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.

Capturing Beauty in Portraits with Mariah

New models are always an inspiration for new ideas. I have had the privilege to work with amazing young talent over the years. Mariah was the daughter of a friend of a friend. It can seem strange the way new people cross each other's path, but the collaboration between them yields beautiful results.

Kahlan - First Photos

I have yet to share all of my favorite sets with Kahlan. I have had limited shooting time with her, but each of our sessions has gone over two hours and produced hundreds of images from each. I have picked a few favorites in the past but was hesitant to share too much. I have gone back through many sessions and hope to be posting more models soon. This session was held on location in a bed & breakfast and offered a new depth I could not achieve since closing my studio.

The mirror came with the room

 I brought my camera and set the lighting, 

But it was Kahlan who brought life to the images. 

Lacey In Lace

Here is another set from my session with Lacey. I love the play of dark and light of the lingerie and the sheer wrap. These images are playful and fun while capturing a variety of expressions and poses. I wanted the black background so there would be a beautiful contrast of Lacey standing out against it. By eliminating any distraction in the background, the focus is set just on her.

Introducing Lacey

Lacey is a part-time model who graciously agreed to help me build my portfolio and hers while playing around in my studio. We shot for over two hours, and had tons of fun playing around with lighting, props, wardrobe, and lots of fun poses. I have so many favorites from our session, it will take time to share more of them.

Dia de los Muertos :: A Do-it-Yourself Mask

While shopping a few weeks ago, I came across a flimsy Day of the Dead mask with an attached veil. I liked the concept of the piece, but I wasn't impressed with the execution. I wanted to make a mask using some of the skills I have developed over the years painting on canvas. I knew I had a blank white mask at home, as well as a section of black lace fabric. The rest of the build is pretty much just paint. The only item I had to purchase is the purple flowers attached at the very end. 

Playing with Light and Tattoos

After an open-call on facebook, I only had one taker for a free photo session for a person with tattoos. I wanted to play with different lighting scenarios to achieve some looks I hadn't attempted before. This setup was done in-home, in-dining room to be specific. I brought my backdrops, lights, and my box of props and we spent almost two hours mixing and matching different ideas.

Dramatic Lighting with Savanna

I took some time with Savanna to experiment with my studio lights, and explore new possibilities with light and shadow. I wanted to create new images that I hadn't thought of before. Since my space is limited, I rented a room in a reception hall that allowed me more ceiling height, and enough space all around to have lights, backdrops, and distance to allow me to pull my lights and model further from the background to create the effects I desired.

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.