The New Studio!

I've been working in my downtown studio for almost two months now and I've finally had time to photograph the new space. It's an incredible place to work in and I'm totally in love with it. The converted warehouse features rustic wood floors and exposed brick which create an awesome backdrop when I don't want to use normal photographic backdrops.


The client's corner is arranged so that friends and parents can sit on the couch and watch the shoot. If they don't feel like watching, they can look through photography books or take a nap.
 
The makeup station in the bathroom is perfect for getting ready and doing touchups on makeup and hair.
 
My dog, Honey, loves coming to the studio with me. She's the sweetest puppy and loves to hang out at photoshoots, but can definitely be left at home if you don't like dogs.


Right behind the studio are beautiful areas for natural light shooting. The studio provides easy access to natural green spaces as well as rough, urban areas. The variety is perfect for my kind of portraiture.


If you haven't had a chance to shoot at the new studio, definitely send an email to claire@clairemcadamsphotography to schedule a shoot. You will have the time of your life!

Elizabeth's Senior Portraits

I've worked with tons of dancers and performers over the years, so it was a fun change to have a different kind of athlete in my studio. Elizabeth is a softball player at Bellaire High School who came into the studio for some classic senior portraits. She brought a variety of looks with her and continually shocked me with how easily she moved between them.

We started off with photos in her softball uniform. She already had some regular team photos, so we focused on capturing athletic photos with a slightly different style inspired by silhouette photography she brought in. She's going to play softball in college and she even gets to keep her number!


After we finished her softball photos, we took care of some classic senior portrait photos including a shot featuring the t-shirt for her future college. This was Elizabeth's first full length, professional shoot, but I never would have guessed; She was dynamite on camera.

From there, we moved on to more glamorous looks. We especially had fun playing with her fabulous hair. We took our time exploring each look, allowing for all kinds of subtle expressions to surface.

We are both proud Texans, so I couldn't resist shooting her in the cowboy boots she brought. The outdoor areas behind my studio made a perfect backdrop for her outdoor looks.

Love Family Portraits

When I travel to Austin to do photography work, I stay with my awesome Aunt, Uncle and cousins. During my last trip, it was their turn in front of the camera. We spent an epic two days on portraiture for the whole family. It was ridiculously fun.



My cousin Katie lives out of state, but she came in town to do makeup for the shoot and capture some portraits of all three girls together. It was great to have Katie, Mallory and Colleen together again.

I set up a portable studio in their house to add variety to the shoot.

The Love Family pets made great models in the studio.

The girls wanted to do some water work, so Katie created a special makeup look for modeling in their pool. They were stunning, I felt like I was on an episode of America's Next Top Model.

Behind their house is a great rural area, perfect for capturing some fashion portraits of the sisters.

Colleen and I spent an entire day shooting senior portraits and exploring a variety of looks as we ran around in the Texas heat.

She wanted to get creative, so Katie created a makeup look that would work with a Peacock inspired look.

We found an underpass and a train on train tracks near her house which provided a different kind of backdrop.
When we went back to the house, we experimented with ways to capture Colleen's love of music on camera. We transformed the living room into a stage and used studio lighting to create a more theatrical look.


Everyone in our family knows how special Colleen's stuffed rabbit is. Bunny went everywhere with her as a kid, so we thought it would be cute to do a grown up version of an old photo with Bunny. He's a little worn out from years of cuddles, but we love him all the same.



I love my beautiful family and I am so glad we had the time to dive into this awesome portrait session. The photos created stunning photobooks that we will cherish for a lifetime.

Vote! A New Musical

Those who know me are well aware of what a huge musical theatre geek I am. My senior year in high school, I performed in "The World Goes 'Round" with ACT@TUTS, an extension of the classes taught through The Academy at Theatre Under the Stars Humphreys School of Musical Theatre. During my time at TUTS, I worked with incredibly talented performers and built lasting friendships that influenced my career in ways I never expected.

Years of photographing my theater friends helped me develop a diverse theatrical portfolio that recently caught the eye of the Humphreys School. A portfolio review eventually led to an awesome collaborative effort to capture artistic imagery for their new marketing campaign. I took my entire studio setup downtown for the photoshoot in their largest dance studio. Every student involved with the shoot arrived on time and prepared with a variety of clothing to choose from. They blew me away with their focus, respect, and raw talent. Hours of laughing, dancing, and singing produced the exciting set of images featured in HSMT's most recent brochure designed by Scott Howard. Here are some of my favorite pages: 
If you would like more information on courses offered by the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre, check out their website at TUTS.com/hsmt. 


This year's ACT@TUTS show is called "Vote! A New Musical." The all-teen cast of the show has spent all summer rehearsing and developing TUTS' Southwest regional premiere of the new show and will finish off the summer in the recording studio singing for the original cast recording! "Vote! A New Musical, The Original Cast Recording," features the incredible cast of 35 and will be available on iTunes, in the TUTS' Encore Boutique and at performances of "Vote!" September 16-17th.


"Vote!" is a huge deal, so I jumped at the opportunity to shoot imagery for the new recording. Eight of the cast members came to my downtown studio on a Saturday morning for the photoshoot. To get into the "Vote!" frame of mind, we played music from the show on the stereo and everyone burst into 3 part harmony as we experimented with looks and props from the show. After I finished retouching the photos we selected, Scott Howard put together a mock-up of the CD cover. I can't wait to see it in print!

We also captured some great press images; keep a lookout for them!




Follow "Vote! A New Musical," on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/votethemusical. I have my tickets, do you?
Follow the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/HumphreysSchool.