Adam Doi Photography Photographer from Stockton, CA

Everyone has a story. Photos are at their best when there's very little interference to make the magical moment happen. realism. that is the photojournalistic approach at its best. Here's my story. I was born and raised on the North Shore of Illinois, and went off to the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio to get a BFA in Fashion Illustration. After learning how to draw people, I fell in love with capturing the expressions of the human face. Along the way to my degree in the pre-digital age, I also took a couple of black and white photography classes. I inherited an old Mamiya twin-lens reflex camera, and fell in love with medium format and captured portraits whenever I could. I finished school and moved to Chicago where I worked as a graphic designer until meeting my wife, Grace. Our short courtship was a whirlwind adventure, and we documented our outings on my old palm pilot's camera. 3 megapixels may not have been the highest of quality, but the unique angles of our varied self-portraits captured the magic of our carefree dating days. During that time, we learned that her mother had cancer so we moved to Stockton, California after getting married. My medium-format camera fell into disuse, though, particularly because of the cost of film and processing. I sold it. With the birth of our first child, however, I convinced the wife of the need for a more quality camera to document our child's first moments. Armed with a DSLR, I pursued my passion for photography more than ever. I was even a finalist in the 19th annual parenting.com's photo contest shooting my son crawling away from me on the floor. Then, a gracious friend of mine lent me his 5D Mark II and L lenses and I discovered the difference in quality between the high-end and the consumer-end. My family participated in their surprise wedding proposal and I had the privilege of documenting the joyous occasions of his engagement and wedding. The next thing we knew, we were shooting more weddings, events and portraits; with Grace's support and marketing-savvy, this business emerged. As our business grew, Grace became more and more involved with shooting. Gaining experience with shooting second at weddings and extended family portraits, Grace has developed an aesthetic consistent with my work while adding her own flare. In 2013, Grace took over maternity, newborn and family portraits at Adam Doi Photography. Her love of people, eye for beauty, and enthusiasm balanced with an easy-going demeanor makes her a natural fit for families — especially those with young children. Much of the decision to pursue professional photography came from how God aligned circumstances. It is the Giver of good gifts, who deserves my utmost thanks and praise for what He has enabled me to do in this field. There is beauty in every moment of life's story; the ability to capture it – in the couple, the family, the individual - is indeed a privilege. Who will you trust to tell your story?