Today we’d like to introduce you to Taryn Holland.
Taryn, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’m Taryn and I’m a Southern California and San Diego area photographer who specializes in natural light engagement and wedding photography. I grew up overseas (my dad worked for an oil company) and I think that really influenced me in being interested in people’s stories. We may all have different cultures and backgrounds, but at our cores a lot of us are the same. And I love to tell that story, about family and love, and that is most clear on a wedding day.
I do a lot of traveling as well, just to keep myself aware and open to different ways of life, other than the SO Cal lifestyle. I feel like traveling really opens people up to being more self-aware and push themselves in ways that being at home won’t. I especially love weddings that I get to travel too, particularly outside of the country. It just opens my eyes even more to new wedding cultures and traditions.
A little bit about me; My everyday life is pretty unglamorous, I work from home in Cardiff by the Sea and spend most days in yoga pants or sweats. I have a sweet husband Eddie (who is an engineering project manager), and no kids yet. We do have Mae, who is our 1-year old Schnoddle (Schnauzer – Poodle), and she is an absolute wild woman. When I’m not shooting weddings and engagement sessions, she’s my most frequent subject.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I got into photography about 18 years ago when I was in High School in Switzerland and feel in love with the dark room. It was like magic, making a moment that lasts forever out of nothing but a negative and chemicals. And I always had in my mind that I wanted to be a photographer when I “grew up” but everyday life sort of got in the way. I kept it as a side job for about 5-6 years, but when I finally started doing photography as my full-time job I discovered something amazing.
I got to see a side of families and people rarely seen, especially when our goal with each session is to capture an authentic day and revel in the wonder of seeing a whole group of family and friends come together to celebrate a couple. Sometimes this memory I give them, means so much that it would be almost painful not to have it. And that left me feeling whole at the end of the day. More than any other job I’ve ever had.
And not only is it a gift for my clients, but I realized what a gift to me it is, to get to know someone and their family in a real and intimate way. I help bring out a client’s personality and real relationships in portraits. It’s my job to help people not only capture an image but create a memory and I get to build a trusted friendship. I love to tell a story with my art and I think that’s the most interesting part about photography as a medium. You capture one moment in time, that you can never experience again.
Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
I definitely think our role as artists is more impactful. I don’t know if it’s changed per se. I still photograph a new families origin and growth, I still help create an heirloom for a family. But right now, I feel like these moments mean more.
With a lot of the hate speech and ignorant action that is going on in the US right now, events that celebrate love and bringing families and different groups of people together, mean more than ever. A lot of times, this may be the only opportunity for a family to be all together, especially if people live in another country. It’s a real joy to be around all that love all the time, it’s a reminder that our relationships to each other, are really what matters most.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
They can follow me on Instagram or Facebook. @greatwoodlandphotography or on my website www.greatwoodlandphotography.com
Another great place to see some of my work is on Pinterest. All of my links there lead to my blogs, and there is a couple’s full story and day, for people to see. As far as support, just following is fantastic, or if they know anyone getting married just putting my info out as an option is amazing. I think about 80-90% of my weddings come from referrals, and word of mouth is like gold! 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: www.greatwoodlandphotography.com
- Phone: 7604035899
- Email: greatwoodlandphotography@gmail.com
- Instagram: @greatwoodlandphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreatWoodlandPhoto/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/Greatwoodlandphotography/
Image Credit:
Image of me – Leah Nicole Photography Other images( there should be 4) are mine. I’m not sure if they loaded since it’s not showing them to me.
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