CAPTURING THE BEAUTY OF MOTION
AND CREATING COMMUNITY
OVER COMPETITION
H.O.P. Ambassadors
I remember it like it was yesterday, sitting on my front porch with my neighbor brainstorming up ways to make my new found love of dance photography the main niche of my business. Five years later, I think it's now safe to say - mission accomplished.
This HOP Ambassador team we created has grown myself and my business in ways I would have never imagined. Not only did we create a beautiful community together that continues to grow in ways I never would have guessed, we created something so much more. It has challenged me, filled me to the brim, made me more compassionate, more loving, more accepting, a better photographer, friend and mentor. Together we created work, friendship, community, life and art in a unique and creative way.
it all started with a camera and
a dream
HOP ALUMNI
team
coming soon!
I'm so incredibly proud of this community we created. It is so successful that I continually have photographers across the globe asking me to teach them how to create the same thing. I even launched a series of digital courses for dance photographers teaching them everything from lighting and composition, to how to create a team like this for themselves! I feel like this HOP team has been the purest form of a testimonial in itself. It worked, it generated, and it made my business and life grow in all the right ways.
I am feeling SO MUCH gratitude for this beautiful team we created together. I am learning through each season of life that a true measure of success isn't just what you do, it's how you live your life. I have entered a season of living slower, softer, more in tune to the rhythms of nature and seasons, of empty nesting, and creating a place of peace in all areas of my life.
WHAT IS NEXT?
COMMUNITY OVER COMPETITION TEAM
the
I have made the conscious decision to move in a softer direction, not from a place of failure, but to a place of peace, to take a step back into a quiet longing, a clear and confident place of simplicity in life. The HOP Ambassador Team will be a beautiful chapter in my life that will be quietly closing, but will always remain one of my favorite chapters. This does not mean I am closing my business entirely, rather I'm pausing this one channel of where I show up. I want to create space - more space for creativity, more space for my community, more capacity for my life and more energy to be open to whatever lies ahead.
I'm waking up to the idea that there is so much more to life than the endless pursuit of more. I want to be an example to these beautiful girls and dancers I have mentored that sometimes simply ENOUGH is the goal. I want them to watch someone choose differently. I want to step back from the constant need to show up with more - more ideas, more creativity, more of me. Instead I want to design a life that feels more in line with choosing peace over choosing more.
After a beautiful five year run, the HOP Team is closing its doors. It has served its purpose and fulfilled its mission. I'm not exactly sure what lies ahead, I just know that I want to create space for the magic of whatever the next chapter may be. I will continue to book dance sessions like I always have, I will continue to photograph my dear clients who have been with me for 19 years. I consider it an absolute honor to be welcomed back into your lives to document your most important moments and I will continue capturing sweet memories for families, seniors and dancers.
This HOP community is not going anywhere. We have created something that can never end and can never be taken away. A beautiful group of humans who have found friendship in a shared passion of photography, dance, art, and community. A safe space where we build each other up - in person and on line. We will continue to cheer each other on when we find we are sharing the same stage with each other - whether that be at a dance competition, auditioning together, being cast in the same show, or simply at your local dance studio. HOP dancers will always cheer each other on the loudest. I am so proud of you and all we have created together.
Ava
"First of all, Heather is beyond talented and a dream to work with. Being a HOP Ambassador this year was not only exciting, but it allowed me to connect with dancers from other studios that share the same love of dance. The best part was the support I felt from the other ambassadors. If you love dance, love photography, and want to be part of a team that is supportive of each other, I would recommend this wonderful opportunity."
#communityovercompetition
"..the best part was the support I felt"
maya vert
Aliquam urna risus, pharetra lobortis felis nec, mattis ultricies urna. Nunc sem velit, pellentesque et leo et, mattis molestie massa. Pellentesque odio massa, pretium ut sollicitudin eu, cursus bibendum tellus.
"I finally have a vision for business growth."
what people are saying
HOP Ambassadors will now be called HOP Alumni!
From our inaugural HOP 2020 Team - to our most recent team of 2025, if you were ever a HOP Ambassador you will now be HOP Alumni.
As a huge thank you for all we have created these past five years, any HOP Alumni will receive a 10% discount on photography sessions of any kind. Family sessions, brand shoots, model calls, dance sessions and even senior portrait sessions.
In addition, we will keep our HOP community going strong by having an annual (maybe more? mayble less?) HOP Community event. All HOP Alumni will be invited. I'm open to ideas of what this could look like - a pool party, a beach trip, a glow in the dark dance party? It will be less photography event focused and more focused on team building and staying connected.
Heather O'Steen Photography will continue to offer dance portrait sessions, brand model calls and so much more! I'm looking forward to creating with you all in some brand new ways. I hope that you too are always in pursuit of peace, presence, and purpose.
Mrs. Heather
Just Keep Dancing,
Tracey
"The true highlight of the HOP team is the friendships my daughter has made and the experiences she had - dancing in the rain, glowing in the dark, running on hills at sunset and so much more. Heather is an amazing photographer and delivered breathtaking photos, but the real takeaway is how she showed this group of young women the power of supporting one another. I am forever grateful, for the photographs and the experience."
"..i am forever grateful, for the photographs & the Experience"
maya vert
Aliquam urna risus, pharetra lobortis felis nec, mattis ultricies urna. Nunc sem velit, pellentesque et leo et, mattis molestie massa. Pellentesque odio massa, pretium ut sollicitudin eu, cursus bibendum tellus.
"I finally have a vision for business growth."
what people are saying
HEATHER IS AN AWARD WINNING professional dance AND PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER since 2007. SHE HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED, AWARDED AND PUBLISHED IN THE FOLLOWING PUBLICATIONS AND MORE.
in the press
