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

Model Call for September 2010

Infant and Baby Model Call for September 12-30th, 2010

I have the following model needs for the second half of September. If your child models you receive:

1. Free Session lasting as long as needed
2. $75 in free portraits
3. No Minimums
4. 30% off additional portraits

What type of models do I need:

1. Newborn, boy or girl, under 2 weeks old and a heavy sleeper. I’m am trying out some new looks for newborns.

2. Baby 5-6 months old boy or girl, must be able to sit up on their own or by holding on to something. They will be inside of things (suitcase, egg basket, etc) so they will have something to hold onto.

Email me at wpmar60@yahoo.com. Please attach a photo of your infant or child. Don’t forget to forward this Model Call to your friends! Thank You. My assistant and I are looking forward to having a great time photographing infants and children this fall.

Best Wishes for The Upcoming Fall Season, Paul and Jerry

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!

This Is My Story and I'm Sticking To It!

Of the many ways to tell a story, it is true that a picture says a thousand words. The Who, What, When, Where and Why of your story can be simply told in a portrait. It's time to tell your story. Share your story with your family and friends or the world in a portrait or a series of portraits. How about in a First Edition Portrait Book with you as the lead character? And don't forget about telling your story every month of the year in a First Edition Portrait Calendar.

Get started telling your story today! Call 325-201-4146 and make your portrait appointment today! Whatever your age, your story needs to be told.

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!

Oh, The Times They Are A Changin'

Bob Dylan penned and sang this song when I was a much younger man. The times were changing in the 60's and 70's. The Vietnam War and the the deaths of Jack Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King changed everything as we new it. A huge cultural revolution forced everyone to think about who they were and where America was going. It happened again in the 80's with the oil and gas bust, overwhelming numbers of mid-management jobs being lost and the beginning of American jobs going overseas to a growing global economy. Just as we are starting to get in touch with one another again, war, housing and oil have done it to us again. We'll tighten our belts and overcome this too.

Photography is changing too. At the SWPPA conference being held in Arlington this week accomplished speakers and photographers are all trying to grasp what these changing times hold for the professional photographer. One of the messages I heard from nationally ranked photographers was a call back to the basics. The principles of professional portraiture have not only remained the same but have become a more important part of separating the professional photographer from the flood of digital camera owners. I clearly remember that the 35mm camera of the 80's was in every home and created quite a stir among professional who used view cameras and medium format cameras exclusively. I got my start in photography school with a 35mm camera. It wasn't long before I owned a medium format camera too. The basic principles of portraiture that separated the professionals from the avid hobbyist were the artistic principles drawn from masters artists such as da Vinci and Rembrandt.

So, one more time the call for the 21st century professional photographer is toward artistic education, training and creative growth. The tools are different in some ways but the message is always the same. Professional growth is a process pricked by the ever inward desire to have made a small difference in the beauty of eternity.

Senior Portraits: A One Time Opportunity To "Put Your Best Face Forward."

Your senior year is a wonderful experience. There is only one shot at it, so here are some ideas that will help when it comes time to take your Senior Portraits. Have fun, live a little and look your best for generations to come.

Both my boys when they were seniors enjoyed their one time experience to the max. Over the years, a portrait surfaces of their "punker look" (the 80's spiked hair, funky clothes and all) for their children to enjoy. Their children are amazed that the person in the photo is really their dad. I'm proud of my boys. They both are doing well in their careers and have wonderful families. Their portraits are receiving rave reviews too.

However, the times and styles change and sure enough the old photos will surface and be enjoyed, create well intended giggles and lots of conversation forever. So, enjoy your senior year "for once and forever."

I will list some portrait guidelines that have proved themselves time and time again. These guidelines will be offered in several installments and will apply universally to all types of portraiture. They are taken from an article by Marathon Press. If you would like to see the full article, please visit my website at: http://www.paulmarlinphotographer.com/ and click FYI. On the right side of this page you will see the article "Put Your Best Face Forward." Click, enjoy and create beautiful portraits.

For your close-up or head and shoulders portraits dress in something simple both in style and color. Boys can choose a suit, sport coat or sweater. For girls, a plain dress, sweater or blouse with a simple neckline is best. Years of experience have taught photographers that the following guidelines will help in creating a portrait that depicts the “real you.” Guidelines have been creatively modified and turned out well, so think things through and enjoy this opportunity to “Put Your Best Face Forward.”

1. Both boys and girls should wear long sleeves to keep the eye from being drawn to the flesh of the arms instead of the face.

2. Proper clothing allows the face to dominate the portrait, with all other elements being secondary. Against a medium or dark background, colors that photograph best are medium to dark tones of green, brown, rust, wine or blue. Darker shades are slimming.

3. Colors that approximate flesh tones such as beige tan, pink, white and yellow overpower the face. These colors also drain color from the face and make the wearer appear usually pale.

4. Bare shoulder or tops with “spaghetti straps” and "tank tops" often make the subject look heavier and take the eye away from the face.

5. Especially bright colors such as red, orange or pink overwhelm the face because of their intensity.

6. Stripes plaids, checks and bold prints also draw the eye away from the face and do not photograph well.

Go Ahead - Break The Rules. It's All About YOU! Be Creative and Make Beautiful Portraits for your children and their children to enjoy for lifetimes!