On Our Radar | Holly Omlor
Is there a photographer whose work you find yourself going back too again and again? Maybe you have never heard of this photographer? Perhaps they are “flying under the radar”? It happens but I want to find those photographers. I want to celebrate their work. 2019 is the year of elevating those that may not be getting the attention they deserve in this industry and I am counting on our readers to lead the way!
Each month we will be featuring an artist who is inspiring others, who may not necessarily be someone you have heard of. From time to time I will be enlisting the help of the SSG community to nominate an artist. I want to hear their story, share their triumphs and hear what they are doing to make this dream of theirs a reality. We can learn from others whether it be through inspiration, education or everything in between.
This community will only get stronger if we are there to uplift and give as many people as possible a voice.
Our “On Our Radar” artist this month is Holly Omlor of Holly Omlor Photography
Nominated By: Vickie Black
“I have watched Holly's work from afar and always admired her talent. She has an eye for creating consistent beautiful images. I felt it was time our community got to know her better.”
Tell us a little about yourself...the things that make you YOU!
I am a mom of two amazing kids. No really, they are the most amazing kids and I love them to pieces. I guess my husband isn’t so bad either ;). I am, and always have been, an artist. I love to learn new ways of being creative and having fun. I guess I always knew I was going to do something creative in life. I am a super fun and goofy. My hair has almost been every color of the rainbow. I am a firm believer that you can’t take things too seriously. Laughter is the best thing, and I do it often. When I was a kid I used to be so worried about what others thought of me. It took me a long time to realize that being who you are is one of the most important things you could do for yourself. The people who matter most will love you no matter what. Our family is so goofy and I love it! It’s like a standup comedy show around here. My kids and husband are my best friends! Really makes life worth living. I love theater. Both of my children started doing it about ten years ago and it is a big part of our lives. My mother always said I was dramatic….LOL. A big part of my life is also my two best photographer friends Nicki and Trevor. They are about the best thing since sliced bread. We inspire each other and push each other.
How long have you been shooting seniors?
I think I started out like a lot of photographers do, shooting everything. It wasn’t until about five years ago when I really started to focus my attention on seniors. I connected with them. I enjoy their spirit and their outlook on life and the future. They have an energy that is infectious and it just makes me happy. Maybe it’s because I am still 16 years old at heart and probably always will be. ;)
What is your favorite style to photograph and why?
Is creative a style….LOL. I hope so because I love to do creative shoots. I love color, pop and fun. One of my passions since I can remember is my love for art. It has always just been my thing and something I love to do. Whenever I can I try to put shoots together where I can create a story or another world. Something that you might see as a theme in a movie or a dream. Every year, I make a list of fun ideas that pop into my head. They might be based on an era, a movie, a color or a mood. Sometimes I have ideas that it takes me a while to figure out. If I don’t have a firm idea about what I want to do, I don’t do it. It is really my way of expressing myself. My clients are always up for being creative and fun too! I love it when a clients want to express who they are and their creative sides. And of course I love pulling some of those ideas together with them to make their images unique.
Your work is stopping me from scrolling in my newsfeed-I am kind of obsessed! Tell us about it and why us senior photographers need to take notice!
A lot of what I do with my work is all about expressing myself, creativity, and helping clients express their uniqueness. I just gravitate toward pop and color. I like to try different things and create fun scenarios. I mostly like to shoot what makes me smile. I have been an art girl my entire life! I enjoy trying and learning new things. Ever since I was little I would write and illustrate little stories, take art classes and paint. I taught myself to use a sewing machine so I could make costumes, I used to make fun cartoon posters out of cut paper. These are some of the aspects I like to use and bring into my photos and my shoots with my senior clients. It has really helped me as a photographer to be able to keep up those things in my work, and I can’t wait to do more fun and creative things.
Your super power is?
Not gonna lie, really wish I could fly….LOL.I would have to say my super power is being artsy! It has never failed me. I have been able to do some pretty awesome things because of it. And it has always helped me in my life and my business.
What was your aha moment in the senior industry with your business?When I stopped trying to impress other people. I had to be happy with myself and my work. I have been there. Someone who was just starting out with seniors, trying to figure out who I was and what my style was. I would follow my favorite photographers and try to replicate their style and their tones. I was starting to drive me bonkers. I realized that I wasn’t happy because I was trying too hard to be other people instead of myself. So I decided to follow the old 20 year old me’s advice from way back in college. Be yourself, above all. Don’t try to change who you are, to fit what you think other people want. Once I did that, once I started to shoot for me, I found my style and my voice. Even now when I learn new things, I have to occasionally tell myself that over again. Of course, I still love and follow so many talented photographers. I love to look at their work.
Tell us about you most favorite place to photograph and why!Hmmm…….that is hard to say. I really don’t have a favorite specific place per say. I try not to photograph too much in the same place because all of my seniors are so completely different. And I want the location to reflect the personality. If I had to say a specific place, I would choose urban settings. There is something about the play on light, shadow, shapes and color of the architecture
What are your top 3 goals for 2019? Oooh that’s a tuffy! Is it normal for your list of goals to outweigh the time you have to complete them….LOL. I am definitely going to be focusing on experimenting a lot more this year. I think it is really easy to become complacent with what has been working for you. You can almost feel it happening to you. You feel like you are get stale. So this year I really want to spend a lot more spare time shooting. There are always those things you can work on and get better at. I want to play with light, locations, posing, colors, mood, fashion, you name it. I am teaming up with my talented friend Nicki to do some collaboration with our model teams this year too. I just want to have some fun, push some boundaries and I’m super excited for it!
So every year I tell myself I am going to make a calendar for the whole year filled with different ways to do marketing, blogging, and client interactions that will be unique. And guess what, I still haven’t done it. That is on my list of "most important” things to do. I know that you can’t just rely on posting images alone to really get honest connections and interactions. So I need to make sure the content I post this year has meaning, interest and a more personal connection. A lot of what I do and how I shoot is me, my personality. I want to make sure I am putting myself into what I put out there.
I am going to try focusing on expanding what I shoot! I have primarily focused on shooting seniors and headshots. We have so much talent in our area and I am going to really push the envelope with dancers and sports! It’s a whole other world. I know, having children in theater, how important those things are. So I want to be able to market and work with some of our area dance studios, sports leagues and musical groups to get myself out there. Create some new and fun work!
What is the one thing you want all of us to know about YOU? What will you be doing differently in 2019?That I am all about fun! Always have been. It is who I am as a person, a mother and a photographer. In 2019 am going to be organized…LOL. I hope ;)
