About me

Hi, I’m Heather Whitten(she/they), a photographer, mentor, and shameless advocate. I pull back the curtain that helps dispel the fear and shame that surrounds people’s bodies in this day and age with the hope that they will feel powerful and valued through all stages of their lives. 

My photography has been awarded and exhibited nationally, and I am available for 1 or 2-hour bare. sessions across the United States. For a handful of years, I was a full spectrum doula and have also photographed families, births, and in-home medical abortions. I was a co-founder of The Abortion Project, a non-profit that aimed to create respectful and honest dialogue about the processes of reproductive choice in our country.

I am a fat, queer mother of four, coming into motherhood through a variety of experiences including miscarriage, unknown infertility, secondary infertility, IVF, twins, fostering, adoption, vaginal birth, breast/chestfeeding, and a medical abortion in 2019. I’ve been diagnosed with Bipolar II and ADHD and am happily and thankfully medicated.

I am a career Air Force spouse.  For now, I live in Ellicott City, Maryland with my family and too many pets.

CORE VALUES

All bodies are worthy of celebration and being photographed!
Healthy bodies, sick bodies, fat bodies, skinny bodies, able bodies, differently-abled bodies, cis bodies, trans bodies, it goes on and on… they are all worthy of sitting in front of my lens for a celebration session!

No photoshop needed!
I won’t remove scars or whiten your teeth or change the color of your clothing.  The magic is in what’s happening right in front of my lens, as is!  Your value is not wrapped up in those superficial things so I won’t waste time altering them.

Diversity + Inclusion
We are all unique and I aim to include as much diversity in my portfolio as possible so as many people can see parts of themselves reflected in my work.  This is an ongoing aspect of my work and I appreciate anyone who is willing to sit for me for the first time, not seeing themselves reflected in my work.  It’s an amazing offering of themselves for others that I admire so so much.

Nudity is not inherently sexual!
This is a battle I will die on the hill fighting. There is nothing shameful or bad or dirty or inappropriate about being naked.  It is not automatically sexual either.  I hope that by stripping bare people in my work can feel seen for the wondrous beings they are and can strip away the feeling of being sexualized, fetishized, or ashamed.

the process

Before:
- Initial contact - Send me an email or message me on Instagram
- Sign contract and questionnaire - I’ll send you an email with these links to be reviewed and signed
- We’ll have a conversation - a facetime/phone/text/messaging (which ever you prefer) conversation will happen where we discuss the vibe of your session… location, wardrobe, poses, etc
- Mood board - I’ll put together a Pinterest board of ideas and inspiration for you to review
- Ongoing communication - as needed until the session

During:
I’ll reach out to confirm the session the day before we are scheduled to meet. Day of, I’ll arrive and we’ll spend some time talking and getting ready together and then we’ll dive in. The session starts fully clothed and we’ll progress at your speed and comfort level, with frequent check ins, to your level of desired nudity. We’ll talk about privacy and triggers and all the things before and while I’m photographing you (these will also be on the questionnaire you filled out earlier).

After:
You can expect to have your digital gallery of processed images up to two weeks after the day of your session. I will send you a model release to review and sign in your timing. This will give me permission to (or not) use images from your session for marketing purposes. I’ll also be sending you a link to a testimonial/review questionnaire to fill out if you’d be so kind. This form offers you the opportunity to leave me feedback on how the experience of working with me went so that I can improve on anything for future clients’ sake.

Frequently asked…

Why sliding scale pricing?
Professional photography is a luxury. There’s no way around it. And it’s hard for everyone to access it right now (or ever). I acknowledge that and hope that by offering a sliding scale model for my services, that I will be able to work with more people and families.
It’s important to me that my work be as accessible as possible while still contributing to my family in some way.

Do I have to be naked for a bare. session?
Nope! bare. sessions are about celebrating your body at your comfort level. While there’s no need to be fully naked to do this, there’s also not a need for you to be completely dolled up either! I want you to show up however you feel most comfortable and confident. So if that means naked, great, if that means full makeup and lingerie, also great. But there is no expectation from me!

Will you put my pictures online?
I will if you allow me to! But only if! I am proud of this work I make and want to share it with the world. But, I would never do that by compromising your comfort level. Before and during each session we talk about boundaries around what I can photograph and how… and I tell you that these images are FOR YOU! Not me. Not my mission. Not the internet. I’d love to share any of the images that you allow me to but it’s totally at your discretion.

Will you pose me?
The answer for a long time was “no”. But my relationship with photography has changed through the years and I know that for some people, a little direction and prompting is welcomed. The whole session may not be directed but there may be times that I make suggestions to you about where to do an activity or what pose to do. These are just suggestions and I’ll check in with you frequently to make sure you’re still feeling comfortable with the direction the session is going.

Can I bring a support person to the session?
Hell yes!! I understand how much it is to ask someone to get comfortable with a stranger and their camera! I fully support you bringing as few or as many people you need to hype you up and get you feeling secure. Having someone there with you can make all the difference in the session, so invite away:)

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM