Tony Wodarck’s Story

Jun. 222018 . Category:business, Encourage, growth, Guest Blog, How Do You HoldFast?, photography, Words To Holdfast

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.

It’s oftentimes easy to forget that behind every small business there is essentially an army–or at least group–of people working day in and day out to create the products and experiences an industry desires to acquire and capture. HoldFast is a company founded by a photographer for photographers, so nowhere is this truer than our own backyard. Tony Wodarck was already considering purchasing a Money Maker, having been introduced to it through other photographers, but the knowledge that HoldFast had an incredible team behind it perhaps worked to seal the deal.

Wodarck is in marketing by day–for Hurley, no less–but has spent the last two years or so as a film photographer, capturing weddings and engagements, serving Southern California and worldwide.

“I started shooting on film in high school, shot travel photojournalism for over 14 years for fun, then about 15 months ago I got in to shooting weddings.”

Once he finally purchased what he calls a “real camera” (a Canon 6d if you’re wondering), he decided to try and do real paid shoots: families, weddings, products, and essentially anything he could get his hands, and lens, on.

“I second shot for the wedding photographer who photographed my wedding. She shot two camera bodies, and I saw how nice it was being able to have two different lenses ready at all times. After my shooting my third wedding, I knew I needed to shoot with two camera bodies. I immediately started researching camera straps,” Wodarck says.

Wodarck was drawn to the fact that the Money Maker looked high quality, after reading recommendations from a Photographer Facebook Group where everyone was mentioning the gear.

“I knew I wanted something that not only looked cool, but was super functional. I liked that there was a human behind the company, you Matt, that I could help support. The price wasn’t cheap, which was tough as I was just starting out,” explains Wodarck. “I bit the bullet and went for it. After shooting my first session with it, I was hooked.”

Initially shooting with a cheap woven neck strap, Wodarck knew that couldn’t last long. “I spent so much time setting down my backpack, changing lenses, and fumbling around, I wasted the clients’ time and caused more strain on my body than needed. I had some neck and back pain after the first few weddings I shot with a normal neck strap. I figured that was just part of the gig being sore after weddings.” Not the case once he purchased a Tan Money Maker in Water Buffalo.

“The second I put it on I could tell it was way more comfortable than my regular old neck strap. It took the weight off the back of my neck and distributed it evenly to the point I didn’t really notice the weight of my camera. I instantly felt much better with no back pain after my first wedding with the Money Maker, that was huge for me.”

Being able to do his work more efficiently has definitely changed the game for Wodarck, allowing him to book more clients which means he’s able to reinvest in cameras and gear, focusing on weddings still, but also couples, as he says he loves to shoot people in love.

“I love being able to have my hands-free as needed, and also being able to have two camera bodies with two different lenses ready at any time. I shoot only with primes now as I was able to have two bodies and two lenses. Typically my 35 and a 135. I bought my Money Maker to shoot two bodies and never looked back. It’s been one of my favorite purchases for my photography business to date.”