Fall Family Portrait Celebration 2010

  Granddad's Little Sweetheart © 2009

Senior Signature Portrait © 2009

Big Brother Takes His Little Brother To The Park © 2009

Fall Family Portrait Celebration
2010 Families change, children grow... 
Your Portraits are Forever.

Fall Is In The Air... And The Fall Family Portrait Celebration is in full swing. Appointments are limited, so call today for your 2010 Fall Family Portrait Session appointment. Your portrait session can be for High School Seniors, Children, Infants and Families. Each year The Studio of Paul Marlin Photographer strives to provide the best in portrait values and great customer service for your family tradition!

Keep your Family and Friends Updated with
The 2010 Edition of Your Family Portraits.
Make Your Family Portrait Appointment Today!
paul.marlin4146@ymail.com ● 325-201-4146 or 325-695-2647

Every once in awhile something from the creative thoughts of Erma Bombeck crosses my desk. She comments about her family: We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. -- Erma Bombeck

Lifetimes of family portraits are a source of joy, remembrance and that tasty, ambrosian chewing gum that binds families together. - Paul Marlin Photographer

The Holidays are a wonderful time for your family. Enjoy and Celebrate!

Best Wishes,
Paul and Jerry Marlin

How Do I Choose My Portraits?

When planning a portrait session, the photographer and the client can become partners designing a vision of the story to be told for generations. This new artistic partnership comes together to stir the imagination, celebrate the moments and relive the experiences that bring everyone together.

Once the portrait session has been completed the work of creating art begins. The images are posted and everyone is ready to see the results. Below is an outline of the three level process for creating a well told story in portraiture.

Level One Images: The initial previews are posted with a minimum of editing because everyone wants to see the images quickly.

At level one, your work is to select images that naturally appeal to you. Begin by categorizing your initial favorites. Separate your favorite images from the pack by looking for positive attributes. Your basic instincts, experiences and the influence of others will way heaviest in your choices. Don’t allow “little things” to separate you from your artistic vision. The “little things” will end up on the cutting room floor by the time a final image is ready for printing. Choose the best of who you are and nothing less. When previewing your portraits, press ★ to select an image as a favorite.

Level Two Images: The process of artistic editing begins. Just like in the movies, the cutting room floor becomes cluttered with unwanted image attributes that have given way to artistic expression. Your favorites collection is where the editing process begins. Talk to the photographer about your ideas for editing the portrait.

Listed below are some of the image characteristics that make winning portraits. Many of these thoughts and ideas would have been discussed early in your portrait session plans.

1. Artistic cropping; exploring light and angle; composition and line; balance, position and scale; point of interest; shape and form; the tone and hue of color and black and white; texture; pattern; perspective; framing; the background; time of day and kinds of light.
2. Originality, simplicity, natural, beauty, workmanship, well crafted, pleasing, tasteful, designedly, expressive, imaginative, lighting, black and white, color, creativity.
3. Posing choices include: full length, 3/4, from the waist, head and shoulders, close up (the face, hands, ring, etc).
4. Clothing style: formal, dressy and casual.
5. Hair style: pretty, edgy, casual.
6. Expressiveness: eyes, open mouth smile, closed mouth smile, happy, serious, introspective, funny.
7. You may want to include: friends, parents, relatives, pets, favorite places, school activities, hobbies.
8. Timeless - will others enjoy and appreciate your portraits in the future.
9. Portraits that are appropriate and tasteful to you and others. Imagine that you are in the future looking back. How will you see yourself in your portraits? What will your portraits have to say about you? Will you see the real you as you are today? Will you see yourself as you dreamed of becoming one day? And, how will others see you at some point in the future?

Level Three Images: The final touches are put in place.

Now you can choose with confidence. Viola!

The Gift of Family

I photograph families during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. There has never been a season that I have not been overwhelmed by the wonder and beauty of God's gift to us all, family.

So this Christmas, hold your family close. Celebrate the bright and beautiful eyes of your children. Revel in the stories of childhood from days gone by. Remember your mother's smile and those delightful meals she prepared every holiday season. Recall how your dad did his best to assemble toys and play those magical electronic games with his children. And, recall God's gift of family, His Son, so that we could share in His eternal family.

The angels brought the news of Jesus' birth to shepherds in the field so long ago, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

That First Silent Night, God sent His only son to us all. Celebrate God's Gift of Family this Christmas!