ABOUT
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| ABOUT |
| Fourteen years ago, I was standing with my wife in a small dingy room located in Hunan, China. I was handed a little girl and from that second on, she became my daughter forever. Two years later, the same scene took place in a hotel lobby in the same city of China. We are blessed to have two beautiful children, now 13 and 15 years old. My passion to photograph kids really began with them and has evolved into the work you see on this website. I have been in photography since age 14. I studied under some talented instructors at Southern Illinois University and worked in the commercial end of this field for 25 years shooting for ad agencies, design firms and corporations. The last 8 years, I expanded my business into the retail market photographing children for parents with a loose editorial feel using more unusual camera angles and backgrounds. In 2006, God nudged me to use my talent to help the people of Haiti. I went there with a writer, photo assistant and the pastor from my church to photograph children. Those images are now published in a book called "Children of Haiti, the Beauty and Poverty Within". It's available at blurb.com. All profits from the book sales go to NEW LIFE FOR HAITI, an organization that is building schools in the region. I went back to Haiti in 2008 and in June of 2011. This latest trip I shot a documentary of a family with interviews and footage depicting their life up close. If you want to gain a new perspective on your life, visit a country like Haiti. I guarantee you will never take a grocery store for granted again. My Style My style of photography has changed over the years but is currently landing on a style I love. It's always evolving, but I have a passion for capturing kids one on one in unique creative images that speak to you about your child and their childhood. I like to use unique clothing, subtle props, different environments and some unusual camera angles. As you look through the site, imagine photography like this of your child or family hanging on the wall. If it excites you, let's work together. I would love to have the opportunity to create something your family will have forever. What clients say (I didn't make these up.) Dear Todd When it comes to children's photography, Todd is as good as they get. We had a wonderful fall day for our shoot and Todd arrived armed with props and plenty of ideas for success. He had his hands full with my eighteen month old and 4 year old boys but he was extremely patient and calm and really took his time getting to know them before he started. He encouraged us to let the kids "play" and we did just that. The photographs turned out amazing. Even more amazing was the fact that he captured not only their glowing personalities but he captured them together. I have used mulitple other children's photographers in the Chicago area and none even come close to comparing to Todd and his work. We just wanted to send you a quick note to say how absolutely thrilled we are with our pictures. Obviously we loved the images as you managed to capture the characters of our precious children but also the quality of the finished products is fantastic right down to the little touches. Our whole experience with you has been really great so thank you so much - you have given us art for our home which we will treasure forever. Kind regards, -Carol Todd, we are truly amazed by the wonderful images of our daughters that you have provided us with. Your remarkable talent and creativity has touched our family. Your special gift to be able to work with children of all ages and make the process fun, exciting, and flawless has really astonished us. We cannot tell you how pleased we are with the quality of this contemporary art which has warmed our home. Your presentation along with your attention to our needs really made this a memorable experience for us. You offer elite service from beginning to end. We truly thank you and look forward to working with you in the near future. -Brandy and Joel We want to thank you so much, Todd, for the incredible portraits and experience you provided us with. You were able to capture the essence of Max and Zoe perfectly. In particular, we so appreciate your willingness to work with Max. You helped him conquer his fears that afternoon and he ended up having a great time in the process! You have no idea what a gift your work is to us. We will treasure the portraits and the experience forever. It was a great way to end our summer. We will recommend you without hesitation to anyone and everyone. -Tom and A'Lissa Todd Pierson was able to capture special moments in our children's lives at a very special place. The images thoroughly expressed my children and their personalities; we were amazed at Todds ability to capture these in the images as our youngest normally is very shy when it comes to pictures. We were very pleased with Todd's process and the amount of time he took in ensuring the shoot went well and the kids had a great time participating. We ran into some bad weather in the middle of the shoot. We as parents were nervous, but Todd waited patiently for it to pass and made it a memorable day by shooting summer in the first part and taking the reduction in temperature to shoot fall images. The art that was produced as a result of the photo shoot will hang on our walls for years to come and provide many years of memories of that day. We can't thank Todd enough for providing us with a lifetime of smiles and fond memories all captured in one single day. He truly created art that everyone in our family enjoyed, especially the kids grandparents who were amazed at how beautiful the images were. I gladly recommend Todd to anyone looking to have their children photographed. -Jeff Pierson Studios truly captures the smile and life of your children. We had a session with my daughter and two nephews. The three children all between 3 and 4, are full of life and the pictures exemplified their personalities, not your typical sit and pose photos. Gorgeous images. We cried when we saw them. Todd has a patient way with the children that brings out their best! I would recommend Todd to anyone looking to capture a TRUE moment in their child's life. -Andrea Todd really captured my children's personality and their innocence which I really wanted, but he also made the entire process of getting the portraits done a wonderful experience for all of us from the beginning to the end. I will forever remember watching from a distance, Lauren and Ryan running through the wheat field laughing as he raced along side of them getting the shots. As I stood there I wanted to forever etch that moment in my mind. The kids had so much fun and when I saw the final picture video set to music I just cried. It was so beautiful and so well done. It really exceeded my expectations. It's not everyday you make a decision to do something that you can enjoy everyday of your life. Bringing the kids in and getting their photos done with Todd was one of the best things I've done this past year. -Karen Hi Todd, I just wanted to thank you for everything you did to make our session a success, from listening to my ideas about what the kids could wear to ideas on what we could do with the baby. The perfect afternoon was a gift too! I know how stressed I was trying to keep the three of them smiling, looking, cooperating but I never felt you were on edge! I know that helped Emma, Bryce and even Nathan feel comfortable and allowed you to capture the real moments, my "real" kids. I look at my story board and other pictures so many times a day and am so glad I did this. If I had nothing else to do all day I'd play my video over and over and over again, it still brings tears to my eyes. I hope we'll have the chance to work together again in the future. You know the picture I want of the three of them, I hope I'll be able to add that to my collection.You have a gift and I'm glad you were able to share it with us! -Shana We want to thank you Todd for the amazing photos you captured of our three darlings. We have the canvas photo hanging on our wall and everyone stops in awe of the beauty and artistry of the photograph. You sincerely grasped their personalities in their precious faces. We will always cherish these photos and keep them in the family for generations to come. We look forward to working again with you. Thanks again Todd! -The Otto Family Our experience in your studio was a blessing! We need to thank you again for your skill and art of photography! We can't get over how amazing our portrait of Elianah is. You captured a moment of her beauty that we will be able to cherish forever. These are by far the best professional pictures we have ever had of our daughter since she has been born. Thank you for using your gift to help people recognize the deep beauty God created in a child. -Serenity and Matthew I wanted to thank you for the gorgeous photograph of Alexcia. We have it placed in our front room and the first comment we hear when people come over is how beautiful our daughter is. We love how you and your wife worked together so well to bring out the best in her. I could't believe it when she started twirling her princess dress and dancing around as if for that moment she really believed she was in her own fairytale. The moment was captured perfectly and she still talks about the day she got to be a princess. Thank you so much. -Stefani I just wanted to express my sincere thanks for the opportunity to give my husband a Christmas present he will always treasure - photos of our two girls. The way you talked to them while taking their picture made Lauren and Sarah feel comfortable, allowing their personalities and sisterly bond to come through in the photos. I finally have pictures without "forced smiles" and my family room proudly displays what you were able to capture on film. The girls told me it was the best photo experience they ever had and want to know when they can do it again! We'll be back! -Karen The portrait of my boys is a priceless treasure to me, for it manages to capture a precious moment in time forever. A time of knights and forts, caterpillars and fireflies, finger paint and glitter, new discoveries and a delight in the little things of life. And best of all, chubby little arms of love wrapped tight around my neck. -Brooke To say thank you for the wonderful pictures you took of Taylor just doesn't seem enough. Yet, it's impossible to put into words how much they mean to us. You captured her playful personality and all the joy and love that she is to us in your pictures. We hung the portraits in our formal living area, a room that we never used, until now, that is. I find myself making excuses to go in there just to look at the portraits. You are very talented, and we are grateful to have found you. Thank you so very much. -Kim and Chuck The photos you took of Seth and Cade captured their rambunctious nature, boundless energy and the sweet innocence of their souls. Thank you! -Michele When we have company, the first thing they notice in our family room is the portrait of my kids hanging on the wall. Everyone goes over and looks close at amazement. I can't tell you Todd how much I enjoy having that picture. It will be treasured forever. Thank you! -Carla Please feel free to call me if you have questions. I am busy, but never too busy to talk to you. Thanks for visiting! |