An introduction to HOP

Hello there, nice to meet you...

I thought I'd pull together a little introduction blog post so whether you've landed here via social media, an event in person, my mailing list... at least you'll know a little bit about the photographer you've just come across!

So, I'm Holly! My bread and butter is Equine photography. I also cover dogs, and I do a lot of work with businesses too! Personal branding for service based businesses is a big one, and a lot of content imagery for businesses to use too. The main things you need to know about me are:

• I am serious about tea drinking. I do it every day, multiple times. Very good at it now, I am!
• Biscuits. I eat many. Again, everyday - preferably a jammy dodger but I could consider myself a biscuit connoisseur these days. I don't like garibaldis though - biscuit blasphemy.
• Animals. Not usually considered a personality type for normal people. For me it is, and if you're here then probably you too... hello - you've found the right one!
• Food & going out to eat. Another thing I'm very good at. Got a new restaurant you need to try? I'm your girl.
• Accomplished overthinker and catastrophiser - yessir! "I'd have never have guessed that!" say people who meet me - we all have our demons!

Meet my animals...

I have one horse of my own, Flicker. He lives now as an expensive but eco friendly lawn-mower. He's been in my life since he was 2 and a half years old, and he's now 19! He has a few ailments (sometimes I'm surprised he's made it this far in all honesty!) and although he's mischievous, he can do absolutely no wrong in my eyes! I always maintain I'll never know another horse as well as I know Flicker, I just simply adore him.

I have a rescued Saluki, Penny who you can learn all about over on my Instagram (beware, it's a tearjerker!).

She came to us in a terrible way, on deaths door really... I always said that even if she didn't make it, then at least she'd have had a few weeks of kindness and love before passing. But here we are in the future and she is very much alive and well! She has the most beautiful soul, I personally feel somebody should make a film about her! Of course I am biased...

How I ended up doing this...

Photography has always loosely been on my horizon. I enjoyed picking up cameras all through my childhood but had never ever considered it as a career, or being self-employed! After beginning my working life spending a few years working in Marketing, I moved into a more corporate career in HR for a construction company. I did this for 9 years, and loved it! I started my photography business a few years before the lockdown struck as I found it gave me the creative outlet I needed that working with people in an office job didn't really allow. I slowly built my client base on the side. It served me really well for that period of time however, life moves on and after COVID came and went, it made me (probably like many people) reevaluate what was important in life. Having somebody else dictate (to a degree, as with all corporate careers) to me how I should live my life was not something I was keen to continue experiencing. I am a much freer personality than that. So, I made the leap and here I am! Here we are!

I cover the whole of the UK, but am based in the south of England. Don't let that stop you enquiring... I travel all over the place! My mission is to photograph every besotted horse owner I can find!

If you need any help at all on how I can help you, please see the below links for further info...

Equine Photoshoots

Canine Photoshoots

Business & Branding photography

Thank you for coming along with me!

Holly x