regina holder photographer

artistic storytelling.

Hi! Welcome to my Photo Journal.

I describe my style of photography as artistic storytelling. Using a photojournalism approach, with a hint of editorial portraiture, I use the images to tell the story of each wedding. Through my blog, I actually get to tell the stories behind the photos and share my excitement about all the weddings and couples that I am so blessed to work with. I also get to give credit to all the wonderful vendors that make the weddings extra special.

My children’s work is also important to me. I offer lifestyle portraiture at the client’s house, focusing on capturing the child’s personality and interaction with other family members. There are no “say cheese” photos allowed. I often take the time to play with the child before I even pick up my camera, so I call these sessions “play dates”.

I live in the house I grew up in with my dog, Lennox. She is a boxer/American Bulldog mix and a big girl. She has my heart. We are in the small community of Balsam, about 45 minutes west of Asheville. My studio is at Biltmore Park, off Long Shoals Road.

Email me at regina@reginaholder.com, leave me a comment below or just pick up the phone and give me a call. 828-452-4295 I would love to hear from you!

peace and happiness!

regina

Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2009 – 8:07 pm

Wow! It’s hard to believe Christmas Day is already come and almost gone! That whirlwind of tons of weddings mixed in with loads of Christmas card family sessions makes for a busy time of year. Here are some of the custom designed cards.

This is my personal card, featuring my new baby girl Macy.

I put an “in memory” of sweet Lennox who passed away in August, since not everyone would know and wonder where Macy came from.

Some of my favorite client cards:

Several other clients did the cards with actual prints or used Tiny Prints. I always love hearing feedback from the moms about how excited their family and friends were over their cards.

Next month, a new wedding and finally a new children’s website will be launching. Plus, I may actually blog more than once every 3 months.

Happy New Year!

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Exciting new camera bag!

December 10, 2009 – 6:13 pm

I’m so excited to finally be able to see and pre-order a new camera bag by Kelly Moor e! The website just went live today and I have already spent way too much time looking at the bags! Kelly is one of my favorite photographers and the stylin’ mama of one of the cutest little girls ever - Miss Po’. I’ve been following Kelly’s blog forever and while her work is always AMAZING, it’s the post on Po’ that always make me smile. I mean - check out her going to church outfit! So, I am not surprised to see finally a stylish bag that has function. And BONUS - it comes in purple!!! Kelly is offering a special discount: Take $50 off with the code “bloglove”.

I can’t wait to carry this bag throughout the next wedding season!

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danielle and eli preview

November 26, 2009 – 10:00 pm

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wedding festivals asheville bridal show - tomorrow!

September 23, 2009 – 4:04 pm

I can’t believe it is already time for the next Wedding Festivals bridal show! The show is tomorrow evening from 4:00 - 9:00 at the Asheville Civic Center lower level. I would love for you to come by my booth so that we can chat! I am always just across from the concession stand.

I am offering a “For His Eyes Only” special to all those who attend and am happy to extend the offer to all other brides current and past and their friends. “For His Eyes Only” is an intimate portrait session that celebrates YOU with timeless, elegant imagery. The session hints at sensuality, without being blatantly sexual. Email me if you are interested in finding out more information: info@reginaholder.com

Here are a couple images from the January show:

By regina | Posted in Blossoms at Biltmore Park, Uncategorized | 3 comments Show Comments | Add a Comment

ariel + doug - greenville wedding

July 10, 2009 – 8:29 pm

Ariel and Doug had a wonderful wedding celebration at Doug’s family home in Greenville. His parents’ back yard was the perfect setting! With rain threatening, the ceremony area and dance floor were thankfully tented as it rained until moments before the ceremony began. They had all the umbrellas ready and just as the bridesmaids were ready to begin, the rain stopped and it was a lovely day.

I posted on my Facebook page that Ariel was a super model that day. She was absolutely breathtaking with her feather hairpiece. Happy brides are always so radiant. Doug cleans up really well, too! Their wedding party and couple photos are some of my all time favorites! The pool area at twilight was awesome!!!

Ok, so I just couldn’t pick a few images. If you want to see even more, click here for their slideshow.

I always love when the couple honor the images from family weddings - maybe one day their grandchildren will have their photos on display.

Jarrad was hanging out with the guys. Doug was sequestered to his room for quite a while.

I always have the 2nd photographer follow the couple after they recess, staying behind to capture the rest of the wedding party and family. I absolutely love the shots that Jarrad captured in a private moment of celebration with the couple.

Ariel had on green shoes, so I had to do a homage to my friend and favorite photographer Jose Villa.

The cake cutting started out nice enough, but they ended up wearing some of the Brick Street Cafe cake and I had to do an emergency repair on Ariel’s hair.

Their friends were OUTRAGEOUS on the dance floor!

Rock it, Ariel! (Jarrad’s shot)

Florist and Caterer: Paige Mc Cartney

Band: Special Edition (Gary Collins) - good friends of the Groom’s dad

By regina | Posted in Brick Street Cafe Bakery, Greenville SC wedding photographer, Greenville SC wedding photography, Uncategorized | 5 comments Show Comments | Add a Comment

get to know ariel + doug - lake keowee

July 10, 2009 – 7:37 pm

Ariel and Doug are such an incredible nice couple! They compliment each other perfectly! I met them at Doug’s family lake house at Lake Keowee for their engagement session. We walked around a bit, hit up some of nice spots throughout the Vineyard at Lake Keowee taking advantage of some nice evening light and then came back for dinner. I love that they shared kitchen duties and put together quite a yummy dinner. Thanks for a fantastic afternoon!

By regina | Posted in Greenville SC wedding photographer, Greenville SC wedding photography, get to know, lake keowee | 1 comments Show Comments | Add a Comment

hayley + sam - westin poinsett wedding

July 10, 2009 – 7:22 pm

Now that you have gotten to know Hayley and Sam and seen Hayley’s gorgeous bridal portraits - on to the wedding!

The ceremony took place at Mauldin United Methodist Church. It’s a beautiful modern church and all the gardens were in full bloom. It was one of the first incredibly hot days of the summer and we were trying so hard to get nice photos without melting. As with most churches, we were limited to not being in the sanctuary at all. I stayed with Hayley and her dad until they walked down the aisle with Jarrad in the balcony to catch the reaction and rest of the procession. I do love being in the balcony for the bird’s eye views, but ran back down as the couple recessed.

The reception took place at the Westin Poinsett. Jennifer and everyone at the Westin was a pleasure to work with. The waffles and french toast station and the shrimp and grits were a huge hit! Couture Cakes did the yummy 4 tiered, monogrammed cake. The incredible floral designs were by Greg Foster. Sam’s dad and sister had everyone laughing and crying during the toasts. Apparently, a lot of Hayley’s friends are getting married soon, so her dad Brent passed on his pimp hat to the next dad who would need supplimental income. We made our way up to the rooftop just in time for sunset for some of my favorite couple shots. DJ Bob Ross had the party going and since they had an incredibly early flight the next morning, they had a fun sparkler send off before it got too late. Click here for their slideshow.

By regina | Posted in Couture Cakes, Greenville SC wedding photographer, Greenville SC wedding photography, Westin Poinsett | no comments No Comments | Add a Comment

hayley bridal portrait - westin poinsett, greenville sc

July 10, 2009 – 5:35 pm

Each year, I have a few brides that do a formal bridal portrait. It’s a lot of fun to have the bride all dressed up and put her in different settings. The Westin Poinsett in Greenville, SC is a gorgeous hotel with a fantastic lobby. Very traditional with a checkerboard floor. I LOVE the shots of Hayley in the lobby - very glamorous!!! It was also the first bridal portrait that I had done since I went to the big WPPI photography convention in Las Vegas and studied for 2 days with Australian photographer Jerry Ghionis. I have been a huge fan of Jerry’s work for a long time and he is well known for his flattering posing techniques. He also takes ordinary (even crazy cluttered) rooms in his client’s homes and makes extraordinary portraits. One of his techniques is to use glass or stone surfaces with light on them to make a mirror reflection. So, I channeled Jerry and the shots of Hayley with her face reflected in the marble are some of my favorites! Look at her eyes!!! Then, we went up on the incredibly windy roof, almost lost the veil instantly, but LOVE LOVE the solar flair shot!!! A huge thanks to Detra Dowling for all her help and for carrying the light stand!

By regina | Posted in Greenville SC wedding photographer, Greenville SC wedding photography, Westin Poinsett | 1 comments Show Comments | Add a Comment

get to know hayley + sam - greenville, sc engagement photos

July 10, 2009 – 4:54 pm

I love the engagement photo sessions with my couples. By getting to know the couple better, the wedding day photos are so much better. Having the couple’s trust and establishing a comfort level allows me to get the nice emotional shots and fun couple images.

I met Hayley and Sam and followed them to the vacant lot that her parents own just north of Greenville, near Greer. They have a great dock on the lake and hope to build up there soon. It was the perfect setting for some fun shots on the dock. When we got there, they told me the HUGE new house next door belongs to Billy Mays of Oxiclean fame that recently passed away. On the way there, I had noticed the Gilreath Grist Mill and absolutely love the shots there! I have a thing for rust and cracked paint. Hayley’s eyes are amazing!!! Sam just exudes personality! They are so great together!!!!

By regina | Posted in Greenville SC wedding photographer, Greenville SC wedding photography, get to know | no comments No Comments | Add a Comment

courtney and kirk - 1927 lake lure inn and spa wedding

May 12, 2009 – 12:47 pm

Courtney and Kirk were married at the Lake Lure Gazebo with their reception at the 1927 Lake Lure Inn and Spa on a perfect Saturday afternoon. The weather was gorgeous, the dogwoods, azaleas and cherry blossoms were in full bloom and they were surrounded by family and friends, you couldn’t ask for a more perfect day! Courtney was so laid back, but at the same time knew exactly what she wanted! Shay Brown and her team did a fantastic job with everything and Liz at The Purple Iris always does amazing floral design!!! They put together so many fabulous details. Courtney and Kirk’s dog Billie served as ring bearer and was so cute walking down the aisle with Kirk’s dad. Click here to see their wedding slideshow.

Liz dropping off the bouquets!

Isn’t Courtney’s bouquet gorgeous!! She used a handkerchief made by her grandmother and the one carried by her mom at her wedding.

Cindy came by and finished up Courtney’s hair and makeup so she was perfect to walk down the aisle!

Courtney and Kirk’s family photos from weddings back to 1902 were on display on the grand piano in the lobby. I was so excited to see such a beautiful display of their family histories!