My name is Erik Holladay-McCann, the proud owner and operator of Holladay Photography. I launched my own studio in Michigan in 2009, after leaving the press corps following 25 incredible years as a photojournalist, a career that I broke into at the (now unbelievable) age of 14. Combining my passion for storytelling and documentary-style photography with my creative aesthetic derived from a bold cinematic standpoint in my photographs is something I truly love and am privileged to do as a career.

Visual storytelling is my ultimate goal for any photograph. I first fell in love with that approach during my days in the news media, and that method has since served me well in my private endeavors, especially with headshot photography, wedding photography, and high school senior photos. I thrive on the challenge of finding those fleeting moments in everyday life that demand to be captured and crafted into a work of art. When done well, it's something that can transcend genre and pull the viewer in deeper.

I love seeing the initial emotion dance across the faces of people when they first see my work. If a piece of mine can evoke a real, unconscious reaction - love, joy, anger, sadness, etc. - I consider that a success.

The act of chasing inspiration, conceptualizing and creating is another thing that I love. It’s similar to team driven sports. Something magical happens that everyone in the crowd can sense when 5 or 10 players are all operating on the same frequency to pull off a spectacular feat of athletic prowess. That is the same feeling I get when all the details come together to make a beautiful and fulfilling photograph.

photo above by Ben Holladay-McCann

Kudos

Holladay has won numerous awards in journalism and wedding photography. He won the Associated Press award for Photo of the century in 1998 and was named 2002 Clip Photographer of the year by the National Press Photographers Association. He has been published in numerous newspapers across the nation including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The San Francisco Chronicle. He has also been published in magazines such as Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, The Sporting News, Shutter Magazine, Encore Magazine, and Outdoor Photography.

He recently earned a coveted Fearless Photographer award in 2023 and 2022 and was runner up for Fearless Photographer award in 2021. He was in the top 100 of wedding photographs for the 2019 Shoot and Share Photo Contest and received first place for Engagement Photography in the 2015 Shutterfest Photo Competition. He has been awarded numerous Merits in Wedding and Engagement photography from the Professional Photographers Association.

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