the priceless joy of a child

My journey into the arts, and more particularly photography, began as a young boy shooting the iconic Kodak 110. I went on to shoot my grandfather's Zeiss Icon, my father's Nikkormat, and in high school the wonderful Nikon FE2. During that period of time I studied and became proficient in traditional wet darkroom disciplines... processing my own film, printing, and developing those prints using several chemical techniques. For most of today's work I shoot Nikon's most venerable digital cameras and latest exotic glass. I supplement what you could call my "normal gear" with an assortment of equally compelling, though often more suited, specialized cameras & lenses depending on the subject and outcome I'm wanting to achieve. In truth, cameras are nothing more than tools, the tools through which I endeavor to create and capture original imagery. I am an artist. I photograph that which speaks to me. My visual storytelling is an extension of that process; writing about what I see, the imagery experience and what is envisioned has proven equally rewarding... though itself not necessary. As a professional I pull from various artistic genres and focus my efforts on the process of creating original imagery that captures the essence of the client and their project. When shooting for myself, there are no boundaries to what my eye sees nor constraints to what I create. Conversely, recreating others' work, but with a twist, is something I guard against. Madography is the artistic process of pre-visualizing original imagery; that imageries' subsequent development, creation, and exhibition inby and through both analog or digital, motion or still, art mediums. The Madographer is an artist, a manipulator of light and arranger of composition... in essence, a visual storyteller. Studio Madography strives to provide our clientele with compelling original imagery, that is our goal! Our commercial studio located in the Vail Valley provides for traditional portraiture sittings, dramatically lit headshots, and the necessarily controlled environment required for precise product & copy work. Madography specializes, however, in offering customized on-site production solutions to address our clienteles' unique imagery needs… and in doing so, elevate both the creative process and end product for the client. Our starting commercial fees are listed in conjunction with their respective disciplines and are easily found under the commercial tab located in the menu bar of this website. Custom project pricing is determined on a per project basis-- whereby offering the greatest value for every dollar invested. Our clients can take comfort in knowing that our team of dedicated professionals will do everything possible to provide exceptional original imagery at a reasonable price... we go the extra mile not only to earn your business, but keep you coming back again and again and again. Doug Mayhew | Madographer American artist, photographer, cinematographer, writer...