Our Story
It turns out (surprise to anyone?) the wedding day was simply a marker along our relationship’s journey. We’ve learned after being together for over 17 years, and married for nearly 14 of them, that each moment is an opportunity to see life through each other’s eyes, feel empathy, and communicate respectfully. And to enjoy cocktails together. Lots of them.
We discovered being married is so much more rewarding than either of us had previously imagined. Bill stayed single while serving in the Navy (he had seen how military service had affected the marriages of his colleagues), and Anne had been in a marriage that didn’t nurture her potential or dreams. So we made changes–a conscious decision to support one another’s ideas, goals, and purpose. And to enjoy more cocktails out on the deck watching the sun set.
And now we hope to set an equally rewarding stage for you by creating authentic imagery of you and your families you’ll look back on with joy, tenderness, and love. And perhaps so will your children, and even your grandchildren. Let’s create your history together.
A&B's Epic Journey
Not-quite-ancient-history
As kids, we independently both fall in love with taking photographs thanks to very enthusiastic dads.
(Anne’s parents on their wedding day.)
Late 2000: Planting the seed
Anne mentions, “You know what might be fun? Wedding photography.” Two days later she returns home to discover Bill’s bought the HollandPhotoArts.com domain name.
Sep. 2001: We get hitched in New Orleans!
During portraits, A claims B keeps one eye on her and the other on their wedding photographer to see what he’s doing. She may have been doing the same.
May 2002: Anne says goodbye to corporate life
Begins the momentous task of building a business from scratch.
Dec. 2002: A&B shoot our first wedding!
We shoot a 9-person wedding in a North Carolina rose garden and are totally hooked.
Feb. 2003: There are how many?
For continuing education, we attend our first WPPI and discover there are 12,000 other wedding photographers in the U.S. And all of them were on the expo floor.
Mar. 2003: Everybody loves
We shoot our first gay wedding. We all still keep in touch.
Apr. 2003: Supreme Court Justice officiates
Sandra Day O’Connor officiates the wedding of Alex & Julia (her former law clerk). Bill (the geek) is wowed meeting her.
Feb. 2004: Git to learnin'
We participate as students in our first Foundation Workshop. Get our asses handed to us, and become better photographers. We both return the following year as staff.
May 2004: Our first ink!
Not a tattoo, silly (that came much earlier), but Kesha & Brett’s Virginia farm wedding gets featured in The Knot magazine.
Oct. 2004: First green wedding gown
Heather rocks it out for her new husband Brad by wearing a gorgeous mint green wedding dress. Guests swoon.
Oct. 2004: The Simpsons make an appearance
Homer and Marge proudly stand atop the wedding cake for the Catholic-Jewish wedding of Julie & Scott.
Time passes
We shoot 179 weddings. Then nap for 42 hours.
Feb. 2006: Show and tell
Bill becomes director of the Foundation Workshops, and is also a shooting coach for incoming students.
Jul. 2007: 90 at 9
Virginia flaunts its heat and humidity with 90 degrees at 9am. Bride and groom promptly melt. Cake thankfully ok.
Aug. 2007: Thankfully it wasn't a buffet dinner
With Kathleen & Kyle’s 350 guests, we discover what a big wedding looks like. We’ve now shot 9 to 350 guests at weddings and everything in between.
Sep. 2007: Pie, not cake
Instead of serving the traditional wedding cake, a bride goes wild with a huge selection of fruit pies. Hey, we’re equal opportunity dessert eaters!
Apr. 2009: Karen's veil nearly takes flight
Michael saves the day with quick hands (not to mention a quick wit). Didn’t work as well later as he dropped chocolate cake down Karen’s dress.
Aug. 2009: Style Me Pretty starts...
…a long-time love affair with us, featuring the first of many of our weddings on their widely-read blog. Kisses back at ya, SMP!
May 2010: Family reunions start
With Taylor & Rob, we photograph the first of four weddings for her and her sorority sisters over the next couple of years. It’s like the best family reunion every time we get together.
Aug. 2010: Reception interrupted by fire
Not content with the usual wedding day excitement, an underground transformer explodes, causing an evacuation of the hotel and ballroom. Undeterred, DJ plays on in spare ballroom in hotel across street.
Sep. 2010: Our new assistant!
Karen, of flying veil fame, officially becomes our assistant at Maya & Josh’s wedding and sees what happens behind the scenes at Holland Photo Arts.
Nov. 2011: A fresh look
We get a new logo and new web site to go along with it. The launch’s popularity on Twitter causes it to trend worldwide within 20 minutes. Okay, maybe 40.
Sep. 2012: African dance
Wambui & Zack complete their wedding vows, only to be surprised by half the attending women suddenly jumping up to perform a traditional wedding dance in their honor.
May 2013: Why not?
We get to photograph a belly dancer and a popular hookah lounge, at the same wedding, for Haley & Tim. That was one wild night!
Jul. 2013: We arrive in Colorado!
We leave Virginia, Anne’s home for nearly all her life, for the wilds of Colorado. The town of Boulder welcomes us by flooding a month later.
Aug. 2013: Our first Colorado wedding
Joy & Jerry remarry atop Vail mountain in an intimate ceremony. Blustery winds & rain fade to the famous Colorado Rocky Mountain sunshine just in time for their portraits.
Aug. 2013: Martha Stewart Weddings features Liz & Paul
Their Meridian House wedding is so gorgeous even Martha swoons.
Aug. 2013: There's dance, and then there's Dance
A dozen Broadway dancer friends of Misty & Roby surprise the couple with a custom choreographed routine and Roby surprises his bride by jumping in. He’d been practicing for months in secret!
Sep. 2013: Planes, trains, & automobiles
It’s official–we’re flying more for weddings than driving. Thankfully it’s nearly always baggage claim 12 upon our return trip to Denver.
Jan. 2014: Our first published Colorado wedding
Annie & Adam’s wedding at Devil’s Thumb Ranch, featured in The Knot magazine, starts a great year for photographing weddings in the Rocky Mountains, and adds up to 14 states where we’ve shoot either a destination wedding or engagement session.
Jul. 2014: Liz & Paul experience mountain living
Liz & Paul (of Martha Stewart fame) visit us in Colorado, concluding their ’round-the-world trek. We eat, drink, and laugh so much together we barely get out for a hike around Boulder’s Red Rocks. But as Tim Gunn would say, we made it work.
Aug. 2014: Time zone madness
We shoot a Saturday wedding in North Carolina for Lisa & Elaine, and fly home early the next morning to shoot John & Elizabeth’s Rocky Mountain wedding. Kids, don’t try this at home!
June 2015: New home, new look
To go along with new digs with fabulous foothill views, our web site gets a new look and all new galleries. Check it, y’all!
