Brother and Sister Goofing Off in the Middle of Their Session

 

You can't expect kids to be serious models the whole time.

Brother and Sister in the Studio

 

Moving the photo session from the park into my studio to continue the Fall themed session.

Brother and Sister at the Park

 

I had some amazing models for a new fall color session at the park by the river. 

Outdoor Family Portraits

I love helping my friends capture their families in photos. I have been asked by friends, both old and new, to take their portraits and its always an honor to help them. For this session, Kerri wanted photos with her son outdoors showing off the fall colors. We decided on this park by the river and walked the nature trails stopping in various locations to take some amazing photos.

Animal Portraits

Not all portraits have to be people. When a friend's cat had kittens, I got five brand new infant models to photograph. Each of these kittens has a personality all their own. Some were very active and alert and wanting to play, others were timid and scared for the entire time I was pointing a camera at them. Each kitten posed for about two minutes and then got to go chill with their mama. That's the beauty of having a portable lighting setup. I can create a studio in anyone's living room.

A Few Words About Me

OK, maybe more than a few words. I feel as though my interest in photography needed a little more explanation, so I created a biography of my photographic journey.

I have been a photographer since I was seventeen years old. Since the first time I picked up a camera with the intention of documenting an event, and capturing a moment in time. And, even twenty years later, I am still in love with photography. I have dedicated my time to understanding the intricacies of exposure and composition, so that each session flows naturally. I have studied the use of flash to achieve studio quality portraits with or without a dedicated studio. I have become more experienced controlling light in my photography sessions to achieve a wide variety of effects. I know how the light works from different angles, and which modifiers to use to create the outcome I desire. I have been an artist longer than I have been a photographer and I still find joy in many other art forms. Through my college years, I studied figure drawing & painting, color theory, sculpture, and film photography with the darkroom as my playground. I found a passion for the process and a lifelong drive to create.

  

My style of photography is different from many others, in that I like having shadows in my pictures. I prefer when shapes are described with light playing against shadows. A single light shining from one side, leaving the far side in complete shadow is one of my favorites (content warning NSFW). Or a full silhouette with just a rim of light coming from behind to amplify the edges of a person. I also like combining the two concepts into one image. By directing one light toward the side of the face and a second light from behind on the opposite side aimed on a person's hair, I can get a beautiful portrait that glows against the background. I am not exclusive to this technique either, there are many occasions where a brightly lit portrait is just as flattering as a dramatically lit portrait.

Light is the paint I use to illustrate my portraits.

Garrett's Senior Portraits

Senior portraits are a lot of fun to shoot. I am invited to help capture a milestone in someone's life and preserve that moment for all time. I love having friends ask me to be involved in these events :)

Fall Color Portraits

Making use of the beautiful colors at a local park with mother and daughter

Outdoor Wedding Day Part IV

Revisiting this beautiful outdoor wedding from July 7, 2017. The engagement, rehearsal, and ceremony photos were all captured on the same day and all within twelve hours. I divided the day into four posts to share with you all here.

Outdoor Wedding Day Part III

Revisiting this beautiful outdoor wedding from July 7, 2017. The engagement, rehearsal, and ceremony photos were all captured on the same day and all within twelve hours. I divided the day into four posts to share with you all here.

Outdoor Wedding Day Part II

Revisiting this beautiful outdoor wedding from July 7, 2017. The engagement, rehearsal, and ceremony photos were all captured on the same day and all within twelve hours. I divided the day into four posts to share with you all here.

Outdoor Wedding Day Part I

Revisiting this beautiful outdoor wedding from July 7, 2017. The engagement, rehearsal, and ceremony photos were all captured on the same day and all within twelve hours. I divided the day into four posts to share with you all here.

Kyndall & Dustin Wedding Day Part III

After the group photos, I took Kyndall & Dustin aside to get some closeup and intimate photos of just them. These make amazing memories especially to scrapbook or hang on the wall.

Kyndall & Dustin Wedding Day Part II

After the ceremony, we got formal shots all around the reception hall

Kyndall & Dustin Wedding Day Part I

I had the pleasure of documenting the wedding of Kyndall & Dustin.

Kimi - Maternity - Before & After

Planning a before & after set takes patience. Remembering what lights were placed where in the studio with which backdrop and what pose and wardrobe. Its a lot to keep track of, but it pays off when the images are merged and you see the beautiful results. While some of the composites don't use the same poses as the first session, a compromise is made when coordinating colors or themes are chosen.

Kimi - Maternity - Before

I had the great privilege of documenting Kimi's second pregnancy. This time we opted for a before and after set. We planned the shoot to include similar poses and wardrobe to her first maternity series. The poses will be duplicated after the baby is born. Once all the photos are done, a before & after set will be created. While we wait, here are some favorites from our "before" session.

Milestones of Maternity

My goal is to document the Milestones of Maternity.

My years of experience capturing the different stages of pregnancy, I have come to describe a shortened maternity series as the Milestones of Maternity. The milestones are essentially four different points along your path to motherhood. Here, we establish a series of poses that will be duplicated throughout your pregnancy to document the changes you experience. For those who want to document their pregnancy progression but cannot afford to dedicate the time or money to a monthly series, this is a wonderful option.

I have had the good fortune to help several women over the years preserve the memories of their pregnancy through photographs. When you decide that you want to document your pregnancy with more than just mirror selfies, there are several options for how to proceed. How often do you want to take your photos and how many different poses and outfits do you want to use for those photos?

I maintain a portrait studio in the living room of my home. I have a selection of props and wardrobe that can be utilized for each session. If you would be more comfortable in your own home, my studio kit is fully portable and can be set up within a few minutes. A living room, dining room, or bedroom can be converted into a studio without the need to fully clear the room. My kit is battery operated, so there are no cords to trip over. I also bring several fabric backdrops and my own backdrop support stands, so there is no need to nail anything into your walls. I have also assembled a select number of props specifically for adding to maternity sessions.

Living Room Studio for Christmas Portraits

My parents were in need of new portraits of themselves to share with family members for Christmas this year. Once we agreed on a day where we were all available, I brought my studio cases to them and set up my lights and backdrop in their living room. I had about five feet from left to right for the width of the room with the sofa on one side, and for length it was about ten feet from where I could stand to my backdrop stands. Not a large studio shooting space for any photographer, but we decided that full length poses would be impractical, so we focused on 1/2 to 3/4 length poses. We started with my hand-dyed fabric backdrop and some simple poses both standing and seated. 

I photographed both my parents individually as well as together. I also shot portraits of my brother and sister and my nieces and their friend who happened to come over unexpectedly. Once we were finished with the fabric backdrop, I brought out my seamless white paper for some high key closeup portraits. The white paper is not wide enough for multiple people, which is why I only use it for individuals. I rearranged my lights several times throughout the session, moving them closer or farther and up or down to change the direction of the shadows. My kit for this session included two umbrellas, one large soft box, a home-made strip light, a collapsible silver reflector, two backdrops and backdrop support stands.

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.