Editorial Fashion Melody Adams Editorial Fashion Melody Adams

Quarantine Style | Self-Isolation Feelings | Glasgow Beauty Fashion Editorial

Quarantine Style | Self-Isolation Feelings | Glasgow Beauty Fashion Editorial

This Fashion Editorial was Inspired by the current world situation of trying to flatten the curve of sickness by self isolating ourselves to our homes, we have created a shockingly dramatic imagery that draws together soft, feminine elements with a bit of edge of being bound by different elements and feeling suffocated. A mix of dark tones, neon pops of color for hope, textured paper and fabrics accented with an underlying relevancy. Exploring today's world isolation feelings within a visual experience.

The lady who brought us all together was none other than the Glashow based hair artist, Emma Diamond. She was the one with the Art direction for this beauty editorial shoot and did such a great job with the timing of this beauty editorial! I love how every frame in the shoot has some form of a barrier between the face and and the camera, and that’s such a solid representation of the season our country is in at the moment. This shoot was actually done back in early March before the “stay at home” order was implemented and I had no idea that this was the last editorial that I would be doing for the summer. I already am looking forward to the next one!

I hope everyone is staying safe during this season of isolation and finding ways to stay creative at home, whether through sessions from home or online, re-editing past sessions, brainstorming for future sessions or even creating art at home! There are so many ways to keep your creative muscles going during this time, and if you ever need any ideas for staying creative at home, just reach out! Cheers to this season of “self-isolation” creativity!

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C O N T R I B U T O R S 

Photographer // 

Melody Joy Co. 
@melodyjoyco
www.melodyjoy.co

Model // 

Erin Young
@_sonder

Hair + Art Direction// 

Emma Diamond
@emmadiamondhair
www.emmadiamondhair.co.uk/

Make-Up // 

Madeleine Brown 
MVB MUA
@mvbmua

Jewelry //
AKVILE SU
@suakvile

+

Eve Balashova
@eve_balashova

+

Emma Morris Design
@emmamorris_design


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Wedding, Bridal Editorial Melody Adams Wedding, Bridal Editorial Melody Adams

Scotland Elopement | The Path Less Traveled | Scarlett & Bell Wedding Planner


Scotland Wedding Photographer | Scotland Elopement Inspiration | Scarlett & Bell Wedding Planner



I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
- Robert Frost

This Scotland elopement shoot was inspired by the chilling richness of Scottish spring in the setting of an ancient ruin. We focused on the harmonious coupling of the ancient and modern, combining textures and materials found from the natural setting. The flower pieces incorporated foraged lichen branches, dried bracken and budding witch-hazel, and rich tones from skimmia berries and antique roses. The historic setting and the rich floral pieces were held in juxtaposition with the modern fabrics in the eclectic clothing and jewellery, sourced internationally from independent designers. The tablescape was also inspired by this juxtaposition between the old and new, with the raw wood and moss, and the tangled gold netting and gilded branch candelabras.

If you are searching for a wedding planner based in Scotland but who loves to travel, Mercedes of Scarlett & Bell is a gem of a human! Between her and the lovely Adelaide of Adelaide’s Flowers, who I’ve had the pleasure of capturing her stunning florals for an intimate scottish wedding of mine last summer, are a dream team and provided the setting and vision for this gorgeous shoot and I’m honestly just the blessed lady who was asked to document their romantical vision into memorable stills. I’m so incredibly grateful for the ladies in my life who continue to inspire me, encourage me and collaborate creatively with me. I hope you enjoy this wedding inspiration taken place somewhere deep in the heart of Scotland. And scroll below to see all of the lovely ladies (and my pals, the guys over at Cinemate) who made this session come to life so beautifully!

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Photographer @melodyjoyco // Videographer @cinematefilms // Florist @adelaidesflowers // Stylist @scarlettandbell // Hair @pamperpolishbeautybridal // MUA @heathersnowiemua // Stationary @edinburghletters // Nicola's nails @sarahmurrayskinclinic // Jewellery @patiencejewellery // Models Nicola & Anna // Location is a private home in Scotland


If you’d like to Inquire about me capturing your wedding day or see if your date is available for 2020 or 2021?
Fill out the form below and I would love to create something beautiful with you!

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Couples, couple Melody Adams Couples, couple Melody Adams

Dunnottar Castle at Dusk | Raw Love

Dunnottar Castle Wedding | Scotland Wedding Photographer


These two are precious humans, whom I adore.
Their love is raw and their sweet joy can be felt by anyone who is in their presence.

The first time I met these newlyweds was literally in the Highlands of Scotland for a shoot when my friends were visiting from LA, Sheri and Nicole, and invited me to join them for a day trip! My main contribution was to suggest that we go to Dunnottar at dusk because of the cliffside views and the skies tones are some of my favorites in the country. It couldn’t have been a better setting to end a day in Scotland with friends visiting and to witness all of them seeing Dunnottar for the first time, under such beautiful dusk light. I honestly couldn’t have even told you their names before I captured these images of them on this day (I’m also just bad with names, it takes me a while, ha). Matt and Tamar are also a talented husband & wife photo/video duo I came to find out later! But there is something so lovely about simply meeting someone in person first before seeing their online presence or scrolling through their life before meeting them. I really love meeting with people in person, in passing. Face to face will always be the truest form of connection and authenticity, and these two’s love for each other was just that, deep and genuine. It was so apparent from the first day I met their bubbly selves cuddling on the mountainside. I just love their perseverance, their joy, their hope and their sweet and kind spirits. I’m so grateful to have met them in the Highlands on this day and for all of our hangouts since! So cheers to meeting people in person, developing genuine friendships and to couples endlessly in love and pursuing their dreams together!

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Are you looking for an epic place to elope in Scotland? The outdoors in the Highlands of Scotland is the best Wedding Venue. Dunnottar Castle is the perfect backdrop for a wedding of elopement in Scotland. Dunnottar Castle is perfectly placed on the coast of Scotland and is perfect for couples traveling into Scotland to have an elopement in the Highlands of Scotland. If you are searching for a beautiful outdoor location for your elopement or wedding day in Scotland, Dunnottar Castle is lovely! I remember the first time I went to Dunnottar Castle. It was just to explore the beautiful Scottish coastline and was on a personal road trip to photograph this beautiful country. Dunnottar Castle stood beautifully in the distance as we pulled into the parking lot and I instantly fell in love with its majestic and stoic stance perfectly settled into the cliffside of the Scottish coast. I always love exploring new places in Scotland and those end up being the backdrop for many sessions in the future. Dunnottar Castle, I instantly knew would be a beautiful and romantic setting in Scotland for an engagement session or couples portrait session. I’ve seen many weddings and elopements captured at Dunnottar Castle and they are all so whimsical and lovely. If you are ever wanting any opinions on places to elope or have a wedding in Scotland, just let me know! I have so many outdoor wedding venue ideas in the highlands of Scotland that I stumbled upon, if you want a unique and remote Scottish wedding day or elopement. All in all, Dunnottar Castle will continue to be a beautiful location for an elopement or engagement, and if you need a photographer for your special day, please feel free to reach out. I would be honored to make something beautiful with you and your loved one in Scotland!

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Small Business, Collaborations, Lifestyle Melody Adams Small Business, Collaborations, Lifestyle Melody Adams

Jono Smart & Emily Stephen | Glasgow Pottery & Woodturner

Jono Smart | Scotland Pottery | Scotland Photographer

I am just in awe of these two,
individually and as a couple.

Lately, I have really enjoyed highlighting creatives that inspire me with their work. Needless to say, Jono Smart and Emily Stephen are true inspirations. Between their color palette, chemistry, passion for unique handmade pottery and wood sculpting skills along with their love for each other … I could easily spend time with these two refreshing souls daily.

Here are a few words from them below, in their own words, to truly understand the essence of what they do as a pair and individually (and also because I am not a writer, ha). //

“We are Jono Smart and Emily Stephen, a Scottish based couple who live and work together. Jono is trained as a garden designer and works as a potter. Emily is trained as an architect and works as a woodturner and in the pottery studio. We also combine efforts to make sculptural works and installations. Our studio is a showcase of the things we make and design, our home, our neighbourhood and the landscape we live in.

We decided to combine our two practices, everything you see coming out of the studio is the result of our collaboration. We are constantly talking about and designing new work together and we believe our work is improved through our collaboration. There is a natural harmony between clay and wood, between the tree and the ground it grew from.  

Both of us have worked closely with nature. Emily, while working as an architect, designed simple timber buildings, that sat quietly in their landscape. Jono worked with trees, hedges, water, stone and flowers when designing gardens. In our current work as a potter and a woodturner we rely on nature for our material. We try to impose as little as possible upon our pieces. Allowing the natural surfaces of wood and clay to be at the forefront of all we do.” - Jono + Emily

I hope everyone enjoys these lovely moments of Emily Stephen, Jono Smart and their handmade pieces below. I’m so grateful to have been able to document this stage of their journey, as they have already grown into a larger studio space a few weeks after this session was captured. I’m so honored to have been able to capture all of the growth and forward motion that has taken place this last year in this beautiful space in Glasgow.


You can also keep up with their latest work on their website and Jono + Emily’s Instagram pages.

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Travel Melody Adams Travel Melody Adams

Isle of Skye Road Trip | Scotland

Isle of Skye Road Trip | Scotland Wedding Photographer

When I’m with you, I’m home.

My fiancé, Ross (who has the kindest heart and is the loveliest human I have ever had the privilege of knowing and loving) and I travel back and forth between our two cities regularly every few months. He is Scottish and lives in the beautiful historic city of Edinburgh and I am an American who lives in the stunningly modern city of Chicago.
With that said, when I visit Scotland, we road trip, multiple times a month when I’m in the country. Sometimes our travels consist of weekend flights to nearby countries (well relatively, to me) to France or to Ireland, sometimes we do long weekends away in the Highlands (the most consistent and always regular, to explore Scotland’s beautiful countryside), other times it’s day trips that we can take around the coast in the middle of Scotland.
However, of all of our trips we’ve taken together, we don’t go for the purpose of shooting but to just spend time together in new places, which is why this is the first post I’ve taken enough on my camera to share. I love capturing the land, but more so just seeing it with my eyes, in general, since I never grew up or experienced much of the outdoors as a child, and Ross…well he grew up in Scotland and was practically raised outdoors and would hike and be in nature with his family constantly. This blog post is a simple look into one of our many road trips taken together over the last few years. I also wanted to show some lovely scenes from a country that I currently spend half of my time living in and that I’ve fallen in love with over the last few years. I just love it. Although, I definitely don’t need to sell the majestic beauty of this place with my words, which I couldn’t do if I tried, so enjoy the images below. And if you haven’t yet, I highly suggest visiting Scotland. Just driving anywhere north in the country is beautiful, no location tag needed. It’s truly a beautiful land.

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Ross is featured in this edition of Rucksack Magazine.

We never go on a trip without an Aeropress and a bag of local whole bean coffee.

We like crosswords + breakfast bagels.

The two above images were taken 2 minutes in between each other. This is Scottish weather at it’s finest.

We’re not super into the “tripod and formal pictures” being taken of us, but when it started pouring rain we ran to the overhang of this house for a bit and I saw our reflection when I was looking too hard inside the windows, ha. Thankfully, no one was home.

We stop at many small inns for soup + hot drinks on our road trips.


If you are searching for the perfect place to elope? Scotland is your country! Scotland elopements are becoming more and more popular. I have been visiting Scotland for many years before I moved here (part-time at the moment) and I have to say, I only love this country with every passing year. When I first started coming here I wasn’t capturing couples in the highlands or the mountains. But over the years, I have shot weddings, elopements, engagement sessions and portrait shoots from the Isle of Skye, to Glencoe, to remote villages, to Edinburgh and of all the way down to the Scottish Borders. If you need any consultation on where a good place in Scotland would be to elope, feel free to reach out to me! I would love to help you plan your elopement in Scotland. Choosing a mountain or location in Scotland to elope can be overwhelming with all of the options, but I have traveled all over the country for years, and just for my own personal photography ventures. I don’t wait until I get an elopement or wedding to explore this beautiful country. I love to explore new areas of Scotland just for fun. I always note beautiful ares that I think would be a perfect spot for an elopement or intimate wedding. All in all, if you are planning your elopement to Scotland and are looking for someone who loves the land as well as love, then I would be honored to help you capture your wedding day with your best friend. Feel free to send me an inquiry on my contact page and we can chat soon about how epic your Scotland elopement can be!

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