Since 1974, Holifield Photography has been a cornerstone of Central Kentucky’s photography scene. Founded by Jim Holifield, the company originated with a request to photograph a friend’s wedding. As the business celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, Holifield Photography has grown into a premier photography studio with a focus on celebrating the achievements of Central Kentucky youth.
In the 1970s, Holifield earned a master’s degree in social work and was soon after named director of the Kincaid Home in Lexington. Holifield’s interest in photography was sparked by a friend’s request to photograph their wedding, leading Holifield to invest in professional equipment and pursue more photography work.
Mary Beth Holifield with her father, Jim Holifield, who founded Holifield Photography in 1974.
“He got really interested in photography, and his coworkers started asking him to take pictures of them,” wife Teresa Holifield said. “Eventually, he quit being the director of Kincaid Home and started his photography business in our basement.”
In 1978, a company approached Holifield with a request to photograph participants in Youth Salute, a program recognizing high school juniors for their leadership and academic achievements. “That’s where business really started taking off,” Teresa Holifield said. Photographs of Youth Salute participants have annually been displayed in local malls for the past 44 years.
In 1990, Holifield Photography began photographing Lexington’s Young Achievers, a program in cooperation with the International Leadership Network that honors fifth and eighth graders who serve as role models. By 2023, more than 629 students from 47 elementary and middle schools in Fayette County have been nominated as Young Achievers — the majority of them photographed at Holifield.
When Jim Holifield passed away in 2022, his daughter, Mary Beth Holifield, took over operations. She’s worked in the business off and on since age 12. Along with the Young Achievers and Youth Salute programs, Holifield Photography manages school pictures throughout the region, including photographing high school senior portraits.
The company’s headquarters on Moore Drive include four photography studios and is stocked with a wide selection of tuxedos and wraps. A team of volunteers is on hand to help outfit the young men and women, enabling the company to photograph up to 300 seniors in a day.
Holifield Photography’s headquarters on Moore Drive include four photography studios.
The company also provides headshots for many local businesses, including the University of Kentucky, Cardinal Hill, and the Lexington Clinic.
Teresa Holifield said that while digital technology has reduced costs, it has introduced a different workflow. “The first photographers we had could take only 25 pictures per roll of film, and each one had to be perfect,” she said. “There was no editing; you sent it to the lab and presented the pictures. Now, with digital technology, photographers might take 100 pictures and spend time fixing everything.”
“There’s always something new or some new technique out there to use,” Mary Beth Holifield added. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and I’m still learning something different every day.”
While the technology has changed, many of the traditions have not. High school students still enjoy dressing up for their senior portraits, and some adults photographed years prior as part of the Youth Salute or Young Achievers programs now watch their children pose for the same honors.
Similarly, as Mary Beth Holifield did in her youth, she said her children often come to the office to observe and sometimes help. Above all, she said, it’s still a family business that she hopes one of her children will one day take over.
For her part, Teresa Holifield said she felt her late husband would be pleased to see the business continue to thrive and to see his grandchildren take interest. “At the very beginning, when he started the business, Jim wanted to help students because he had a big heart,” she said. “When he found photography, that became his form of social work [recognizing and helping to elevate students and their achievements]. Some kids would tell him, ‘I’ve been waiting to do Youth Salute since I was a kid.’ Those sorts of interactions and helping to shine a light on personal achievements are why he decided to do photography,” she said.