Sports

Grace Holler

Sports.  This is my favorite subject to shoot.  It always has been. I started when I was about ten years old at the Chicago Cubs spring training, down in Mesa, Arizona.  My family handed me the camera, and that’s when I realized that I loved it. I got my own camera when I was a freshman in high school.  I took two photography classes in high school, and that’s when I continued to take action photos. The reason I still love taking sports photos so much, is because I no longer play sports.  I grew up playing t-ball, softball, basketball, and golf. Taking pictures of the sports that I loved so much growing up makes me happy. I still love the game and am so passionate about my teams, so I feel like I am apart of it still, even when I am behind the camera. 

When I am on the job, my goal is to get those jumping and passing shots, and when I do, I get so excited.  It makes me so happy, because it feels like I did my job and am able to tell a story through my camera lens.  I love going to sporting events…I grew up going to baseball and basketball games with my family. Being able to go to even more sporting events as a job…that’s my dream job.  Hopefully one day I will get hired as a professional sports team photographer down the road (preferably in Chicago).

One of my favorite Chicago land photographers: Barry Butler

Smoky Mountains

Grace Holler

These photos are from 2018 when Nana and I decided to go on a road trip, May 2018. We had decided to go on a road trip because she had volunteered at a piano contest down in Mississippi. We left a week early so we could go explore some other states. We spent most of our time in Tennessee in the Smoky Mountains. It was probably my favorite part of the trip. I love hiking and taking pictures and just enjoying nature. Most of these photos are from driving place to place and just stopping on the side of the road.

Lou

Grace Holler

Lou. After our first beagle had passed away (the first day of my senior year of high school), my family said that we were never getting another dog. Well, that changed once we saw Lou. The reason we went to go look at him was because his name was originally Ben, a beagle, and two years old, which was our old dogs name, breed, and age when we had adopted him. We went to look at him at the Hinsdale Humane Society, and we fell in love. So we adopted him the next day. He was scared when we had adopted him. He had opened up to us and got comfortable with us. His favorite thing to do is go for walks and play squeaky ball. He has so much energy and loves to run. He is part beagle and Australian cattle dog. Lou spent my senior year at Whitewater living with me at my house. He acts like a therapy dog. He loved seeing me after class and comforted me after a rough day. Lou was the best thing that happened to me.

Ben (our first dog)

Milo

Grace Holler

Milo. He was adopted last year, March 2019 by my brother and his girlfriend. He is my very first nephew. He loves to play with my family dog, Lou. When Milo was adopted, he was smaller than Lou. Now he is huge compared to Lou. His favorite activities include chasing squirrels and walks. He loves snuggling with his parents (he is a furnace).

When I found out my brother had adopted this cutie, I knew I wanted to take pictures of him as soon as I could. I went home one weekend to do so, and my brother, Milo and I went to a local forest preserve by my house to take pictures I posted above.

I sure miss his puppy stage. He grew up too fast!

New York

Grace Holler

I’m very upset to say that a couple days we got send home for the extended spring break, my trip to the Galapagos Islands got canceled. The border into Ecuador got shut down. It is what it is…but I was looking forward to this for so many months. We are planning on rebooking the trip for October, so hopefully we can go then.

These images are from October, 2011, when my mom, Nana, cousin and I decided to go to New York City for a long weekend to celebrate my birthday. I can’t remember what camera I used, but it was definitely not a high quality camera! I’d love to go back with my higher quality 36 megapixel camera and see what shots I could get, compared to the 12 megapixel camera I used about nine years ago.

We did all of the touristy things, like go to the top of the empire state building, go on a tour of the set of Saturday Night Live, Radio City Music Hall, and my favorite, Carlos Bakery, down in Hoboken, New Jersey. We went there for my birthday and stood in the long line. The reason we went there was because I loved the TV show, “Carlos Bakery.” We also went on a guided boat tour of New York City and saw a bunch of things, like Yankee Stadium, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Statue of Liberty. We also went on a double decker bus tour, which is where I took the picture of the Wall St. sign and the old taxi cab.

The city was definitely very dirty, and smelled very bad in the streets. There were a bunch of food trucks along the streets and tons of tourists. I would certainly go back to New York City, because it has been a long time since I’ve been, but I’d go visit another city that I haven’t been to yet.

It truly is the city that doesn’t sleep!

Disney

Grace Holler

These are images from my trip with my grandma that we took in January 2019. I had a ticket voucher that was going to expire, so I told her and she was like “lets plan a small weekend trip!” So that’s what we did. We started looking for cheap flights while I was on winter break. She had suggested that we maybe go to Disney. I hadn’t been there since I was about seven years old, so I thought it’d be a very fun trip. It was my last week of winter break. So we booked our flights to Orlando, Florida. I was so excited. We planned out what we were going to do and what parks we were going to go to each day.

The thing that I was looking forward to the most, was riding Dumbo. I absolutely loved that ride when I was a kid, so I thought I’d relive my happy childhood. We walked so much each day; over 20,000 steps each day. We went to Cinderella’s Castle and saw the firework show, and I took picture.

On the last day, we went to Animal Kingdom. It was finally a warmer day, for a January. It was so nice to feel the sun on my skin. As we were getting ready to leave Animal Kingdom, I get a text that our flight got canceled, due to snow storms back in Chicago (typical). So we had to go find a new hotel closer to the airport, so we could catch an early flight the next morning. We got to our hotel and got our stuff all settled in and then went down to the bar and got some drinks (I got a strawberry mule).

There’s always some sort of adventure when you’re on vacation with Nana. This is a trip to remember.

Cozumel, Mexico

Grace Holler

Adios, Chicago! Hola, Cozumel!

I got stung my too many jelly fish while snorkeling, so I just spent my time on our last day in the sun on the boat drinking cervezas!
Submarine tour. Went 100 feet below the surface.
Went golfing on Christmas with my dad. Took this at the golf course.
Ordered a strawberry daiquiri, but my drink of choice on this trip was a mojito!
Tour guide went under the glass bottom boat on our snorkel trip.
Ordered the drink “sex on the beach” in the morning.
Rare photo of myself, not behind the camera.
Soaking up as much sun as I could, as my family finished packing.
Adios, Cozumel!
A little video I put together on TikTok of some of the things we did on our trip!

This was an unusual Christmas for my family.  We wanted to do something different, so my mom looked at trips and decided we should all go to Cozumel, Mexico.  I was so excited to get out of the cold and snowy Wisconsin and Chicago weather for a week. I was hyped for the drinks, and as soon as I got to the resort, I ordered a mango mojito.  It hit the spot, after a stressful semester. The next day, we spent at the beach and pool. My brother’s girlfriend and I spent our day laying in lounge chairs sipping on mojitos from our favorite bartender, Antonio.   The rest of the family went scuba diving, which I failed my test and had no desire to die under water. I’m more into land sports, such as golf and basketball. We enjoyed the sun and drinks all day and I was very much in my happy place.

On Christmas, my dad and I went golfing at the local golf club. It was my first time swinging a club in about a year, so I was a little rusty. Still was a fun time. We saw lots of wildlife on the course.

On the last day, I went snorkeling.  I was hesitant to do so, because I had seen jellyfish in the water that week and had no desire to get stung. I went anyway, because I thought that it’d be a fun experience. For the time that I was in the water, I saw a little sea turtle. Then I started getting stung by jellyfish, and I decided to get out because I couldn’t take the pain anymore. I just enjoyed myself on the boat instead, soaked up the sun and drank cervezas. 

These photos were all taken on my phone. It is a pain in the ass to lug around my heavy camera, especially when there is a chance it could get water and sand in it, or even get damaged.  

If you liked last weeks blog, then check out Becca’s page! http://blogs.uww.edu/weddingsmadeeasy/

Wedding Photography- Guest

Grace Holler

Hey Everyone! I’m Becca Fish and I’m here today to talk about photography, but more specifically wedding photography. You wear the dress once, you eat the food, but the pictures are what lasts forever. Because of that, it is so important that you find a photographer that will capture your wedding day perfectly. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when looking for a photographer. 

  • Budget- Generally speaking, photographers are going to be a good chunk of your budget. Make sure you are prepared for that, because when it comes to photography what you pay for is what you get. You can sometimes find a really great deal, I know a lot of people that have used friends or family. Just keep in mind you don’t have to feel obligated to use someone just because they can give you a good deal. 
  • Shot List- Before the wedding, take some time to come up with a list of shots that you want from the wedding day. People always think of the family photos, wedding party, and couple shots, but always remember ones like rings, the dress, and invites. Those are easy to forget and often overlooked. Go on pinterest and save certain shots you like to show your photographer. 
  • Research- make sure to look at different photography styles. Do you like more light and airy, or do you prefer something really saturated. Once you find your style look at different photographers and see there is one that has the style you are looking for. 

Visit Becca’s wedding blog to find more tips on how to make your wedding planning less stressful! http://blogs.uww.edu/weddingsmadeeasy/

Alaska

Grace Holler

These are photos from my trip to Alaska in July, 2016. It was a graduation present from my grandma to my cousin and I. I never thought that I would go there. It was a once in a lifetime trip. We went on a guided trip with other people and went to different cities. The weather was in the 60s, and very light out until the early morning. This trip was filled with so much adventure and wildlife. One day we went whitewater rafting and I spotted about 12 bald eagles. Another day, we went flying and I got to see the tallest mountain in America, Mount Denali. Another day, we went kayaking on Kenai Lake on the Kenai Peninsula. My cousin and I went in our kayak, and apparently kayaked about six miles. The water was breathtaking, so if our kayak had flipped, we would’ve died. The instructor told me and my cousin had kayaked way too far, but I think it was worth it, because it was such a beautiful view. When we went flying, we saw glaciers. We also went on a day cruise, and we saw otters, seals, and a whale. It was amazing! We went gold panning one day, and it was pretty amazing, despite all of the flies and mosquitoes that were biting me. It was such an amazing trip!

I would definitely suggest going to Alaska!

Chicago

Grace Holler

My friend and I decided to take a spontaneous trip down to Chicago for the weekend.  We decided that we wanted to go clubbing, because we’ve never been. These photos are from January, when it decided to snow about three inches.  A few weeks before, I couldn’t sleep, so I went on YouTube and looked up ‘Chicago Photography,’ and I watched a couple videos. I came across this one video where this guy went on a rooftop and it looked really interesting and it had an amazing view.  I decided that I needed to go there. So, I looked it up, and surprisingly the London House Chicago was right next to our hotel! I was so excited, because it was such a beautiful night, despite the snow blowing in my face. I was hyped because snow is something a photographer looks forward to, because it adds something extra to your photos.  So, we went next door to the hotel and went up to the 21st floor to the rooftop. I was kind of skeptical, because the guy said in the video that he didn’t know if he should’ve been outside on the rooftop. We went for it anyway, and it was a view. It was such an unbelievable sight. 

Then, we decided to go walk around in the blizzard. It was definitely worth it, because I got an amazing shot of the Chicago Theater.  I was testing out different setting with my camera. I first took a couple shots without flash, and they turned out really dark and grainy, and couldn’t really see the detail of the snow.  Then, I decided to turn on the flash, an man, it made a huge difference in the photos, and saw the finished shot and was blown away.