Mariano Friginal’s Story

Feb. 222018 . 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.

Mariano Friginal first learned about HoldFast gear when a friend and fellow photographer was seen wearing a Money Maker. He knew a camera carrying setup like the Money Maker was probably a wise investment, but he could have never anticipated what a game-changer it would be for his own photography business.

The Central California photographer purchased a Money Maker soon after. “The moment I latched my cameras on to it, I knew it would become my favorite accessory. I’d made a very conscious effort of paring down my gear and sticking to the basics, so I could concentrate on image-making and not the gear. The Money Maker seemed to have this same goal in mind.”

This intentional design of the Money Maker is what’s come to make it the most dependable gear on the market. It’s created a niche within the industry, due largely in part to being a multi-camera system designed by a photographer; in other words, someone who knows firsthand the frustrations a photographer might face when trying to both haul gear, and still look stylish. “Recently, I got a small Roamographer bag. It’s still new, but I’ve never had more people ask me about my bag, it’s definitely a head-turner.”

“Other straps and bags that I’ve used, most of them have been usable. But, comparing them to the Money Maker, they seem like dispensable toys. HoldFast products just have this timelessness to them on top of being very functional and way better looking,” Friginal says.

The craftsmanship and the durability of the materials are something that stuck with Friginal right away, in addition to the sheer convenience of being able to carry his gear where it’s easiest: on him.

“Having two cameras right at your hip, perfectly balanced, and how quickly I can detach and attach them to the Money Maker? Those two features alone are game changing.”

Having been shooting weddings and portraits for over a decade, Friginal says it was a bit of an adjustment the first time he wore his HoldFast purchase. “It took me a couple of weddings and handful of portrait sessions to get used to the Money Maker, but the moment I forgot to bring it on one of my shoots, that’s when I realized how quickly it had become an extension of myself. I felt like rescheduling the shoot altogether — I managed, but it wasn’t pretty.”

The Money Maker has done for Friginal what it’s done for most of the photographers that use its gear: made itself indispensable. Friginal explains: “It’s become just as essential as the cameras themselves.”