regina holder photographer » artistic storytelling

I enjoyed getting to spend Sunday morning with Bella Wren and her parents, Jason and Cindy. It is so cool getting to see how much the babies grow in between photo sessions. The last photos we did were studio shots and Bella Wren was cute, but she wasn’t at her best. Then, a couple of days later she officially had an ear infection. This time, she was on! She woke up from her nap happy that she was getting to play outside. We started early, so it wasn’t hot yet. Bella Wren has the most amazing long eye lashes and dark eyes. I can’t wait to see her next time when she is walking and all over the place. Again, I am blessed with good babies that don’t throw tantrums during their photo sessions. Every time I walk in the big box store and the babies are crying and acting crazy, I feel very lucky to photograph cute smiling happy babies.

Click here to see Bella Wren’s new slideshow.

Yesterday afternoon, I took some inniative and went to the Folkmoot parade. My small hometown hosts an international dance festival every year. On the day of the opening festival, the groups walk down Main Street and perform. This year is the 24th festival with groups from Canada, China, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Mexico, New Zealand, Thailand, Scottish Highlands and Venezuela. I decided to sit on the sidewalk towards the end of the route and right as the first groups reached us, it started raining hard. You can see the drops of rain in the China and Columbia photos. The rain stopped and even though I got so drenched I had to come home to change clothes to finish my errands, it was so worth getting wet. I am super excited about the images that I got and the bright colors. I can’t wait until next Saturday to go to the street festival.

Click here to see the slideshow.

This week, I have been getting a lot of inquiries for November this year and all summer next year. I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet several couples in person and they are all loving the new online slideshows.

I received my contract for a wedding in Charleston for September. I had been hired for a Biltmore wedding but the bride never sent the deposit. I love Biltmore, but I am so excited about going to Charleston. The wedding is at the St Andrews Lutheran Church with the reception at Charleston Yacht Club. Note: The bride just sent me this photo her mom took. The one I got off the internet was wrong.

Now for the near, I met a cute couple this afternoon at Balsam Mountain Inn. They actually hired me right away, which is always a wonderful thing. They had spent a lot of time already watching the slideshows. Having lived in Balsam most of my life (minus the 15 years I escaped to the Triangle) and being able to see the Inn from my front porch, I have always been frustrated when I see the little wedding direction signs. Kim and Sharon, the new owners, have been so gracious and recommending me to brides.

I travel frequently for wedding, but I can’t wait to travel the most distance and the least distance for these 2 weddings.

Angie and Richie are such a special couple that I have had the pleasure of getting to know and spending such a special time with them. I met them after her mom saw the first baby photos of Harper. I knew our paths were destined to cross when I arrived at her parent’s house and realized that my grandfather had made their dining table and hutch. When they had bought the house years ago, they asked that the table and hutch be included in the house contract. It is exactly like the one that I inherited. Then, I figured out he helped build the fireplaces and they are the same as mine, too. Very weird and cool!

If you read my blog regularly, you will know that their rehearsal and wedding was very emotional. The new packages include photo coverage of the rehearsal, so this was my first time going to one in years. It makes a big difference, because everyone knew me and felt comfortable with me being there. I do still cry at weddings, but my goodness! did we cry at the rehearsal dinner and wedding. After 10 years of dating on and off, living near and far, they got married! From their engagement photos to the rehearsal and then the wedding, I know that you can see how much they love each other and how incredibly happy they are in these photos. Her mom adopted me into their family as she does with all the friends and as my mom taught me years ago tells me she loves me at the end of every telephone call. I love them all very much and feel so blessed to be around such wonderful, caring and sometimes overly emotional people.

Happy Birthday, Richie!

Wedding slideshow
Rehearsal slideshow
Engagement slideshow