In the Rear View

There are several blog posts in various states of drafting, which we’d neglected until after finishing our web site. Now we have no excuse, so stay tuned for highlights from Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier, Mt. Rainier, Olympic, and Crater Lake National Parks, along with some other locales which caught our attention, like the lovely Bend, Oregon.

And speaking of, we’re not too sad to see 2025 in the rearview, but one of our favorite annual traditions is designing and creating year end holiday cards featuring some of the years highlights. Our 2025 one riffed on the Field Notes researchers take of their observations out in the field.

Send us your mailing address and we’ll get you on our 2026 card list!

Next Exit

We’ve landed in Galveston, Texas for a few days to celebrate Mardi Gras. It’s not just hanging out for the parades as we’ve done in New Orleans (miss that town, but this is a great alternative!), as we’re among 40 Airstreams lining both sides of the street on the parade route this weekend. They’re literally front-row seats, as they’re leaving virtually no room for chairs as the distance between our rig and the floats is mere feet! Apparently float riders love competing on who can toss the most beads directly into each rig’s open door, so this should be a blast! We still have a big bag of beads leftover from the Big Easy, so we’re prepared to decorate.

Oh, my goodness, we were babies! Mardi Gras 2006 in New Orleans.

We’ll be Texas through March, mostly in the Austin and Fredericksburg (hello, wine country!) areas. Stay tuned for our travels after that…

Behind the Scenes

Shhh….early last year when we were in NOLA, we took the opportunity to get matching tattoos! Astute Holland Photo Arts viewers, and especially former wedding clients, will likely recognize this a&b heart. From the HPA rebrand we unveiled way back in 2011, it was part of new logo, designed in collaboration with Love, Jenna. We still love it and thought what better way to celebrate not only almost a quarter century of marriage by bringing it back to the future on our new photography adventures with Carl (Ford F-250) & Ellie (Airstream). This was Bill’s third tattoo and Anne’s first, but not her last!

Wish You Were Here

Where we highlight a featured gallery. Since your last visit, we’ve made it a little easier to…well, get started. Back in our wedding days, we’d select 60-80 of our favorite moments from the wedding and highlight them for each couple. Inevitably, they’d choose at least half of these for their album. So we thought we’d help you in a similar way and create a gallery of a&b’s favorites!

It was, admittedly, very hard to narrow them down. But life’s full of tough choices, we know. And besides, you’re worth it, gosh darnit.

Here’s where you can locate the gallery from any page.

Cats Crossing

We’re not alone on this journey of ours! Our dear felines, Frankie and Willow come ready with much needed cuddles and lots of laughs, always. We love it when they pause their sleeping or rough-housing just long enough to peer outside together and follow the tracks of a nearby squirrel, or bird, or deer. Once, even a bear, although that time it was just Willow.

She ran. And so did the bear.

Here likely plotting the demise of an unsuspecting bird.

Wild Hearts

Where we share sightings of hearts in the wild, because who among us couldn’t use a little more love?

Artist Spotlight

One of our first art pieces we bought together was a whimsical piece that caught our eye years ago at an Austin art fair. From her Overlooked Undertakings series, Berkeley, California photographer Audrey Heller playfully combines regular everyday objects with little molded people very close-up.

The piece we chose (it was hard to pick), is entitled What We Sow, featuring large sunflower blooms, with two gardeners working the “land”. Sunflowers have special meaning to us, so that was the biggest reason, but we also just loved the message.

Follow Audrey on Insta: @audhell.

And if you can’t decide, she has put some of her favorites in a coffee table book, titled Overlooked Undertakings and which she sells via her website. #shopsmall

Info Sign: Your Art Concierge

Did you know we offer complimentary art consultation services? Unsure what would go well in your space, let alone the best size or presentation style? You can finally pull the trigger on finishing up that one room’s decor. Drop us a quick note (or reply to this email). We’ll talk it through on a video call and you’ll walk away confident with your decision.

Mile Marker #1

Where we offer a digestible photo tip you can use next time you’re out.

Robert Capa, one of the greatest-ever photojournalists, once said, “If your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” How many of us look at our photos and sheepishly raise our hand in knowing agreement? I know I was one of those folks back in the day. But it’s an easy fix with some practice: Next time you’re taking a photo of something, get closer. That doesn’t necessarily mean zooming in (that’s different!). Move to where your proximity to the subject starts to feel uncomfortable. That might be where you need to be, but at least initially you should probably get even closer. It will feel weird at first because you’re not used to it but you’ll adapt.

If you’re approaching a person, wearing a smile along with a tentative approach (“is this ok?”) builds trust and allows them to welcome you into their space.

This is a good starting point. Frame your shot from this perspective where you can immediately see the difference. If you want to be more scientific about all this, take a shot from up close and then go back to where you were standing and take another (with maybe a couple in the middle). Compare them. Which one’s more compelling?

Like most rules, it doesn’t always apply. Some scenes are better taken in from a wider perspective, and “emotional closeness” carries even more weight than physical proximity. With deliberate practice though, you’ll better be able to discern when and how it’s applicable for you and your situation. Interested in learning more? Read what other photographers have said about the maxim.

*Please note, do not try this with bison. Or really any wildlife. Really.

Here are a couple of examples of where getting close helps, from our past wedding work:

Oh wow, you made it to the end! Well, that’s quite the accomplishment. Take a breather and pat yourself on the back. Maybe push for an early happy hour. You deserve it.

Seriously, thank you for your love and support. It means so much to us both. Speaking of support, if there’s someone in your life you think would enjoy this and Tranquil Tuesdays, please forward this email or send your friends to our Connect page to sign up.

Enjoy your weekend!