No Such Thing as Bad Light! with Heather: Interview with Heather Whitten
Heather Whitten doesn’t let difficult lighting stand in her way of making great photographs, and we are excited to have her bring her knowledge to Learning Library members in her course, “No Such Thing as Bad Light!”
Documentary photographers are thrown into all kinds of lighting situations as they photograph events that occur at all times of the day and night! It’s a crippling reality for so many. But it doesn’t have to be! Let Heather help you step outside of the confines of the golden hour and into your power as a photographer comfortable and confident walking into any environment a session throws at you!
Before you head to the Learning Library to watch the course, learn a little more about Heather.
What’s typically in your camera bag?
Fuji X-T2 + 16mm 1.4, lots of memory cards and extra batteries and a battery charger. I have a back up camera and lens, cards, and batteries in an extra bag in the car, usually. I use THIS harness from Amazon and love it.
How do you decide when to click the shutter? What makes you say “Ah, I have to click right now!”
I’m not really sure haha. I’d say MOMENTS though. I’m drawn to subtle, fleeting gestures and moments that feel like I’m the only one who could have seen them. Freezing those moments or scenes is so exciting to me when I get to share them with others through my work. Intimacy, oddities, things like that make me want to pick up my camera and click the shutter button!
What are you passionate about outside of photography?
I’ve recently really gotten into biking! I started out on the trails in the woods with a mountain bike and have just got a new-to-me gravel bike for road riding. I have big plans for riding the Trans America Trail with a friend of mine in a few years so looking forward to building up to that 3 month trip. Other than that, I like word searches and embroidery.
What’s been the biggest highlight in your photography journey so far?
Definitely the work I’ve been able to do with pregnant people. Either through my birth work or through The Abortion Project non-profit I co-created. Being able to document these experiences of astonishing power and share them with my clients and the world has been so exhilarating! I definitely feel like I’ve found my calling through this work and that impact it’s made!
What are you currently working on? (Photographically or creatively)?
Since I’m leaving the Tampa Bay area in the Fall I’m focusing on rounding out the handful of birth clients I have left and booking DITL sessions for families in the area. And I’m always working on The Abortion Project, trying to find participants for that so we can continue to demystify and destigmatize medical abortions in the country and beyond!
If you could give yourself one piece of advice when first starting out, what would it be?
To lean into the mess and chaos of real life a lot sooner! I fought it for a good while when I started photographing my family because that’s what I thought was expected of me. But I never could really stick it out. I needed to show the truth of life. And I haven’t looked back since I broke free of other people’s expectations!
Where do you hope to be in 5 years from now? (Either in photography, life, work, etc.)
Hopefully I’ll be in North Carolina, closer to family, working through a nursing school program and on my way to becoming a certified nurse midwife. I hope I don’t stop doula’ing and photographing the experiences of pregnant people that I’m so passionate about. But, I’m open to seeing what this all evolves into over time!
About Heather Whitten
Heather Whitten is a shameless champion of pregnant people and their bodies. As a documentary photographer and full-spectrum doula, Heather’s focus on reproductive outcomes encompasses birth, abortion, parenting and family life - all of which make up the body of her photographic work as well. Heather’s life and work highlight the power of vulnerability as a vehicle for connection. Through the intimacy of her photographs, she pulls back a curtain on family life that dispels fear and shame, in the hope that people and families feel empowered and valued through all stages of their lives.
Heather’s photography has been awarded and exhibited nationally, and she is available for Day in the Life sessions across the United States. She also photographs birth as well as pregnancy termination sessions in home. She is a co-founder of The Abortion Project, a non-profit which seeks to create respectful and honest dialog about the processes of reproductive choices.
Heather herself is a mother of four, a photography teacher and mentor, a military spouse and she lives in Tampa, Florida with way too many pets. Heather’s family is relocating to Maryland in the fall of 2021.
Be sure to check out Heather’s crash course “No Such Thing as Bad Light!l with Heather”, available in the DFP Learning Library.
And check out more of her work:
Instagram - @thisunrulylife
Instagram - @heatherwhittenphoto
Website