I’m honestly not even sure where to start with this post. Hard to believe, right? I’ve had so many thoughts related to our vow renewal over the past several weeks that I wanted to share and think it’s a great time to do so. This post isn’t just about showing off our gorgeous images from Mountain and Mood…I mean, that’s part of it, but not all! I wanted to share about our experience and how it was to be the client and then also, about how being a client effected my thoughts and the impact that I hope it leaves on my business.

Let me start with the backstory of how this all happened. Four score and seven years ago…haha okay, just kidding! A couple of years back I came across Brian and his work in one of the Facebook photography groups that I am in. I started stalking following him and immediately loved his work. However, since then, I’ve seen his work not only evolve in beauty but in connection. It’s that connection that really drew me in. It’s one thing to produce a beautiful image, but when you can make the person on the other side of the screen feel something, then you know it’s special. I’ve known for a while that whenever Jonny and I were ready for photos, that he would be our guy. I didn’t care in what capacity whether we met Brian in Colorado for a regular couples session or we went off to some amazing country, I just wanted to make sure that he was there. So for all this time I’ve had set in my mind, that one day we would have pictures with Brian. Fast forward to this year. I spoke with Jonny about having a vow renewal. When we got married, we were babies and didn’t have much, if I’m being honest. So, hiring a photographer was not on my priority list because at the end of the day, I just wanted to be married…a big wedding didn’t even register with me. That being said, I have one wedding photo in my house and pictures on a computer that won’t even turn on, and who knows if the hard drive is dead. I. Was. That. Bride. These are moments that I don’t have documented. That’s part of the reason why I’m so passionate about being a wedding photographer. I want others to have these moments and be able to relive it for the rest of their lives, whether that’s a big outdoor wedding or if it’s a sweet, intimate elopement in Iceland. Don’t miss out on documenting this special time in your lives! So, we never really had wedding portraits and we rarely take professional photos together, so it was time to change that. Jonny and I decided that a vow renewal for our twelve year anniversary would be a perfect way to do just that. We could remind each other just why we love the other and what all that means, all the while having it documented by someone amazing. We finally were going to have images to hang on our walls and put in an album that we could be proud of and cherish for a lifetime.

I contacted Brian back at the end of March expressing interest to him about having him take pictures for us. I didn’t know exactly what we would end up doing, but he mentioned [even though I knew] that he had a spot in his Norway Passport open up. After a quick conversation with Jonny, I was confirming to Brian that we were in. I was so pumped! I was excited, but also nervous to be on the other side of the camera since I very rarely am…except for those selfies…haha! I booked our car and places to stay like, two weeks out from us leaving. I found the biggest, flowiest dress that I could get my hands on for two reasons. One, I loved it from the moment that I saw it and two, I knew Brian likes movement in his images and knew it would kick with the wind [I didn’t know how much at first, but it was perfect]. My nerves were fine until the morning of our session. I was nervous, because we don’t ever take photos and we can be quite awkward. I’m pretty sure I asked several times if my face was weird. *face palm* However, once we began shooting, I was put at ease. Brian is very good at explaining how he works and does a good job at making you feel comfortable. This was really important for me. I wanted someone that was chill and laid back that we could just hang with and be real. That’s what we got with Brian [and his wife, Amanda]. There was never a moment that I was like “Oh, this isn’t a good fit.” It was easy to spend the day around them and not worry about being someone we’re not. We let Brian do his thing and in the end, had the most perfect day and one-of-a-kind, incredible images. We trusted in him and the process. The experience was not only everything I hoped for, but so much more. We honestly had the perfect client experience.

I say all of that at length to then tell you how this client experience then turned around and began making me evaluate my business. Being Brian’s client inspired me to want to give more of myself to my clients to make sure that they feel like their experience with me is also amazing. I feel like my clients are already pretty comfortable with me but I want to improve on connection. I want my images to evoke the moods of the day and tell their story. I don’t just want to produce pretty pictures, I want to make people feel. I want people to look back on their images and remember the exact feeling at that exact moment. I want more out of myself and I want more out of my business. I want to continuously feel inspired and to be able to create like never before. I have so many big dreams for myself that I have no clue on how to get off the ground, but I’m working toward it. I’m so excited for HFP, and I think this is just the first step in becoming something better! So, if you’re a photographer, make sure you’re getting on the other side of that camera every now and again. I think it helps to be put in our clients shoes every now and again.

Without further ado, below are a few of my favorites from our Vow Renewal in Norway with Mountain and Mood. Make sure to follow Brian and check out more of his work here, here or here. And the official blog post here!!! You absolutely will not be sorry!!

xoxo,

Holly

PS – they’re all my favorites, so I’m sharing more than just “a few”

All images by: Mountain and Mood