Karina & Rachel’s Story

Sep. 282018 . Category:business, Encourage, growth, 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.

Karina and Rachel are committed to capturing their clients in their most natural, authentic state. The owners and principal photographers behind Weddings by Kara are joined forces to service Ireland and Portugal, along with lots of destinations in between. They make it a point to be both unobtrusive and discreet when shooting, whether a wedding or a fine art portrait, which means they’re able to showcase their clients’ natural state of happiness. Doing so means the behind the scenes–being the in the right place and the right time, having the right lens exactly when you need it, need to run smoothly, which is precisely where HoldFast gear comes into play.

Karina Finegan says she was introduced to HoldFast at a wedding when a videographer, also shooting the wedding, let her try on his Money Maker.

“Michael Toman, from Story of Eve, was wearing a Money Maker at a wedding we worked together on. I tried his on and immediately knew it was perfect for me,” Finegan explains. She purchased a Burgundy Money Maker soon after and was drawn to both the design and style. But what really changed the game for Finegan was the relief she felt when wearing it. Having been shooting for almost 10 years, she was more than ready for a change.

“When we cover weddings, an 18 hour working day is not unusual, of which at least 14 hours are spent moving around with one or more cameras strapped on somehow. When I work, I have a bad habit of becoming so caught up in shooting that I tend not to pay enough attention to how I’m moving my body,” Finegan says. This result in everything from muscle sprains to strains and tears–a far cry from doing her job comfortably.

“This, coupled with the fact that I also really like to shoot on my long (heavy!) 70-200mm lens, meant that I had been suffering from pretty intense neck and shoulder pain after weddings. Having suffered from a perpetual sore neck and or shoulders for years, in an attempt to lessen the weight I was carrying, I had also been switching lenses constantly rather than using two cameras,” Finegan shares.

Since utilizing the Money Maker, Finegan says she’d recommend the system to anyone.

“Since switching to the Money Maker, pain has not been the case. The way the straps distribute the weight around your body has completely eliminated the pain” Finegan is happy to say. “I’ve tried the systems that are flexible and bouncy, and I’ve tried the ones that sit across your shoulders instead of around your neck, but no joy; I still got a ton of muscle pain. The Money Maker is the one strap I’ve used that properly distributes the weight.”

The Money Maker places the cameras at either side of the small of one’s back. Designed to be worn higher up on the body than any other strap, the Money Maker allows the cameras to hang around the belt area, taking the pressure off the back and distributing it in such a way that it disperses comfortably around the broadest part of the back.

“With the Money Maker, I can comfortably carry two cameras for the entire day. Plus, the way they hang to the sides is just perfect for easily switching between different focal lengths. It means I’m not distracted by pain and I’m not wasting as much time switching lenses. It more than exceeds the efficacy of any other camera straps I’ve ever used.”

The quality and comfort of her Money Maker is what makes Finegan sing its praises. “It’s nicely designed, functional, and looks great on; it also looks really sleek. It’s a superb product, beautifully designed both aesthetically and ergonomically.”