Creative entrepreneurs Audra Adams and Daniel Midkiff began their friendship when Daniel worked as a sound technician with Audra’s family – singers and performers who traveled full time for 30 years. That’s also when Audra’s passion for the arts was born and when Dan incorporated graphic design and photography into his repertoire.
Blending their expertise, the two opened Strategic Arts & Productions in 2019, a boutique creative agency known for helping businesses establish their brand. In 2023, they made two changes to better reflect their own goals!
“Daniel and I decided to rebrand the photography division when we began pursuing family portraiture,” shares Audra. “While the previous name encompassed all of our business, it didn’t speak to the direction we wanted to go.“
That division – now officially Adams Lane Photography – is all about storytelling. When you walk by a photograph, they hope you’ll remember exactly how you felt at that moment.
“Instead of pages with words, we use pictures to capture emotion,” Audra explains. “We’ve been perfecting our craft through portraiture for several years.”
Towards that effort, Audra and Daniel have introduced Legacy Portraits at Adams Lane Photography to redefine how we preserve the legacies of our own families. The Legacy Portrait Series captures the essence of every subject’s unique imprint on the world.
“We’ve had the chance to meet a lot of people through traveling with my musical family, conversing with older adults and having the opportunity to grow from their wisdom. When our friends passed away, we noticed most of the pictures shared at their services were 30 to 40 years old and didn’t reflect how they looked in the time right before they passed. We wanted to change that!”
Starting with their own families, they soon moved on to advertising the project. “A lot of people don’t realize that just because bodies are aging, minds are often sharper than ever and so full of personality. The fun thing about getting older – there are fewer inhibitions that we have to work through, so we can capture their essence and the sparkle that’s still in their eyes! We pamper each subject, and I promise you, we get more out of the session on a personal level than they will ever know!”
Audra recalls the most unique Legacy Portrait so far was for a magazine cover with a man who was well into his 90s.
“He was a World War II veteran and told us the story of the opera house bombing and how they entered to help people but found a beautiful violin on the broken stage that no one had claimed. He brought it home and taught himself to play it, so we were able to get a photograph of him playing such a unique piece of history. You could still see the split down the wood of the violin, created by the bomb, but this man had made it beautiful again. That’s something I’ll never forget.”
For the holidays, Adams Lane is offering mini sessions at a local farm, festively decorated for the holidays. Follow their website and social media for more information on booking, as spaces fill up fast. They also offer more customized photo sessions when your kids are home to gather with the family – moments they take very seriously!
Audra and Daniel have also expanded to a new medium – video forward podcasts with their Legacy Podcast Studio.
“We felt it was time to give people the opportunity to tell stories, not only through a photograph, but with their own voices, as well. This is a video forward podcast with multiple camera angles, and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed our guests so far,” says Audra. “The space is also available for rent! If you’ve always wanted to host a podcast and don’t have the equipment or know how, we have you covered. We can learn so much if we take the time to communicate face to face, and that’s quickly becoming a lost art.”
They hope to build networks in the community where like-minded creatives can support one another.
“Our studio rental is just part of the plan we have for building opportunities for creatives. Whether you need our studio for a quick session or a longer project, our flexible, hourly rental options cater to your needs. You have the freedom to bring your equipment and props, or we can provide a selection of professional-grade equipment to rent upon request.”
Located in a charming brick building on Main Street in the heart of downtown Kernersville, Adams Lane Photography offers an intimate space for all your portrait needs. Visit the studio at 236 N. Main Street in Kernersville or email studio@adams-lane.com for more information, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram @adamslanephotography. For bookings, call 336.225.5430, or book online at Adams-lane.com.
