Heidi Heilbrunn Photography

I made this photo while working on a feature story at the National Cat Groomers Institute of America. I decided to post it because I had heard from many people how it made them laugh….so if you need a good laugh, here you go!

Check out the article at The Greenville News.

I was sent to Columbia to photograph South Carolina republican candidate for governor, Nikki Haley, on the night she accepted the republican nomination. That night it was one picture of current Governor Mark Sanford and his ex-wife, Jenny, greeting each other with a quick kiss that caused quite a buzz. The Greenville News ran the photograph (as well as other local papers), but The News chose not to release it to television.

The evening of the primary election in South Carolina, I was sent to Nikki Haley’s celebration party in Columbia. Haley is one of the republican candidates for governor. Here was my favorite shot from the evening. It was even published on MSNBC and Yahoo news.

In this photo: His Royal Highness, The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex is welcomed to Stevens Aviation in Greer on Thursday, May 27, 2010. So, I have to admit that I was a little excited to photograph HRH when he arrived (and also before he left Greenville, SC) since my grandmother immigrated from London and I even lived there for a short while.

Last night I photographed Efraim Zuroff as he spoke of the stories he encountered while investigating and prosecuting Nazi war criminals, which are featured in his latest book: Operation: Last Chance The program called, ‘The Last Nazi Hunter,’ was held at the Temple of Israel.

I was sent to shoot two local high schools competing in a championship soccer game. After one team scored a goal, I started looking for reaction pictures. I liked this photo because of the different reactions captured in the same frame.

On Tuesday, I followed 82 World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., as they participated in the Upstate Honor Flight. My favorite photograph, which ran on the front page of The Greenville News, is of Fred Rector. In the photograph, he places his hand over his heart while standing at the the WWII Memorial.

Mr. Rector told me the story of how he was captured and interrogated by the Germans. I just stood quietly, in shock, and listened. At this point his guardian, the volunteer in charge of looking out for his well-being throughout the trip, noticed my very German name. I explained that, yes, my grandparents had come over from Germany, but that they were Jewish. They had been forced to flee their homes. Mr. Rector paused and reached out his hand. I walked alongside his wheelchair – the two of us hand in hand – back to our bus.

Last week, I made a portrait of a mother who’s son went missing twelve years ago near Table Rock. I met her at a park bench, dedicated to her son, that she visits around the anniversary of his disappearance. Check out The Greenville News story.

Last night I waited for the arrival of The Greenville Drive, a Boston Red Sox affiliate. They finally got into town around 9:15 pm and headed straight for the locker room to put away equipment. I am definitely ready to shoot some baseball again.