Holly Anne Photography

Victoria Mala

2009-04-27T14:47:00.003-04:00

I had a photoshoot a couple of weeks ago with the beautiful Victoria Mala that I met through Model Mayhem. I don't have photoshop right now, but luckily the photos turned out so stunning that they didn't really need any work on them... Some of my favorites:

Creative Photography Club Website Has Gone Live!

2009-03-30T09:11:00.003-04:00

Thanks Josh, the webmaster of the Creative Photography Club at Virginia Tech, the website has finally gone live! Any updates on guest speakers, events, publication opportunities, or other announcements for the club will now be featured on our website!

In April we will be having a display at She Sha, the hookah bar in downtown Blacksburg.

Poladroid

2009-01-30T15:36:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone! Sorry I've been a stranger, but with the cold weather I haven't felt much like going out and taking photos... Soon, soon I promise you. I just wanted to let you know I haven't fallen off of the face of the earth.

I gave the blog a facelift today so hopefully you like it... With this update I *should* be able to post photos without them getting cut in half.

The first meeting of the Creative Photography Club at Virginia Tech will be next Monday, February 2 at 5:30 on the second floor of Squires student center. For the Spring semester we will be meeting on the first and third Monday of the month in Architecture Annex room 7 at 5:30.

If you haven't heard, Polaroid has stopped producing the original Polaroid film so if you would like to turn some of your digital photos into Polaroids, you should try out Poladroid. You can download it for free here for Windows or Mac. Here a couple of old photos of mine that I have converted using Poladroid:

I even turned myself into a Poladroid:

Roanoke & Taubman Museum of Art

2008-11-16T14:32:00.002-05:00

On Friday I only worked a half day at my job. Then I went out to lunch with my friend Lara and she took me to the Taubman Museum of Art with her art class. I took a few pictures of inside the museum and some of downtown Roanoke while we were out there.

1. lara and holly, 2. signs, 3. the ring, 4. coke reflection, 5. bread store, 6. paper dress

the day after halloween

2008-11-05T22:18:00.002-05:00

Like I mentioned last time... On November 1 I took photos at The Lantern of 16 Blocks Magazine party. I took a little over 1000 photos... narrowed it down to 350 that I liked and got that number even lower to share with you guys.

All Kinds of Gravity

Egodeaf

Far-Less

"Johnny Cash"

Lee Street Riots

"Kanye West"

pandapas pond

2008-10-28T11:54:00.004-04:00

The photography club went to Pandapas Pond over the weekend for our weekly field trip. Here are some of the photos I got from the trip:

what?

duck butt :)

baby ducks... couldn't get quite as close as i wish i could have without sinking into muck :(

The club is getting really organized. We just picked up a webmaster and an events coordinator so that's a little less work for me to do and a lot more minds to put together to collaborate on ideas. I'm excited... Coming soon for the photography club: t-shirts, newsletter, website, who knows what else.

I'm trying to get published in JPG Magazine (again/still) so please be kind and vote for me here:

cascades

2008-10-21T19:01:00.002-04:00

This past Saturday the Creative Photography club went to Cascades in Pembroke to take pictures so I thought I would share some of my favorites from the trip with you.

See them all here.

Going for the no-PhotoShop approach right now... What do you think?

Kenny and Ann Owens

2008-10-06T22:29:00.004-04:00

A little over a week ago, I got to shoot the re-commitment ceremony of Terry and Ann Owens. I have been friends with their daughter, Brandi, since we were in middle school. Our birthdays are even one day apart so I was thrilled when she suggested me to her parents for their ceremony.

Their son, Dustin sang during the ceremony.

I swear that they seemed like the happiest couple I have ever met. They even ended the ceremony with the Rocky theme song.

Here's Brandi and her fiance, Anthony... That's right, they're getting married soon also! :)

Ring shot... Not the most original, I know, but I thought it looked lovely.

In other news, today was the first meeting of Creative Photography at Virginia Tech. Meetings are going to be held on Wednesdays at 6pm starting next week. I had a blast at the first meeting, I'm really psyched about all the cool people who showed up and it seems like we all have similar thoughts and interests. October 18 we are taking our first field trip to Cascades and are meeting up there at noon that Saturday. I can't begin to tell you how excited I am, I am confident that this club is going to kick major ass!

october is here

2008-10-01T09:15:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, I have been very busy with school, work, and trying to get the photography club up and running lately. I took photos at a recommitment ceremony this past Saturday and I will post some photos from that here in the next couple of days. For now all I have for you is this photo that I entered in a scholarship contest so I would of course appreciate it if you would vote for me:

Vote | Share | Details

For whatever reason the photo isn't showing up here... Sorry :( You'll actually have to click the link to get to it! But the good news is that you can just click Vote and you don't have to register for the site.

Photography Club Stuff:
I haven't had much input from members as to when they would like the meeting time would be for Creative Photography at Virginia Tech so I am going to go ahead and make plans. Right now my plan is to have meetings on Mondays at 5:45 or 6. The room is still undecided while I am trying to set that up with the school, but if any of you are interested in doing fund raising at the home football games, we need at least 6 people to work per game.

Sorry, but I have to do some shameless self promotion on my writing now. I was told yesterday that I should "rock it till the wheels fall off" about my car because it is about to kick the bucket. Writing is how I am making my extra money right now so I'd greatly appreciate it if you checked out one or more of these articles if it sounds interesting to you:

Best AC Content on Halloween Costumes for College Students
When you are in college, Halloween is just as much fun, if not more, than it was when you were a kid. You still get to dress up but in way better costumes, you get to party, and this now you can stay out as late as you want.
View more »
Top 5 Fashion Magazines
I can't get enough of the glossy pages filled with beautiful images and how reading small chunks of their text makes me feel so much better about not finding the time to sit around and read an actual book.
View more »
70s Style Halloween Costumes
The 70s are known for disco, glam rock, punk rock, Studio 54, afros, bell bottoms, leisure suits, and platform shoes. What about influential bands like Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and the Sex Pistols? One or more of these could fuel the inspiration for your 70s costume.
View more »
How to Become Lauren or Audrina from The Hills for Halloween
So you are a loyal fan of The Hills, maybe you even used to watch "Laguna Beach" back in the day... now you have decided that you simply MUST be one of the lovely ladies from The Hills for Halloween.
View more »
Top 10 Wedding Photography Blogs
This is a guide to some of the best photojournalistic style photographer's blogs for photographers and brides alike.
View more »

That is all :)

Happy Saturday

2008-09-20T18:54:00.005-04:00

Happy Saturday folks!

1. double ds, 2. put your lipstick on under water, 3. proof..., 4. At the bird sanctuary, 5. Steph Rules, 6. :), 7. 2, 8. Urban mouse, 9. Captain Planet series

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

I spent all morning uploading my old pictures to my deviantArt account. I don't know why I haven't been posting my stuff on there anymore, but I made up for it today.

The club is official now! So... You can find Creative Photography at Virginia Tech on Flickr and on Facebook. I need input for people because I'm really not even sure how to begin getting organized or figuring out what all we will be doing. Really... let me know if you have some ideas! :)

Only a couple of photos to share today... They're from my birthday back on August 2.

Don't forget I have a print store now... and that I'm available for hire if you need some family portraits, animal portraits (Halloween, Christmas), or whatever else you may need a photographer for! :)

And just a test here:
Top 5 Fashion Magazines
I can't get enough of the glossy pages filled with beautiful images and how reading small chunks of their text makes me feel so much better about not finding the time to sit around and read an actual book.
View more »

Andd... This is the message that went out to the Photography Club today [9/23... this is an update] so if you are interested, contact me with your answers... Join on Facebook and Flickr (I know I sound like a broken record, I'm sorry, I'm just excited!)

Yay! We are an official club now!

Okay, so Thursday last week I turned in the paperwork and we are now an official club. It’s time for me to start planning activities and meetings and I need as much input from the rest of you as I can get in order for this club to be beneficial for everyone… Here are some questions - respond to me with your answers and any other input that you might have. If you don’t answer them on Facebook then you’re going to be expected to fill it out at the first meeting so save yourself the paper cuts and let me know now!

-What days of the week and times are you available? [My availability is Monday-Friday anytime after 5, but you can meet without me if necessary]

-What would you like to learn and/or accomplish through this group?

-Do you have any extraordinary photography skills that you would be able to teach to the rest of the group [expert in portraits/landscapes/lighting/composure]?

-We should be able to have at least one guest speaker/event hosted on campus this semester… Is there a local photographer or someone else you would like to come speak to the group? If so please give me any contact information that you might have.

-I am attempting to arrange for us to have at least one model come meet with us at some point in order for us to all get a chance to work on portraits [for those of you who are interested]. Would you be interested in this opportunity?

-Are there any locations that you think the group should go photograph together? I think that we should go to the Cascades; can you think of any other mini-field trips?

-Do you have any ideas for “assignments”?

-Do you have your own camera or will you need to borrow one from our advisor?

-Are you interested in being published? I have been in contact with Michael Miller who is the creator of Virginia Media Services and the Virginia Photographic, he needs photos for his publications and is interested in having our group supply some of those photos. I have additional resources if you are interested.

-Any other comments or suggestions are more than welcome.

I would love for us to try to get fliers made to get the word out about the club so if you want to go ahead and start taking photos to share with the group… please try to take some that you would like to see on the fliers! The officers will be meeting on Friday to discuss any kind of results I get back from this message and to brainstorm on our own stuff so please get this in by Friday if at all possible!

Oh yeah, INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN THE GROUP IF THEY LIKE PHOTOGRAPHY! :)

New Actions

2008-09-17T21:27:00.002-04:00

I downloaded some new Photoshop actions from Totally Rad Actions today. A little before of a parking meter that is wearing a sweater in downtown Blacksburg and after then I have four versions of another photo that I took back around Christmas last year in Floyd.

Let me know which version of the last photo you like best and I will put it up in my shop as a print. I love Totally Rad Actions... If you go to their website you can get quite a few in the free demo.

I met with the woman who agreed to be the adviser for the Creative Photography club that I'm starting. It went really well. She has Holgas for the group to use, other film cameras and a dark room so I was VERY happy to hear that she was going to be so generous as to let us use them! I'm excitied... It's getting close to time for the first meeting and I need to get organized as to what I will be covering. There is only one signature left before I can turn in the paperwork and I should have it within the next day or two. First meeting next week or possibly the week afterwards. If anyone wants to get together and brainstorm with me, that would be amazing!

oldies, newbies, and club update

2008-09-09T20:10:00.002-04:00

First off, back in August I met up with Erin who I met through Model Mayhem and took some photos so I wanted to share a couple of those with you. The first one is really edited, but I just couldn't resist the beautiful texture by GrandOmbre Stock.

And this was my favorite of the day...

I have some older pictures to share too. My bunny, Charlotte, turned 2 years old back in July. To celebrate, I made her a clover cupcake.

And I forgot to post this picture from the morning that I photographed the Purcell family a couple of weeks ago. This is by the Duck Pond on the Virginia Tech campus.

And I realized that I haven't posted any of the photos that I used for my portfolio last fall in my Digital Photography class. Also, just so you know, most of the images that you see on my blog are available as prints here.

This is my bunny Charlotte dressed up as a pirate for Halloween last year.

In other news there has been a little progress made towards the Creative Photography group. If you have Facebook and would like to join the group, you can join on Facebook here. Invite people! I think that a lot of our stuff is going to be online because it doesn't seem that anyone's schedules work together. I'll probably still be setting up hiking trips/field trips on weekends for us sometimes even if we do not have regular meetings. Also, for members of the club, please join the Flickr group for Creative Photography at Virginia Tech. The Digital Photography teacher at Virginia Tech has agreed to be the adviser for the group. If you have any ideas for assignments please run them by me. I have a small list running, but I would like for there to be as many options as possible.

Flickr Favorites

2008-09-01T23:13:00.002-04:00

Here are some of my most recent Flickr favorites:

1. ballerina, 2. Sea Monsters: Dying Lovers on the Beach, 3. Flickr meltdown, 4. Untitled, 5. Hardware Heart, 6. Upon Empire Roots, 7. 46ee903658ba2, 8. Sweet as pie, 9. My heart is in your hands

I'm trying to find some inspiration for photography assignments for this photography club I am starting at Virginia Tech. I picked up the paperwork on Friday, now I just need to make plans for the first meeting which I'll be holding sometime this week hopefully. I'll keep you posted.

Interested in a Photography Club at Virginia Tech?

2008-08-28T22:09:00.002-04:00

I'm just throwing this out there and crossing my fingers and praying that at least one of you respond on this... Over the past few days, I have realized that the gap between photography and photojournalism is in fact not a small gap, but the Grand Canyon so I'm trying to start a photography group that is not 100% based on providing student publications with pictures [which is currently the only photography group on campus-at least that I could find after a good deal of research]...

Here's where I stand on this/some initial ideas:

1) The camera does not make the photographer, if you have a one use camera, no one should laugh in your face, if you have a Canon Rebel XTi I really feel like no one should laugh in your face. You can make beautiful photographs with a camera that you make yourself and if I create this club that I'm planning on, you will not be discriminated on because of your equipment, because frankly that is crap. I have seen horrible horrible pictures taken with professional cameras. A good hammer doesn't make a good carpenter, a good camera doesn't make a good photographer.

2) There would be no minimum amount of participation [or attendance] required... For me photography is something that I LOVE and find true happiness in and I feel like it should be that way for other folks too. I will try to create "assignments" to inspire you or give you ideas, not to place restrictions on you and drain the joy out of it.

3) There would be no screening process... This is the second hobby that I have tried to pursue and felt like I have been screened out based on whatever biases there may be and I know how frustrating it can be to be told that you can't do something when you haven't even had a chance to try.

4) This is the only bad part and I'm sorry... but you will need to bring your own equipment [at least for the first semester] because during the first semester a club is around, they cannot receive funding. We can however try to sell prints and do a portion of the profits to the photographer and a portion to the group just so we can try to get some equipment and other good stuff that more established clubs would have such as guest speakers/books/models/workshops/whatever the group decides we need. If we work on it we can figure some funding out, or we can just meet and be happy, creative little photography people, either way is fine with me.

Also... it'll probably be 5 years before I'm finished with my degree so I plan on keeping my baby around at least that long. Please let me know if you are interested, it's my understanding that I need at least 3 people to start this club. If you have any friends that you think would be interested please tell them to contact me b/c I really want to do this! I'm not sure what the rules are at Virginia Tech about this, but if it is allowed then I will of course let people who are not students join the group as well.

I feel like my time, energy, and love of photography has been drained over this past week and I have to bring a stop to it before it crushes my soul [and it literally is getting to me this badly]. I don't really care to elaborate because I know that there are policies in place for a reason, but sometimes that just doesn't work for some people and the some people in this situation would be me. I am not sure if at any point in this semester I will actually end up being published in the Collegiate Times, I haven't given up all hope, but for right now it is way more red tape than I would like to deal with and it would honestly be easier to start something up on my own terms... Something laid back that hopefully everyone will be free to enjoy. This is my hobby and I want to meet other people with the same interest and immerse myself in it so hopefully some of you will be interested! Please give your friends a link if you think they would be interested, I need at least two other members and that's not a lot of people so come on, I'm a fun person and if you want to just go out and take pictures, that's really all I want to do also! :)

8.24.08 floyd county

2008-08-27T20:50:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures of flowers and fun stuff like that. I had a family reunion on Sunday and I was younger than everyone but one other chicka so I just walked around and took some picturs. These are some of my favorites:

I'll probably have prints up of these in my print store soon, but I need to do laundry, do homework, etc. It's been really hectic since school started, it's only been a few days and I am feeling a little burned out already. Honestly, I don't even have the energy to do what I need to do or even write anymore right now so I'm signing off.

the purcell family

2008-08-22T19:20:00.002-04:00

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to shoot family portraits of the Purcell family. Half of the family was coming in from out of town so we all met up on the Duck Pond on the Virginia Tech campus for a photo shoot. I want to share some of my favorite shots with you:

They were a really wonder family and I had a great time working with them. Thank you so much Laura for inviting me to photograph your family!

I created a print account here if any of you like my photos and think you would like to buy some.

Turtles

sea.turtle

sea.foam

Neon SeaHorse

sound

under.tow

Clear Jellyfish

Alligator

Ghost Crab

Wright Brothe…

Dunes

flower2

So I got no feedback on the wedding idea... Does no one know someone getting married coming up who will need a photographer? I want to do a contest to give away a wedding photography session.

Also, I hate how my blog cuts of part of my photos. I know I could just post smaller pictures and it wouldn't be an issue at all, but I like the photos, I want you to be able to see them without having to click on them. I need to create my own layout for this page, but it has been a LONG time since I have made a website, I'm not sure if I could do it on my own. I have found the most perfect background that I would like to use though... Who knows, a new, more beautiful blog may be in my future.

Class starts on Monday and so does Student Publications Photography Staff club meetings. I'm going to get to take some photos for the Collegiate Times [the Virginia Tech student run newspaper] if I understand correctly and I am SO excited about it!

from 8.14.08

2008-08-18T09:01:00.002-04:00

Last Thursday, my co-worker Janae and I went out and took some portraits around the Virginia Tech campus that I wanted to share.

On Saturday I had a family portrait session with a really sweet family. Today after I get off from work I have another portrait session with a model that I met through Model Mayhem. I will have pictures posted of both of these sessions in the next week or so.

Tomorrow I'm getting cable and internet at my apartment so I should be able to update more often.

And... I'm thinking about doing a contest where I give away a wedding photography package soon. Leave me a comment and let me know if you would be interested.

guess who's back?

2008-08-12T10:41:00.003-04:00

I'm back from the Outer Banks. We got back Saturday night to find another flat tire on my car and both of my fish dead, but other than that it was a good trip and I really didn't want to come home. We saw tons of jelly fish while we were down there, I was petrified to get in the water, but I did it anyways.

One of the first places we went while we were down there was the Avalon Pier. They had games inside, this one looked like the most fun to me.

Here's the pier:

And here's the beach bum that was sleeping under that pier, but it's kind of hard to see in that fisheye picture:

My main objective of the trip was to take pictures of all of the lighthouses (and I got all of the ones that were on the islands, but did not go inland to get the rest). I want to have a stand at Steppin' Out next year to sell prints... Do you guys think I should? Anyway... More pictures:

Mike caught this ghost crab

I bet you didn't know I was a space explorer did you?

This is where the horses should have been on the 4 wheel drive beach... They weren't there, we drove all the way up to Virginia and trashed Mike's dad's Jeep doing so. Oopsie doodles, it was nice being on that empty beach though!

Those were all my favorites :) I can't wait to go on vacation again.

So you've made it this far... Do me a favor and vote for my photo for JPG Magazine so maybe I can get published HERE. Thanks loves.

bunny babies and my camera is back

2008-07-27T13:50:00.004-04:00

On Friday I went to FedEx and picked my camera up. It's all fixed now... Just in time for my birthday and trip to Nags Head in a week. Saturday Mike and I went out to his friend's house because they told us they had four baby bunnies living in under a squash plant in their garden. We are thinking about adopting all of them if they are still there when we get back from the beach in a couple of weeks, maybe by then they'll have their eyes open.

They gave us a huge trash bag full of fresh fruits and veggies from their garden too so we had a really amazing dinner last night.

Then we went to Mike's grandparents house so I could try fried green tomatoes for the first time. They've got an African Grey named A.J.

And... It was my bunny Charlotte's 2nd birthday so I made her a little clover cupcake to celebrate.

I'm getting really excited about going to Nags Head. My goal is just to go and relax and take as many pictures as I can. I'm also excited about Steppin' Out and my birthday this upcoming weekend. :) Wishlist

playing catch up

2008-07-20T13:11:00.002-04:00

Anybody notice that I haven't written in a while? I sent my camera back to Canon because the flash button was broken so I haven't really taken any pictures in a while. Since I don't have anything new to show, I figured the least that I could do would be post some pictures that I took a couple months ago before I got my computer and post the ones from the Massive Sound show a few weeks ago.

First off I've got Daphne's dogs. Karma is the beagle and Mary Jane is the black lab/hound mix.

And on June 28, I took some photos for MC Ohm Owens with Massive Sound Crew at The Cafe at Champs... I had just gotten my fisheye/wide angle lens so I played with that a ton.

Remeber Brittany?

Ohm

Alright, that is about all I have to show for now. I can't wait till I get all my pictures from DC downloaded on my computer so I can get them ready to show. Not having a computer was a major pain and I went without for a whole year. So new camera (that should be fixed in the next couple weeks) and new computer make me very happy.

I'm going to Williamsburg, maybe Virginia Beach, and maybe a bit of Nags Head on the week of the 4th so I should have some really great pictures to share with you when I get back from there. It's been about 2 years since I've been to the beach so this vacation has been a long time coming.

hire me! name your price!

2008-07-14T15:38:00.002-04:00

So maybe some of the past few posts have given you an alright idea of my photography skills and maybe some of you even like them enough to consider hiring me. Please do... I love to take pictures and meet new people. If you need a photographer for anything please let me know, and I'll make it even sweeter, you name your price. As long as I think that the pay you are offering me is somewhat reasonable I will do. The price won't be including prints, instead I think it would probably work out better if I gave you a disk with your images, but we could discuss prints also. I want more opportunities to meet more people and take more photos.

Need some ideas about what you might need a photographer for?
-Formal Parties
-Family Reunion
-Child's Birthday Party [or adults, I don't discriminate ;)]
-Portraits/Headshots
-Engagements
-Weddings
-Child Portraits
-Senior Portraits
-Sports Events/Team Photos

I'll do any and all of those, and probably anything else that you can think of. Just contact me h.cromer[at]hotmail.com, and give me the following info:

Name:
A bit about you:
Favorite places/Places you would like these photos to take place:
What kind of pictures do you want me to take:
How much time will you need me for:
Name Your Price for my Services:
Will you be needing prints or just your images on a disk?
Contact Information

this and that

2008-07-08T19:11:00.004-04:00

Mike and I went to the Summer Solstice Festival because I was obsessed with the idea of seeing a flea circus. Did you know that there are usually no fleas involved in a flea circus? I didn't. I was a little disappointed. Presenting the Alberti Flea Circus

Sometimes when I have a bad day I like to go to 7-11 and get a Slurpee

or even draw with sidewalk chalk.

And watch clouds... Do any of you see a pony in this picture?

Mike and I went to see my brother play baseball a couple of weeks ago.

My brother at bat...

My brother covering second base...

Okay, this one is my brother running for home just a few moments before the catcher decides to tackle him.

That's all for now. I was so disappointed by the rain today. I had made plans a couple weeks ago to go to Salem/Roanoke to take pictures and my heart sunk to the ground when it was a nasty day. Oh well, I'll just have to make up for it later, at least I got a chance to update here. Good times :)

salem fair

2008-07-08T18:35:00.002-04:00

For the fourth of July this year I really wanted to go to the Salem Fair and that is what we ended up doing. Mike, Chris, Natalie, and I went out to Salem, rode some rides, took some pictures, ate funnel cake [and other miscellaneous carnival foods], and hung out in the beer tent. We had so much fun on Friday night that me and the boys went back to ride rides ALL DAY on Saturday.

We started off the day with these amazing orange rolls.

Then we all went to the fair and got to see all kinds of fun stuff...

For the entire night and most of the day on Saturday, I was really afraid of going on this ride. After I finally rode it, I realized that it actually wasn't as bad as a few of the others that I had been on.

And beautiful Miss Natalie got her face painted.

sarah 6.28.08

2008-07-01T22:08:00.002-04:00

Saturday I got to go out in the woods for a fun photo shoot with my friend Sarah. It was a great time, she posed her ass off and I didn't have to give her any direction at all. Here are some of my favorites...

You may have noticed that I finally got a fisheye/macro/wide angle lens. I am having a hard time trying to get the macro one to work, but I have been using the fisheye and wide angle one every chance I get... Which reminds me, I am selling my Orange Lomography Fisheye Camera on eBay since I have replaced it with this lens. It's quite a bit cheaper than buing a new one and they're tons of fun.

Oops, where did I go?

2008-07-01T13:27:00.004-04:00

We lost our internet about a week ago, hence the reason that I haven't posted anything in a while... Over the weekend I went for a little hike/photoshoot in the woods with my friend Sarah so I need to post those pictures and I also took pictures of DJ Ohm Owens on Saturday night so those are coming up soon too. Here's a little teaser from the show to hold you over for now:

If you couldn't tell I got a fisheye/wide angle lens piece that I've been playing with... I love it! :)