Life is about doing what you Love!

You know my photography started with sports, so I love when I get the opportunity to photograph someone doing their sport.   I have never photographed horseback riding or hockey.  But had the pleasure this fall to do both.  These pictures are of a brother and sister doing their sport.  Their Mom contacted me in the fall about her wonderful idea to capture pictures of her children doing their sport as a gift for her husband for Christmas.  I know her husband loved his Christmas gift because each child's love for what they did came out in every picture.  I cannot even describe in words what a wonderful experience I had watching these children as they do what they love and capturing that love and joy for their sport on camera.  Every time I see these pictures I smile because this is why I started my photography business and where my heart is - and that is to capture a moment  that shows who you are, tells your story by bringing out the very best in you and capturing it in a way that you will cherish forever.

Getting Caught up

Still working on going back and adding some more pictures from the shoots that I did before Christmas.  I have been using my downtime (defined as: not photographing - because I really don't have any "downtime") to study, ready and learn more about the technology and the business.  So I am working on getting the flow down, but for now there might be some late posts to the website/facebook, but I am working on getting everything updated and going back to update some photos.  LOVE these photos.

You will love these pictures.  I posted Dad and Baby in the Fall, but this is the whole family and some of my favorite shots.  There is nothing like family photos in the fall.  We had a blast taking these and enjoying each others company.

The New Look of Holly Hodges Photogaphy

I finally finished all the paperwork (taxes - yuck!) on my desk and my last monster photography project, so I am ready to face the new year.  So, my first project is to update my blog and my website.  I have so many sessions that I haven't even shared with you yet and I need to refresh the look of my website.  To begin the "refresh" project, I started with my logo.  So, here is the new look of Holly Hodges Photography.  I will be working on and  rolling out all the "new" in the next couple of week.  I think this must be the start of spring fever - cleaning up and ready for the new growth of Spring time.

Beautiful Inside and Out

This was a fun photo shoot. It had been really cold on Monday and Tuesday of that week so being in the 40's felt warm. We are great friends so we had a blast just being together like we always do. I don't think there is a bad picture of this family - they are beautiful. I think they all could be models. They are not only beautiful on the outside, they are the most wonderful people you will ever meet - so beautiful on the inside too. Loved the pictures from this shoot and loved their Christmas card that they made from these pictures.

A Surprise for Dad

I loved this photo shoot. These boys are a blast!!! They have been friends of my oldest son since the youngest and my son were in Kindergarten together (they are in middle school now, so I will only threaten with those Kindergarten pictures). So needless to say our families have been friends for years, so we were relaxed in their backyard (newly decorated with some beautiful stonework) playing with the dog and snapping some pictures here and there. They were doing this photo shoot for a Christmas gift for their dad. So we had to keep the shoot a secret. And I coached my children to keep it a secret even as they stood up on Christmas eve as a family to light the advent wreath. Did we do it???? Was he surprised??? I know he will love the picture. These boys are so photogenic. We were a little chilly, but had so much fun just playing around - you can tell these guys are so much fun to be with. THANKS for the Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls - they were awesome. I haven't eaten one of those in years - I enjoyed every bite. You guys rock! Hope you had a GREAT Christmas!

The Bond between Boys and their Dog.

My first memory of this photo shoot was how cold it was. We hurried to the barn and started our photos there, just to get out of the wind. These guys were all great troopers to take off their jackets, get a few pictures and then warm up a little and go again. Despite the cold wind hitting us, we really had a great time. I just love this family, so we had a blast at this park together regardless of the weather. And Buster (the dog) is the little puppy on my website with the tennis ball. He is getting so big and he loves those boys so much. There is nothing more special than the bond between boys and their dog. Their picture with Buster is my favorite - every time that I see it, I catch myself smiling. That is unconditional love.

God's Gift

I am playing catch up now posting my pictures that I took for families for the holidays. This family has been friends of ours for years. Our youngest boys were friends in preschool and through their friendship our families became friends. This was such a fun shoot. I was in their home and met their new dog, Buddy. Buddy is only 1 year old and we were fast friends (with puppy kisses and all) right up to the point that I pulled out my camera. I am still working to get back into his good graces.

As I left this photo shoot, I felt peace and happiness like no other. Their son several years ago had an unknown medical condition that reacted to some medication and his heart stopped (3 times actually) and through great medical teams (you can see his advertisements for WakeMed) and through the power of prayer, he is here today and doing wonderful. And I felt so blessed to be there that day in their home taking pictures of that family that I been down on my knees praying for and had my whole family (and their Sunday School class) thousands of miles away from here praying for. You realize that God has a plan for each of us and through Him, we do his work on earth. Each day is a gift and each child is a gift and every family/friend is a gift from God. This season I am so thankful for all the gifts that God has given me and I am thankful for this wonderful friendship and the joy to come into their home and photograph their family and share that time this holiday season with them.