 |
|
|
|
 |
|
Hi there! Welcome to the Millie Holloman Photography blog. Our company has just one name, but we’re an entire team of crazy, creative, passionate, professional photographers. We’re based all over North Carolina (Wilmington, Raleigh, & Charlotte), but we work all over the world. What do we shoot? In one word: Love. Wedding Love. Baby Love. Family Love. Love of details. Love of design. Love of nature. And this blog? Well, it showcases the images, the people, and the stuff we want to share, both professionally and personally. So what are you waiting for? Come on in and look around.
We want you to get the most out of your time here, so here are a few helpful tips: Check out the text block above that says: “photographers”. Use it to get to know just one photographer better by sorting just their images, twitter updates or bio. Wondering who shot what? Look for the signature on the bottom left of each photograph. Looking for something specific? Type the topic or a keyword into the search bar above for related results.
Wanna send us some love? There is no better way than leaving comments! We can't wait to hear from you so scroll down and see what's new…
Wanna see what amazing specials and contests we are running click here |
|
 |
| Every Christmas, my mother asks for very practical things as gifts. Last year, she asked for a trash can. No lie! So this year, my siblings and I decided to give her something a little more meaningful. Ricky and Joy came down to Charlotte for a few days over the Thanksgiving holiday. On black Friday, we took just a few minutes out of our busy shopping schedule to capture these images to print and frame for my mom's living room. I think they turned out great! So much better than a trash can. :) |
| When Mom opened her present, this one was on top and enlarged to a 16x20, beautifully framed. Tears began to flow and it was a wonderful Christmas moment. |
| Andrew, my hubby, helped shoot a few of these. I think he did a great job! On this one we are all laughing because we kept trying to look at the camera, but the sun was so darn bright. Our eyes were watering and puffy, but I kept saying "C'mon! We can do it!" Joy said, "Geez, Rach, you're such a photographer." And we all lost it. |
| This was Ricky's idea, and I think it turned out to be my mom's favorite. |
| Mom has begged me for probably three years to get a great picture of Ricky smiling. He doesn't like to smile in pictures all that much, but I think this one of him is fantastic. |
| Merry Christmas, Mommy!!!! We love you! |
Want us to spread the love about your business? Click here for details.
I don't believe in making a New Year Resolutions list each year JUST for the sake of making it... as you can see from my post below, I really work to accomplish the things on my list and improve myself and my business. So this year I set out to make a list of goals I would love to achieve in 2009 just like I do at the beginning of every new year! I know some of the goals on this list will change and of course I still have my goals list online (which I will add these to).
I just went through some goals I scribbled out for myself in the front of a notebook from about 3-4 years ago and it was amazing to see how many of them I had accomplished and even surpassed by leaps and bounds... things like, quit full time job and dedicate more time to photography, study photoshop, book more out of town weddings, etc. It was so encouraging to see these things had been accomplished and I really believe the reason for that is is because I knew what I wanted. I wrote it down and kept it in front of me. Even if it was not always staring me in the face, I believe I was more aware of it because I took the time to jot it down and look and be consciously aware of them at some point. Now... cross it all off baby and let's start 2009 with a fresh list... are you ready for this?! here goes...
launch some amazing products and kits (we have been working really hard on these, 3 for sure, maybe 4 exciting things coming!)
keep normal office hours (which basically means no working before 8am or after 6pm)
finishing redoing my bedroom (I'll blog before and after's soon!)
print letterhead and envelopes for MHP
list all of those darn things in that box in the attic on eBay or Craigs List
join toast masters international
hire an image editor
have a group one-2-one workshop
have a class for hobbyist photographers
participate in three bridal shows (Raleigh, Wilmington, Charlotte) all in January. (I know I am crazy!)
faster turn around times for weddings (this is already happening and will get REALLY fast soon!)
evaluate myself and each of my staff yearly and have them evaluate me
read more books
attend a leadership conference
set up an INCREDIBLE training system for every job and to train new staff/interns (I have some SWEET ideas for this)
go to WPPI (flight booked, yay!!!)
enter a print competition
use ShootQ to track more and keep staff tasks tidy
spend more time weekly being inspired creatively
go on a missions trip with my church to document it for them photographically
organize my music collection and find NEW music (suggestions anyone?)
actually do a MONTHLY email newsletter
have a better grasp of my business financials
join a women's small group at my church (it has to be JUST the right group of women too!)
take more photos of my nephew (he is growing up so fast)
experiment with and learn more about studio lighting
use my flash more to create dramatic lighting in full sunlight
complete some of the blog updates that were left unfinished by me
grow the attendance of our Raleigh PUG group and really build relationship there
launch family/kids site for all MHP photographers
learn to edit video from my 5D Mark II so we can make fun blog video posts for all of you!
redo the splash page on our website
have team photos made
create a product guide with photos to go online for our clients
of course we have some surprises which we can't share yet too but there is one thing for sure, this blog is where you will see them first!
On a more personal level, In 2009 I want to BE a person who...
...follows my heart more both in life and as a photographer creatively
...is more avaliable to my staff
...lives life more simply with less clutter
...strives to grow in leadership
...is genuinely interested in others
...invests money wisely (which goes hand in hand with my above goal)
...fears less (my friend Davina always says that stress is caused by fear which means I must fear more than I realize)
...prioritizes well
...walks with God
This year I also made a TO BE list (see above) and NOT TO DO list (which will not be posted for public viewing, it is a bit more personal and harder to explain). I know it seems a little awkward but there are some things in life that I just don't enjoy and I'd like to find a way to not have to do them so my TO DO list won't grow. I want to keep this list in front of me so that I can actually find a solution for these things! I want to live life more free from stress and follow my heart, to live more creatively with less clutter, free from financial burden and to be able to live life as it should be lived without boundaries or fear and full of health, happiness and relationship!
What are some of your goals for 2009 and how do you plan to be sure you accomplish them? Maybe your goals will inspire me or someone else reading... shout out! |
 |
Want us to spread the love about your business? Click here for details.
Last year at this time, I took a look back at 2007 to go over some of our accomplishments and some New Year's Goals. This year I am excited to be able to post about another amazing year! WOW! We have had some HUGE accomplishments in 2008 and when I look back at this year I see God's blessings in every aspect of my life and business. I am so grateful for this gift he has given me in photography and the ability to do what I love as my career. I am humbled by my amazing team and my clients this year, we have certainly made strides in 2008. We have had fabulous weddings, great family shoots and a whole lot of fun!
Here is a peak at what has happened this year at MHP, at least what I can remember!
Had a new studio manager join our team - We love you Amanda!
Filmed 2 promo's - (one in Mexico and one right here on an engagement shoot on the NC country side)
Started the process of redecorating my room (A massive and very needed project for me which I will blog about later)
We had the most Press and Publication to date and it's fun to see your work in print!
- Bald Head Island's "Haven" - 2 stories!
- Weddings Unveiled, Jamie & Demian's wedding
- North Carolina Signature, City Club Story
- The Knot North Carolina, Emily & Justin Wedding
- Southern Weddings Magazine, Kinsey & Corey's Wedding
- North Carolina Signature, Cafe Phoenix Bartending Story
Completed filming the "Get It Together Kit" (waiting on production/video editing to launch in 2009)
Helped plan and teach at Love Affair Workshop (2 times in Bald Head Island, NC in February, once in San Diego, CA in November)
Added some super fun elements to our branding
- new blog borders
- revamped our blog to add more photographers and let you know about the rockin' people we love to work with
- new and improved pricing guide
- sexy custom disc packing (the shrink wrapping is my favorite part!)
I flew first class (Small I know, but I had been wanting to do this for a while and it was fun!)
Did a better job of respecting my own office hours than I did in 2007 (not to say I have "arrived" yet but I will in 2009!)
Introduced one-2-one workshops and met some amazing photographers who spent a day with me!
Introduced phone mentorship
Had surgery to remove vocal nodules from my throat and could not talk for a whole week (a miracle in itself that I got through the no talking part)
Spoke at Pictgae Partner Conference 2008 in LA
Wrote two articles which were published on photographik.org
Highest revenue to date in a single year
Photographed a wedding in Mexico
Booked a wedding in Ireland for 2009
Had our first full year with 5 MHP photographers on our team
Blew brides and grooms out of the water with the best bridal show booth we've ever seen (thanks to one awesome team committed to rocking things out!)
Re-evaluated our workflow to refine it and make it more efficient (MUCH FASTER and BETTER!)
Hired an image editor (which actually did not work out so now we must hire another one this year. We did however learn it was a valuable and needed addition!)
Became a twitter freak! (follow me!)
Printed both of my brother's wedding albums for them (they were last on the list but not intentionally, life just happened that way)
Offered optimized turn around for album design (wait until we show you how we do it in 2009!)
Spent an entire day pampering myself at the spa (it was on my goals list and it was SOOO great!)
Reached thousands of blog hits daily (We are now at over 50,000 unique blog hits a month and growing monthly!)
Purchased the Mark II 5D (which I can not wait to shoot with this year!)
Started goofing off on Facebook more consistently (be my friend. I love tagging people!)
Developed and prepared some super fun products to launch in 2009!
I am sure I missed some things but overall it has been an awesome year full of accomplishments, milestones and some really huge successes.
My biggest learning this year ... growing a business and building a team is NOT easy and it takes a LOT of hard work, sacrifice, blood, sweat and tears but it is AMAZING when it finally happens! Is it worth it? YES, absolutely! But being a boss isn't always fun and there are lots of lessons to be learned as an employer. I realize that I have much room for improvement in 2009 (we all need to note those areas in our lives). Next year I am committed to being a better boss, a better leader, and a better photographer. A huge thanks to my MHP photographers for hanging with me in 2008 and holding on to the reigns as I push forward to make this work! I appreciate your patience, understanding, and willingness to be open, to share, and to listen. It has been so much fun to watch you grow, to teach you, to learn with you, and to build a friendship. I know I am capable of taking us even further in 2009 and I love every single one of you. You mean the world to me!
So blog readers... I want to know, what did you DO or LEARN in 2008? Leave me a comment and let's discuss! |
|
Want us to spread the love about your business? Click here for details.
This year has been fantastic! We've been blessed to be featured in several magazines and we want to share the publications with you! We also want to give you a glimpse into what 2009 hold for MHP. You'll be seeing a lot of our publications from this past year (2008) posted on the blog soon. Tomorrow I'll blog a look back at 2008 along with a look forward into 2009 so check back!
When you pick up The Knot North Carolina in January be sure to flip to our 6 page "Real Weddings" feature on page 32 for Emily & Justin's Airlie Garden Wedding! We absolutely loved Emily's sense of style which was perfectly stated by none other than the fabulous Jennifer Rose-Sandy of Salt Harbor Designs. This is also our first full feature wedding in The Knot North Carolina and we hope you'll see us there more in 2009!
 |
Want us to spread the love about your business? Click here for details.
I have been waiting for months to see this magazine from the wonderful women over at Southern Weddings Blog! If it isn't apparent by the rocking blog these girls have (loaded with incredible updates and such style) just how amazing they are, then this magazine will confirm that they know what's hot! They just launched this great publication and yesterday this little surprise copy arrived in my mail box, I tore it open to see Kinsey & Corey's wedding featured as a Real Wedding inside.
This is the most updated wedding magazine I have seen yet and it's FULL of great images for brides to enjoy along with fabulous ideas and fun articles. Pick up a copy for yourself when they hit the shelves on January 6th! |
You'll remember Kinsey & Corey's wedding from earlier this year on the right... how fun that when we opened it up we found our friend Kelly Moore's work feature on the page to the left... we keep good company!
|
| On the bottom right of the ring page you'll spot the "fruit loop" ring shot from Rebecca! |
and tucked into the beautiful arrangement of bouquets under "beautiful blooms" you'll spot a shot I grabbed at Megan & John Tyler's wedding just a few months ago!
|
| If you are a bride looking for inspiration for your wedding planning pick up this magazine and if you are looking for daily inspiration drop by the Southern Weddings Blog! |
Want us to spread the love about your business? Click here for details.
 |
archive by month
|
blog stats
| posts: 532, comments: 4,041 |
| visits: 476,037, page views: 2,893,884 |
|
|
Who do we love best? (Besides you, of course...) These companies who make and do things that rock our world!
|
|
 |
