May 8, 2017

Meet Heidi Steinhagen of Dream of Me Photography

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heidi Steinhagen.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Heidi. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I would like to say I’ve always been a photographer. I’ve gone through life seeing everything as though it were through a camera, which is just a tool. Being a photographer is more than having a camera, having a cell phone with filters, or being able to manipulate a picture into what you want it to be. It’s about capturing reality and memories for my clients.

I’ve had a camera glued to my hand since I was 17 while working in a photo lab in Memphis, TN. I couldn’t get enough film to keep up with what I thought then would just be a hobby. I was constantly taking photographs for friends, local musicians, and anyone that would let me!

I spent a few years in Omaha, NE with the Nebraska Children’s Home Society, coordinating one of the most heart-wrenching and humbling projects I could have possibly taken on. I sorted and archived well over a thousand photographs dating back to the late 1800s. These weren’t just any photos. They were memories of children that were orphaned or abandoned in the state of Nebraska over a century. Several were added into a local museum and state historical archive. It was at that time that I realized that taking a picture of someone wasn’t just a fashion show, but a way of capturing an actual memory.

After relocating to Houston with my two children, I decided that it was time to “develop” what I’d been keeping in my mental camera and start my own business. Thinking of the name for my business was probably the easiest start. Taking family portraits, senior graduation sessions, commercial photography… it has been a whirl wind experience to become a Houstonian. It has been a blast of intense coastal air to become a Houston photographer!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been anything but smooth sailing with my business! Starting a new business is hard work, but being a photographer in a city as large as Houston and surrounded by so many other talented photographers, I had my work cut out for me. I had to recognize what set me apart from all of these amazing people as well as accept that many photographers feel the same way I do about their work ethic.

In the past 3 years, I’ve also overcome not one, but two surgeries to remove tumors from my head. They were in quite possibly the most terrifying location, not just being in my head, but right next to my optical nerves. The thought of losing my eyesight was beyond words. I wasn’t as concerned about the surgery itself, as I do live in one of the biggest medical hubs in the world. The most recent surgery was in February of this year. It was the few following weeks that I truly understood how hard it was to be a single mom, and at the same time I learned the true meaning of faith thanks to the numerous friends and strangers that fed my small family and thought of the smallest needs we may have had. In a matter of a month, by the grace of God, I was up and ready to roll!

Please tell us about Dream of Me Photography.
Dream of Me Photography is a locally owned business in Cypress, TX that specializes in child, individual, senior and family portraits, as well as finding something new to hang on that bare wall in homes and offices. Commercial, wedding, and event sessions are available as well.

It’s not just how I capture things or people, but how everyone else sees them. I take that extra step to see what people are trying to show others when they share their pictures. I find out what kind of emotion they want to share when they place a picture or portrait on their wall.

Most importantly, I’ve been able to donate my time and services to many non-profits in the area as well as school fundraisers.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I have been asked if I would make different choices, given the opportunity to change the past. My automatic response is absolutely not! We get to where we are by our experiences in life and our careers. It can all be summed up by my favorite quote: “You can’t choose your circumstances, but you can choose to overcome them.”

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