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.
In 2000, Veronica Varos found herself in a unique position. At just 14 years old, she was photographing her first live concert, a focus that would hold her attention for almost a decade. The switch from concerts to weddings did come as a bit of a surprise to her, but since 2008, she’s learned to anticipate and capture the most important—and once in a lifetime—moments. What she couldn’t anticipate however, was a period of time when she wasn’t sure how many more years she’d be able to do what she does best.
“I’ve had multiple back injuries [in my 30 years on earth] which have resulted in weekly chiropractic appointments and multiple stints with physical therapy. Along with my back injuries, I have carpel tunnel in both wrists and this cruel little jerk of an issue by the name of costcochondritis – which is inflammation of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the breastbone.”
As Veronica explains, pain was a given as all of these issues mixed together to create a significant amount of pain during and after most events. “Working as a photographer for the last 16 years, I’ve had to learn to work through that pain and, for a long time, I accepted that as normal.”
Almost two decades worth of hard work in this business means that Veronica has tried almost every harness, strap & sling available, attempting to find some sort of relief. Based on the recommendation of quite a few friends (sound familiar?), she purchased a MoneyMaker; two days after it arrived she used it to photograph a wedding. “At the end of the day, I took off the harness and I was surprised by the lack of pain.”
But she was skeptical at first. “I thought maybe it had been a fluke; I didn’t think much of it again until the following weekend when I wore the MM [for the second time].”
It was then that she learned it had not, in fact, been some one-time lucky break from the pain she’d dealt with for years.
“After that second wedding, I sat in my car and began to cry. Not because I was hurting, but because I was so incredibly happy to not feel the pain I had come to know so well in my shoulders, neck, spine, chest, and even my wrists.”
Veronica’s quick to silence those who think she’s giving too much credit to HoldFast.
“Let me tell you about the time I forgot it for a 2 hour photo shoot! In the days following, I was in such a shocking amount of pain that I found myself in the doctor’s office twice, the Urgent Care office once, and the emergency room once.”
It ended up being a severe episode of costcochondritis—an issue all but completely eliminated once she started utilizing her MoneyMaker. “In my opinion, that episode was entirely the result of forgetting my MM, and wearing my camera the way I used to years ago.”
HoldFast has been a game-changer for Veronica, and as a result, a game-changer for her work and quality of life.
“My entire world changed when I purchased the MM. I’ve gone from weekly (sometimes twice weekly) chiropractic visits to only one (or less) per month. Here we are, almost a full year after my first MM purchase, and I still cannot believe the change it’s made in my working life. I can’t pretend to understand how it saves me the way it does.
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Instagram: http://instagram.com/veronicavaros
