pose one just like it as we left the church. The second, is a photograph of my oldest daughter when mom was reading to her and it’s just their hands and the book. I’m positive it’s going to be the one that she keeps for her children. The third is my second daughter, that was taken at the hospital. She is a day old and sleeping, holding my mom’s finger. She’s so tiny and vulnerable. Now you’ve got me all emotional and I’ll have to force my children to do another photo shoot today. [Reading this got me all emotional, too. Let's change gears!]


Q: What brought you to Etsy?
A: My youngest is going to school this year, actually in 5 days! I will have more time to devote to creating my photography business the way that I feel it deserves. Etsy was the first step for that. I’d had a shop for almost a year and just didn’t do anything with it.


Q: What is the best advice you've received regarding your work or shop?
A: I am definitely my own worst critic. I often feel when I go off on a really really arsty jag shooting that there is not a single person on the planet that will get it and appreciate it. A very successful friend of mine said, “if it gets people thinking then it is an accomplishment. Those are the pieces that stick in people’s minds and keep them up at night thinking about it. Don’t underestimate your client.” So now I approach my shop as if I was creating it for a client JUST like me, it’s going pretty well.

Buy it here

Q: What are your future plans for your work/shop?
A: I have a plan to get a great deal more purposeful with it. A lot of my images lately happen while I’m there for a different reason. So, I plan on it all getting a bit more focused. I’m a gemini so that’s hard to master when you have two opinions on pretty much EVERYTHING.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like us to know about you?
A: I am an artist. I’m not sure exactly where that will take me in the next few years but the joy of making a career at something that I love to do is just too luscious to ignore. I hope everyone gets the chance to figure out what their passion is and go for it. 

Be sure to find Heather on Etsy, her blog, twitter and Facebook and let her know I sent you! 

Are you ready to find out how to win a print of your choice from her shop? I thought so :)

How to Enter the Giveaway:

1. Follow this blog (Mandatory)

and leave a comment here saying you did.

2. Follow http://clementseye.blogspot.com/ 
and leave a separate comment here saying you did.


3. "Like" clementseye on Facebook
and leave a separate comment here saying you did.


4. "Heart" clementseye on Etsy 

and leave a separate comment here saying you did.

5. Leave a separate comment letting us know

what your favorite image is from Heather's Etsy store and why.

Good luck!


For more great giveaways click Here

Fine Print:
Photograph will be sent as an 8 x 10 or 8 x 12 inch print

Only 5 entries per household please
1 winner will be chosen September 5th at midnight PST
Winner will be chosen by random.org
Entries will be validated
Winner will be announced here
Winner will have 3 days to contact me, 

after which a new winner will be chosen

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter