Amy Lynn Gawlik’s Story

Mar. 12018 . Category:business, Encourage, Guest Blog, How Do You HoldFast?, photography

From the get-go, HoldFast’s allegiance lies in this: steadfast dedication to professional photographers and the systems they utilize. Committed to paving the way, HoldFast gear accentuates style while also performing comfortably and efficiently. Responsible for creating a new genre within the industry, we’re changing the way photographers look and feel while doing their best work.

In this series, you’ll hear stories of HoldFast gear and the photographers–the pioneers, the adventurers, the originals–that use them. This is How You HoldFast.

Amy Lynn Gawlik has been a HoldFast user since, well, the very beginning. Since HoldFast launched in 2014, the international photographer, based in Texas, has been a HoldFast loyalist since hearing about the brand from a fellow photographer.

“As a female, it is hard to wear a single strap that doesn’t create an awkward look for me. I tried several double straps, and they always tangled or looked cheap, and ruined my clothes through the wear and tear. The second I got my Money Maker it not only allowed me to quickly change in between cameras, but gave me more of a confidence boost when I was out there shooting,” Gawlik says.

HoldFast has built its business on a number of beliefs, one such being that form and function are not mutually exclusive, like so much camera gear seems to be this way. Designed by a photographer for photographers, the attention to detail put forth to create a strap that actually looks good–and does the job of hauling gear better than the industry’s counterparts–cannot be missed. Couple that with the fact that the Money Maker actually makes it easier to do the job of a photographer, and you’ve found the first and only winning combination.

Gawlik has been shooting for almost a decade, photographing everything from weddings to lifestyle, owning a studio for each, respectively: AL Gawlik Photography, Gypsy Pearl Studio. Gawlik says that purchasing her first Money Maker (she has two!) is the best investment she’s ever made.

“I think the fact that I can quickly and smoothly transition from one camera to another in time-consuming situations is amazing. The leather and sturdy clasps are super durable, and the quality of the leather is amazing and worth every penny.”

The quality and craftsmanship of HoldFast gear is what has compelled Gawlik to continue to invest in gear that works; over the last several years she’s purchased a maven strap, a camera leash, and a wallet.

“If I ever forget my Money Maker for a session, I am seriously almost at a loss. I am not comfortable unless I have it on. I like to think of it as my superwoman outfit. Once it goes on, it is like I transform into another person almost. It is unreal; I’m focused and ready. And it is ridiculous how many people have commented on my straps, especially in Texas. They think I am a gunslinger, ninja,” Gawlik explains.

When asked how her experience with HoldFast compares to the other gear Gawlik might have used in the past, she’s quick to make it known that, plain and simple, it doesn’t.

“There is no other product that I have used, besides my equipment, so much. It is a part of me and my brand. I know the cameras are there, but allows me to interact with a couple one one one and not have a huge camera in front of me. It gives me the time and freedom to focus on the scene, pose and moment of each picture I capture.”