a sneak peek for the carews!

this past saturday...  when it was 20 below...  ha!  the carews & i BRAVELY went out and took some pictures!  yes, we were nuts but we got some spectacular shots (even if i DO have to say so myself!).  thanks guys for being your awesome selves!!!!  xo!


enjoy a little sneak peek!  more comin' soon!!!!  :D

family | the bustins

i was honoured to shoot another amazing family over the holidays!  another family of 18 (but missing one grandson who was back home in tennessee!) but this time, it was in honour of don & peggy's 50th wedding anniversary!  these guys are awesome...  they even had shirts made for the occasion!  ha!  how great is that??!

thanks so much, bustin family, for helping me bring in 2012 with a bang!  :D  enjoy some of my favourites!

--H

ps - we missed you, cody!

did you know?

it's been that kind of a day. ;D

family | the taylors

my dear friend, randi, had asked me lonnnnnnnnng ago if i would take pictures of her family over Christmas.  i said, "for sure!  absolutely!!"  she went on to say that this was going to include her WHOLE family!  her mom, dad, 2 sisters, 1 brother and all of their families!  some were even coming all the way from australia & bermuda!  WOWSERS!!!!!  needless to say.....  it was going to be a big ol' taylor family photoshoot and i couldn't wait!!!!  :D

oh...and the day after the shoot, they had a surprise 40th anniversary party for bryan & jeannie!  :D  sooooo great!!!!  happy anniversary, you two!  <3  what a gift to have your whole family home for Christmas!!!

sorry to have kept you folks waiting!  i hope you enjoy your pictures!!!  i had a blast with you all!  :D

much love!  <3

2x12 project | january

this year, i really wanted to take on a personal photo project.  to challenge myself creatively and to get some pictures of joe & i along the way.  that's what '2x12' stands for: '2' - for joe & i and '12' - for the 12 months of the year.  :D  (maybe it needed no explanation!  ha!)  i was GOING to do the 'family version' of this....  like a '5x12'...  but i thought that since this family started with the 2 of us, i should start there.  :D  saving that 5x12 idea for next year!  :D

soooooo...through the inspiration of some wonderful photogs, gail werner (gail did a self-portrait series) and jenna davis (jenna did the 'couple' version too!), in particular....  :D  ...my goal is to capture joe & i each month, doing something relevant to that month and time of our life.  :D

i'm really excited about this project as i'm usually the one TAKING the picture, which...hey.  i don't mind at all.  it is my job and i love doing it...  but i just think that our relationship, the one that STARTED this family, is worth documenting.  :D  (...by the way, i'm not entirely sure that joe KNOWS about this project.  ;D  here's hoping he's willing to go along with it!  ha!).

anyhoo...without further ado, here's our 2x12 for january!  :D

(taken with the instagram app on joe's iphone)

this is US from last weekend.  the first skate of the season on the pond at joe's parents' farm.  (SIGH.  such a perfect day!)

my favourite engagement photos of 2011.

in hindsight, i probably should have posted my faves of the e-sessions first, but i guess it shows my excitement & anticipation for my 2012 couples!  :D

to all the couples i photographed engagement sessions for last year...  again i'm BEYOND thrilled that i got to share even a small part of this journey with you.

here's a little 'recap' of all the fun we had last year, starting way back in january 2011!  :D  enjoy!

emily & jason

my favourite wedding images of 2011.

2011 was SUCH a great year for me!!!  it marked my first FULL year of running HOLLYHOWEphotography full-time (on top of managing a home and raising a brood of 3!) and i'm just soooooooooo very grateful to all the couples i had the opportunity to work with.  ...for entrusting such a memorable moment, if not THE most important moment of their lives, to me.  thank you THANK YOU!!!  xo!

i am beyond excited about 2012 and all the promise of this new year, but for now....enjoy some of my 2011 wedding day favourites!  :D

jill & evan

a review of 2011 and a look ahead at 2012.

WARNING: long post ahead, but worth it for me.  helpful and very therapeutic.  :D


i've been wanting to write this post for awhile.  to reminisce and reflect on God's amazing goodness to me and my business.  but haven't had a chance yet, with that little christmas break we've had (ahhhhhh...heavenly!) and the kids home (phewf!  what a busy bunch!).

as i look back on 2011, i've got to address my '11 in 2011'...  hmmm.  let's see how i did.  :D

1 - developing and launching a new logo -- yayyyy!!  this was complete earlier last year with the help of my friend, carla.  she did a great job and i'm THRILLED with my logo.  i don't see it changing for quite some time!  :D

2 - further enhancing my 'brand' and the experience i offer my clients -- i hope i did well on this.  only my clients can answer it, i guess.  my goal with each session is to make my clients feel relaxed and treasured; to tell a story by focusing on their relationships and to give the best of my creativity & heart at each and every shoot.  :D

3 - launching a new blog & website -- yayyyyyy!  this, too, was done at the beginning of last year...thanks, too, to another friend of mine, joel.  :D  i decided early on to make this a 'BLOGSITE' - both a blog and website - to have everything in one spot!  joel has done an amazing job, making the site easy to navigate and easy for me to upkeep!  :D thanks so much, carla & joel!!!

4 - reading more and getting even more acquainted with my camera and gear -- i read a BUNCH last year.  lots of blogs, forums, books/manuals/magazines.

an invaluable read was 'understanding exposure: how to shoot great photographs with any camera' by bryan peterson.  i absolutely gobbled that puppy up.

...and a magazine that came out in late 2011 was jasmine star's 'EXPOSED'.  j* is an industry great and i've been a follower of her blog for 3+ years.  her first mag is chock full of insights and stories of the falls/tumbles she's had along her photography journey.  i LOVE how real she is.

seriously.  look how thick it is!  sooooo good!

5 - renovating my home 'office', making it inviting as a meeting spot for clients and just making it inviting for me to come to work everyday. ;)  -- yeah.  this didn't get touched in 2011.  boo me.  :(  hope to get to this in 2012.  :D  i'm grateful that my couples are just as happy to meet at a coffee shop!  :D

6 - investing in a macro lens  -- yeah.  this didn't get touched either.  but i needed this more.  :D

7 - investigating the offering of prints to my clients (currently i give clients their images on a DVD)  -- nope.  didn't touch this.

8 - getting healthy -- well, i WAS doing well with this....by the end of the summer, i had lost 26lbs.  :)  ...but the holidays were NOT good to me, so i'm back on the train.  :)  goal for 2012?!  i think so!

9 - spending more time with my kids individually -- this will be an ONGOING goal for me.  the kids are growing up so fast!!!  jacob will be NINE this month!!!!  SERIOUSLY!!!!

10 - spending more time with joe -- again, an ONGOING goal.  didn't necessarily get to the 'date nights' but we DID get away for our anniversary weekend.  i think.  or was that 2 years ago?!  i can't remember.  note to self: get out with hubby.  ;)

11 - spending more time with the One who created me -- ONGOING, ONGOING, ONGOING....  :D  i'm not a reader but i KNOW that this is non-negotiable.  spending some 'alone time' with God - praying and reading His Word and getting to know my Saviour, Jesus...better & better!


hmmm...  i think i'm ready to talk about 2012 goals.  ya ready to hear them?!  making it a '12 in 2012'!!  here. we. gooooooooo!!!!!



2012 goals:

1 - shoot between 10-12 weddings this year and second-shoot for at least one (if time & family allow me to!)

2 - find good...no, AMAZING light for each shoot.  and master on- & off-camera flash.

3 - blog more.

4 - improve my workflow and the time in which i give my clients their images.

5 - prioritize family time on weekends.  so, i'm really going to stick to this rule: if i'm shooting on a saturday (which, let's face it, happens a LOT during wedding season!), my sunday is completely free for my family...and vice versa.  :)  my life/work balance needs an overhaul.  ;D

6 - do a personal photo project for 2012.  i think i'm going to do a '2x12months' of joe & i.  :D  (thank you to everybody who offered feedback on my Facebook page!  stay tuned for january's 2x12 in a future post!)

7 - improve my work space.  :)  (...with even the smallest improvement/clean-up/purge, i'd be thrilled.)

8 - hire a photog for my own family shoot.  this is a MUST for this summer.

9 - be more positive and resist the urge MORE to compare myself with others.

10 - invest in a macro lens or (finances permitting!) additional lighting gear.

11 - go for more walks.  (i know i should do it but i often don't because i feel i don't have the time.  i KNOW i need to make time for some good exercise.  the rewards would be great - i'll probably get more work done, have more energy for my family, have fewer headaches & stress...and sleep a whole lot better!)

12 - participate in this at my church and continue my commitment to read my Bible everyday.

as i look back on 2011...  i am sooooooooooo incredibly grateful to all the dear folk i got to work with last year!!!!

...to my 'group of 7'.  my brides & grooms -- jill & evan, cheryl & justin, jason & emily, julie & dan, lindsey & mike, megan & denis and jen & dennis -- thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for hiring me as your wedding photographer!  i count it a privilege to have taken this journey with you.  from the consultation to gettin' comfy with each other with the engagement session to walking with you on your wedding day to delivering your images to you...  GAHHHH!!!  what a year i've had!  i'm blessed to call you my friends!!!

...to all my engaged couples from 2012, whom i shot your engagement sessions last year -- awwwwww yeah!!!!!  can't wait to shoot your weddings!!!  (you have to know...  couples are my absolute FAVOURITE and i LOVED each of your sessions so much!!  can't wait to shoot your weddings!)  :D

...to ALL the amazing people i got to shoot portraits for in 2011.  (i just counted...  i shot 63 portrait sessions, NOT including weddings!!  wowwwww me!!!)  thank you so much for entrusting your precious memories to HOLLYHOWEphotography!!!  it's my prayer that the moments i captured for you will be treasures in your home for many, many years to come.  :)

...to denise, thank you for joining me on this journey; for being such an amazing assistant, cohort and encourager for all my weddings up til now...and especially my 2011 wedding season!  i appreciate you so very much!!!  may God bless all of your future endeavours and projects!!!

...to my precious family: joe, jacob, robyn & josiah.  i love you.  thank you for letting mommy pursue this crazy dream of hers.  xo.

...to my Saviour & Lord.  thank You for making all this possible.  may everything i do bring honour and glory to Your name.

...now to Him Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,

according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen! 

                                                               -- Ephesians 3:20, 21

up next, my favourite wedding images of 2011...  :D  weeeeeeee!!!!!!  (yayyyy!  thanks so much for reading!)  xo!

happy new year!

hello blog land!!!!!  :D :D :D ...and because this girl's music makes me 'happy'... (get it?!  'HAPPY' new year?!!!!)  ;D  ...thought i'd start the year off with a fab little music video to one of my kids' favourite tunes!  (jodi king was at our church this past fall......  she's so great!).

anyhoo....enjoy!  xo!





...and yes, happy new year, friends!  i'm totally welcoming 2012 with open arms!!!  :D  both personally & professionally, i cannot WAIT to get started!  :D  but before i move ahead....i want to reminisce a bit on 2011 (an UNBELIEVABLE YEAR for me!!!!!) with some recaps on my favourite portraits and wedding shots of last year, review my 2011 goals and ...ah hem...  see how i did.  ;D  one thing from the list -- "6 - investing in a macro lens" (a 100mm 2.8L, joe howe.  if you're reading this...)  ;D  well, i didn't get the macro in 2011...but i DID get this.

my long-awaited 4th child.  i've named him 'mark'.  (much like every other photog out there!  ha!  ...so i'm the last getting on the train.  so what!)  :)  anyhoo....he was my big gift this year.  well, ok.  my ONLY gift this year.  but that's alright.  i'm absolutely SMITTEN.

lots more to come to the blog this week!  catch you later, friends.  :D

ps - since i did a '11 for 2011'....do you think i should do a '12 in 2012'??!  ;)  yeah, i like the sounds of that.  :)