Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Holly Willwerth. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Holly, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

When I was a junior in high school, I joined our yearbook team. One of my first tasks was to help photograph and develop images for, that book. From the first moment I stepped into that tiny little darkroom, I was hooked on the photographic process. From there, I began taking classes in high school and college. That was 1990. So no digital single-lens reflex cameras existed at that time. But I was hooked on the feeling of a camera in my hand and what capturing that moment and telling that story meant. The rest is a long history of starting and stopping formal education and becoming self-taught. I met my husband in 1993, married him in 1995, moved halfway across the country in 1998 to a state where I knew no one, and then had my first child in 2003. During that time, it was difficult to continue a formal education with so many major life changes, and no photography community to get feedback from. I finally got my BA in Graphic Design and a minor in Photography from Coastal Carolina University in 2015. If I could go back and do it all again, I’d have taken more classes on some basics such as composition styles and lighting so I’d be ahead of the curve instead of behind it when it came to portraiture. I’d also have taken a class on digital photography sooner, so that I would have understood the huge difference between film photography and a digital camera, in the way that they respond to light and color.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a wife and mother of two really wonderful young women. I grew up (and live currently) in the Midwest. I’ve spent almost half of my life on the Southeast Coast. So that has given me a salty-sweet personality that combines a midwestern work ethic with a healthy dose of being able to completely relax. Something no Midwesterner that I know has ever accomplished. I have loved photography since the early 1990s, but my love of portraiture came along when I was given my first DSLR to capture my own children. I started noticing more and more those little moments of time where one thinks to themselves, “I want to remember this forever.” So I started trying to capture those for myself and others.

As photography went digital and so did the images we created, I began to miss having printed, physical reminders of those moments. I began searching out professional labs to create prints from some of my images because I felt the quality of some of the box stores just wasn’t up to the standard I was looking for. And so I started partnering with a pro photo lab. I always kept all of my images of my kids on external hard drives, CDs, jump drives, you name it. Does anyone remember the floppy disc? I just knew those would last forever. Little did I realize that there was a new and ever-growing problem: corrupted and lost digital files. I tried to make my oldest daughter a poster for her high school graduation and realized that somewhere on a hard drive, or in a phone, or somewhere I’d lost about three years of her life. Except for the handful of images I had printed, her existence during those years was gone! It was then that I decided to change that for my clients.

I started seeing artwork in home stores that featured kids, pets, and people and I thought, “Why would anyone want images of strangers on their walls?” I decided to begin creating large artwork for my clients from images taken at their photo sessions. Why have strangers on the wall when you can have people you love instead? I also noticed that the digital photography industry as a whole felt a lot more like an impersonal transaction and less like a relational experience where someone gets to know you and helps you all along the way. And so my boutique photography studio was born.

I start by spending time getting to know my clients. I photograph kids, families, and high school seniors. I like to meet with them, look around their home, see how it’s decorated, and what makes them feel warm and fuzzy. I find out what they like to do together as a family, what a child’s favorite toy or activity is, or what lights up a senior’s face when they talk about it. I find all of this out and I create imagery that supports it. Whatever it is. I find out what makes that family special and I make sure I create images that show it. Then we create a piece of artwork that will last the test of time, so that every time a family member walks past it, for decades to come, they’ll smile at the memory of being together on that day.

I go the extra mile for my seniors and create one-of-a-kind sets or use a one-of-a-kind prop that no one else will ever get again. All people should feel special and I want to create artwork for a teen that makes them think of how amazing they are every time they walk past it hanging on their wall. I help my clients choose locations and outfits. Finally, I narrow their sessions down to the very best images and I help them choose which ones to put large on the wall. I help them choose other products, like photo boxes or albums so that they can have all of their images in one place as a beautiful and lasting reminder of their time. I have partnered with some of the very best professional photo labs to create those heirloom-quality pieces so I can ensure their survival for many, many years.

I really enjoy making this process fun and taking all of the work of what to choose and where to have things made off my clients’ plates so that all they have to do is enjoy the time we spend creating together. But the very best part for me is seeing the faces of kids, teens, and parents light up at seeing their loved ones in custom artwork. I love the feeling of belonging I see in people’s eyes when their artwork goes on the wall for the first time. And I love the sense of greater self-esteem in teens and tweens when they see themselves the way others see them, amazing.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The best recommendation I can give for growing clientele is to not be afraid to talk about what you do. Talk to anyone and everyone. Not in a crazy pushy kind of way, but starting conversations and building relationships leads to so many great things. Maybe the person in front of you isn’t a good fit for you right now, but showing some kindness might help them remember you later.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I like to send my clients hand-written notes or video messages when I think about them (which is always more often than they think) and whenever I see something in the news, or on social media that is a celebration.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.orangedoorstudios.net
• Instagram: @orangedoorphoto
• Facebook: Orange Door Studios
• TikTok: @orangedoorphoto