Meet Heather Moreau | Family Portrait and Wedding Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Heather Moreau and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
When I first started my business almost 20 years ago, I had absolutely no balance. I would wake up at 5 a.m. and start work, not to finish until late at night. As the years went on and I married and had a family, I realized it wasn’t sustainable or healthy. I think it’s really important for small business owners to have a strong sense of division and balance between work and home life. It’s a hard thing to achieve. You really have to set strong boundaries and follow your own rules … something independent entrepreneurs are usually not that great at. These days with two young children at home doing zoom school, I have to follow my own rules. Work needs to stay at work and it forces me to focus and get things done during the time I have for work. When it’s family time, I focus on the moment and enjoying my kids at this stage – paying full attention to them and not multitasking my business find my phone:-) it’s a work-in-progress!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I would say that photography as an art and profession is really a practice. It’s something you can constantly work on and get better at. There’s always someone better than you. There’s always something to strive for. I think that’s why I love my career so much. I also love my clients, my people, my families, my couples. It’s so wonderful to connect with my clients on such a personal level and see their families at the happiest times. It’s my job to show them looking like their true selves and show their love for each other. I would say I am most known for being a director in my photography. I really guide and direct every step of the photo session because none of us are models. No one really knows exactly how to be in front of the camera when they are not professional model and myself included. For this reason, I never left leave my people hanging. I’m always letting them know how to stand or sit or guiding them into poses that make them look and feel like they’re most natural selves. That’s how I get the most genuine images and I think that’s the reason my clients come back to me year after year.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I have so many favorite places in San Diego! I feel really lucky to have a job where I get to visit a lot of them for wedding celebrations and family portraits. Some of my favorite places lately have been Liberty Station, Rancho Valencia, L’Auberge Del Mar, Seaport Village, and Torrey Pines. So many fun things to take advantage of an our beautiful area!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a shout out to the professional group of women photographers in San Diego that I have been a part of for years. The group is called San Diego women in photography and it has been so valuable to me over the years. It’s a small group of professional women photographers who are happy to help each other with any question, give support, and just generally be there for each other. I have made so many great friends through this group and it’s wonderful to have a professional association that is like an open book to help each other even though we are in the same industry and have the same client base. I love it and I have thought many many times over the years how lucky I am to have this group of women for support and encouragement.

Website: https://vallentynephotography.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vallentynephotography/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vallentyne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vallentynephotography/
Yelp: https://yelp.com/biz/vallentyne-photography-oceanside
Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/vallentynephotography/

Image Credits
Holly Ireland Photography