Behind the Scenes: Our Fall Shoot with Julie Holder

We brought this year’s Fall Diaper Collection to life with the help of Honest Mom and photographer, Julie Holder. Julie ventured out with camera in hand, and daughter and husband in tow, to capture her family’s own great adventure. Follow along on their journey and learn more about what inspires Julie as a photographer, mom and wife.

Tell us more about you. What’s your story?

I joke with my husband, Bo, that I’m very lucky because I got to experience love at first sight, TWICE. First with my camera, and then with him. He just laughs. But, he’s a photographer, so he gets it. Until recently we lived in NYC. Last year we relocated to Austin, TX with our daughter Marigold (Goldie for short). Needless to say, life has a whole new meaning with her in it. I can’t seem to put my camera down with her around. Every minute she’s changing. It’s easy to think photographers capture moments, but for me, it’s meaning that I want to see in a photograph. I look through the lens and what I feel, is what I capture. For her, every frame is a love bomb.

Why did you decide to partner with Honest?

When you become a parent you look around and realize “there’s a jillion things in this living room that could hurt someone!” Outlets. Glass Tables. A letter opener on the coffee table! I was like Goldie’s own personal Secret Service clearing every room in the house. The goal becomes what’s trusted, what’s easy, what’s safe… Honest falls into all 3 of those buckets. Plus, it’s pretty. I’m a sucker for good packaging. That’s the artist in me. So I was all in from the first call. The cherry on top was that I was able to build the campaign around my other loves — my family.  

What was your inspiration for the shoot?

The GREAT., as a brand, captures so much of what I’m naturally drawn to — travel, wanderlust, adventure. What made this shoot such a joy was the fact that we didn’t need to manufacture moments so much as capture a blissfully average and authentic day out exploring. We packed a bag, grabbed some coffee, piled into the car and set out for parts unknown. Those are the moments we live for. We ended up in Texas Hill Country at Green Acres. It was this beautiful hidden gem, down a long dirt road; slow living at it’s finest. For this shoot, we just put a camera on us. It was so much fun.

What's it like getting to work with your daughter?

Goldie is my muse. I feel so grateful that somehow the universe picked me to be her mother. (How did that happen?) When work gets busy and stressful, I retreat to her. She fills me up. Being able to work with my daughter at times and my husband every day is a gift. She’s only about a year and already we have hard drives filled with thousands of pictures of her. Admittedly, it’s a little over the top, but the addiction is strong. We just love her so much.

Do you have a favorite print from the collection?  

That pink bandana diaper! It’s everything. Somehow, whether I intend it to or not, the color pink makes it’s way into every shoot I do. It’s my favorite color, but I swear it’s not intentional. Just suddenly the sky will go sherbet or we’ll turn a corner and there will be a row of pink cactus. This was no different.

Do you have a favorite shot from the campaign?

I melt when I see Goldie and Bo together. Every. Time. Heart stop. Full melt. There was a moment during the day where Bo was holding her and she was laughing with this silly, little cackle she has that I want to capture in a shell and hear each time I put it to my ear.  And, Bo was wearing his favorite denim jacket, the one he’s worn since we met. The very jacket that for Father’s Day I took to Fort Lonesome and had a marigold flower stitched on it. I love that shot. For a girl who wants to capture what’s meaningful, that shot says it all. Love defined.

What advice would you give an entrepreneur — photographer, designer or other field — just starting out on their own?

Know your hustle. You don’t have to have all the answers, but you do have to have all the faith if you want to make it work. In the end, as long as you keep trying, you’ll build something you can be proud of.

How has your career evolved after becoming a parent?

Everything shifts when you become a parent. Work for me became even more important because it’s my means to provide for her future. That being said, the way I work changed. Hours revolve around family needs. Schedules get juggled to accommodate sniffles and nap times. It forces you to work smarter.  But what surprised me was that it also unlocked a new creativity within me that welled up and is spilling over.

To learn more about Julie, follow her on Instagram at @julieholderphotography.