Griffin Talbot, owner of the new photography studio on Main Street, called Griff T. Photography.
By Dave Warner
Another new business is set to open at 590 East Main Street in Little Falls. Griffin Talbot owns Griff T. Photography, and she will hold a ribbon cutting for her new studio location on May 3, 2025, at 11 a.m.
Talbot hails from Richfield but was educated in the Mohawk Valley, graduating from Ilion. In school, she said sports weren’t her thing. “I was always the creative, artsy kind of deal. I got my first camera when I was fifteen, and I would take pictures of anything around the house that I thought was cool, or had different lighting.”
She said that she had three younger sisters, who were always in her shots, whether they liked it or not. “They’re much younger than me, so I was just the annoying big sister with the camera in their face all the time.”
Talbot said this was before everyone had a cell phone in their hand with a camera in it.
“I remember just playing around with lighting. When my sisters were playing, I just loved the light coming from behind them. I think it’s always been about finding the beauty in things,” she stated.
Talbot went to college to study early childhood education. “I was a year and a half in and said, this isn’t for me, and here we are.”
Before she had her first studio, Talbot said she had a ton of different retail jobs, even though everyone kept telling her that she needed to go to college. “I thought, I guess I’m just going to be one of those people who work retail jobs then.”
“I really didn’t get back into photography until my son was born. Once you become a parent, you see how time flies. My son was born during COVID, so people weren’t seeing each other or family members. So I thought, everyone needs pictures of everybody,” Talbot said.
She really got back into it about three or four years ago.
When asked about why she decided to open a studio, she said, “I was a stay-at-home mom, but I really got the push to just do it. So, I just said, what the heck, I’ll give it a try and just wing it.”
“I never thought it would get as far as it has,” she stated. “I started with just the sunroom in my house as my studio. It was 200 square feet, and I was doing my best.”
Talbot said that she’s taken a lot of online courses and studied YouTube videos, but she knows what she likes and what she wants to do.
“When I’m setting up for a shot, I will nitpick it. I always want to know how I can put my spin on it.”
Initially, she said it was a lot of trial and error, but she categorizes her work as more lifestyle photography. “I was in the era where my mom would take me to JCPenney’s, and we’d get our pictures. It was terrible every time, and they looked so awkward and uncomfortable.”
Her style is more of a relaxed, be yourself kind of session. “I don’t really go too far into posing. I might set them up for it, but I’ll say, ‘Can you tell mommy a secret, or can you hide?’ Something along those lines,” she said. “What’s created from there is always great.”
Talbot said that she has plenty of tricks up her sleeve, especially for the younger kids. “I’ve told some, ‘If you are super cool and show me your best princess smile, I have a butterfly in my camera and she’ll come out and say hi.’ I have a little butterfly toy, and after a while, it will come out, and they love it.”
She also says that she has a lot of props and toys that keep the children interested. “I can kind of chase after them when they kick it in high gear. Kind of make a game of it so it’s fun and they’re not crying.”
Talbot said that she gets a lot of families and newborns to photograph these days. “Newborns are an absolute favorite. I could snuggle those babies all day long.”
Her biggest thing is photographing moms with their kids, because moms are always the ones to pull out their cameras and be behind the shot.
“I know that sometimes I say that I’m not going to get in it (the shot) because my hair’s not done, but in ten or fifteen years, when our children look at those pictures, they’re not going to notice that our hair’s not done. They’re just going to see their mom.”
She said that it is so important for them to be included in her pictures.
Talbot does a lot of outdoor sessions, and she has several favorite locations throughout the valley she uses. “I always shoot for golden hour, because that’s my personal favorite. The kids can also be wild and be themselves and not feel constrained to a studio where they can’t touch anything.”
She describes her style as ‘bo hoie,’ like pampas grass. “Bare feet and flowy dresses.” Maybe casual country?
Talbot has a client closet full of clothes that people can use. “That’s one of the biggest stressors—not having to buy clothes that you’re only going to wear once for a photo session.”
“I have about 80 dresses for moms to wear, and they fit all sizes, from extra small to extra large. I try to make it size-inclusive for everybody,” she said. “They fit pregnant moms, moms who are not pregnant, and breastfeeding moms if need be.”
Along with a kid’s closet, she said she has a ton of newborn clothing—”Probably more stuff than I should have.”
“People just have to show up, and I’ve got the rest. I know how trying to get a whole family ready can be. I get it. I try to make it easier for everybody,” Talbot remarked.
“I try to do studio sessions between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. or any time between then. Weekends are pretty free-flowing, but it’s all by appointment,” she said.
Her studio is next to the new Venture Fourth location on Main Street. You can find out more by emailing griffin@grifftphotographyllc.com or by visiting https://www.grifftphotographyllc.com/.