I Offer Quality In My Photography

"TULIP" © Adam Telford

I don't take on many photography jobs anymore. I have set my priority as quality over quantity. For me its all about the quality of the content rather than having a  higher volume of photo sessions under my belt. I like to spend time thinking through and planning a photo shoot, rather than just put up a light and snap a few portraits. I will scout a location days or weeks in advance, check the weather report if we will be shooting outside, and even consult a sun-calculator to see the direction the sun will be shining during a certain time of day. I put a lot of effort into every photo shoot before I even take my camera out of it's case.
For three years I owned and operated my own photography studio and tried to gain clients by advertising in print publications, newspaper articles, and social media sites. I poured every dollar I made into trying to create more clients. I failed. I closed my studio. In order to get back to the basics in my portrait photography, I packed all my gear. But what I didn't realize at the time, is that when I packed it, I was reducing a lot of the distractions I had created in my own studio. I separated the most essential parts of my studio into two small cases that fit in the trunk of my car and that is what I use for a photo session. My camera bag, and two small cases. One case has light modifiers that help me create different effects with my lights, the other holds my light stands, and a few backdrops. If a session needs something else, I  have a third case that I can bring a few props or wardrobe, but only if a session would benefit from it. This is non-essential content. I can get by without it. I have been able to simplify my portrait photography, and it has made a huge impact on my life.
There are some photographers who shoot 20-30 sessions every week and are producing adequate photos for each client. But with so many images to sort and edit, how can you see the beauty in it anymore? It becomes more about volume and getting more clients and more sessions and more content, and more more more. It seems the goal in their photo sessions is to sell more prints and bigger prints and then charge again for any digital files. When you are constantly trying to create more, you lose the creative content in your photography. It also seems that every portrait is lit the same way, poses become repetitive, and originality fades.Although "likes" and "pluses" are nice, they are not a positive way to reinforce the quality of my work. Some of my most beautiful photographs receive less than ten likes because they get lost in the shuffle of social media. With animated GIFs, auto-play videos, activity filters and links to random content, its hard to be seen at all. I also post some of my images on photo-sharing websites, and they get lost even faster. There are so many photographers from all over the world, and all of them are vying for attention. It creates too much noise, too much content, too much distraction. I have been able to adapt my technique to reduce the noise and focus on my passion for photography.




I am an artist: I paint, draw, sculpt, and photograph. The image at the top of this post is one of my paintings. I also photographed and edited it. I see so much beauty in the world and I work very hard to keep that vision in my art. For my art projects I pay special attention to composition, quality of light, and direction of light. When I set up for a portrait session, I take all these same concepts to heart. I adjust the quality of light using modifiers, I can change the direction of the light by adjusting the height and placement of my strobes, and I move around, up and down to change the composition.



Maternity photography is one genre I truly enjoy. I have documented pregnancies for several different women over the years and have documented the progression through their life changes. I have gathered advice based on my experiences for planning a maternity photo series in my blog post here: When Is The Best Time To Take Maternity Portraits

Thank you for taking the time to view and appreciate my photography
I am always looking for models to collaborate on new ideas
I am currently located in Aztec NM USA

For more about me and my photography click here