About me
(Extended Version)
Thank you for making your way over to meet me!
I know your time is valuable, so I’ll try to keep this short.
My name is Holly Dunphy. I am a professional photographer with almost 4 years of experience and am based in Niverville, Manitoba, with a studio in Winnipeg’s Exchange District.
Whether I’m capturing commercial and branding imagery, family connections, or life’s variably sized moments, my goal is to create images that feel polished yet natural, and true to you.
For many years, though, I believed the myth that you can’t make a living in the arts.
About 4.5 years ago during maternity leave with my second little one, and amidst a global pandemic, I thought I would at least learn to use my camera in an intro to photography course. Truthfully, I was so sad that I couldn’t capture my beautiful baby daughter the way that I saw her and the world as it was made me nervous to have anyone in our home to capture them professionally.
Following the 6 week intro course my curiosity was not satiated. I took a leap, earned my diploma through a 10 month full time diploma program, and turned my passion into a business—one that allows me to blend storytelling, creativity, and connection.
Leaving the corporate world for photography gave me the best of both world -guiding clients with confidence while still having the quiet space to retreat and create. Before that, I had spent about 10 years in customer service, hospitality, and within the automotive service industry—three fields that taught me the art of both technical skill, human connection, and the art of the glue that holds it all together.
Beyond the camera, I am at my happiest while outdoors under the sun or even under thunderous clouds -gardening with my family, road-tripping, or hiking with my film camera in hand. Music, books (audio and physical copies), and psychology also fuel my creativity, undoubtedly bringing depth to my work. Yoga and meditation bring me peace.
Besides living in Southern Manitoba, I have also lived in both Northern Alberta and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, experiences that shaped my love for adventure and deepened my appreciation for the stunning country I call home. Exploring the land by foot is incredibly grounding. One of the most unforgettable hikes I have done was Crypt Lake Trail in Waterton, Alberta -an exhilarating mix of challenge and incredible views, with tunnels, ladders, and sheer cliffs with steep drop offs. Thinking you could, at any moment, follow suit with loose stones and plummet to your death sure keeps a person humble.
Hunt Lake Trail in Whiteshell, Manitoba was my first taste of hiking as an adult and the one that got me hooked. I have also found myself soaking in hidden hot springs at the end of a questionably passable logging road, the kind of place that makes you wonder if you should turn back until you finally arrive and know it was absolutely worth it. Whether I’m chasing waterfalls (yes, I do stray from the rivers and lakes I’m used to) or trekking up a mountainside, nature fuels my creativity.
I would love to get to know you and create something meaningful together -whether that is decorating the walls of your home with photographs from a family session, building an image asset gallery for your business, or nailing your actress/actor headshots capturing the different looks you’d love to portray, I look forward to meeting you.
-Holly
Five Fast Facts
(Condensed Version)
1. I am a mother and partner in a family of four -my greatest loves and biggest teachers.
2. I will never not garden now that I do. The plots and pots increase every year and the experience is as humbling as it is satisfying.
3. I love podcasts that allow me to think, laugh, or learn. Bonus points if it does all three. I find the concepts of psychology and religion/spirituality equally fascinating and love listening to experts cover those topics. Nope, no murder mysteries for this person.
4. I enjoy all genres of music but not all music in all genres.
5. Coffee? Yes.
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