Wedding in the sand. Shoes are optional. Fun is inevitable.

My wife and I chose to announce our vows in the seclusion of a wooded park amongst chirping birds, buzzing bees, and the serene murmur of babbling water. I think that a close second best wedding venue is on the ocean shore.  It can be done on an extremely low budget, like our wedding was, and can be a wildly fun place to ceremony and celebrate all in one.

bride and groom posing session on beach

 

 

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Asma and Tim have two very different faiths and traditions.  So they had two separate ceremonies.  Lucky couple.  They got to get married twice.  Made me want to do it all over again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lianna and Nimar are a beautiful couple.  They are easy-going and adorable.  I just let the sparks fly when I take couples out to make portraits.  I usually start indoors where they are most at ease.  Then, I’ll take them on a date and encourage them to make love to the camera.

I love tagging along as the wing man.  This comes natural to me, as I remember  having been the third wheel on many dates.  I thought that was pretty darn pathetic until I realized I’m the only one out of those dating  friends who has started a family.  Thanks for all the dating practice buddies.

engagement

 

 

engagement portrait

 

engagement portrait

 

engagement portrait

 

 

engagement portrait

 

engagement portrait

 

 

 

 

 

engagement portrait

engagement portrait

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A visitor to my block has one of my all time favorite bumper stickers on her car.  It says, “A good Earth is hard to find”.

I know it is a little late to say happy Earth day.  But this year (actually at least the next five years) my website will be representing clean energy every day of the year.

I am proud to say that this blog and the Jason Martin Photography website is powered by 100% wind power supplied by Green Geeks.  There are web servers humming with electricity 24/7 so that websites stay on.  The risk of by products from coal combustion and nuclear waste just don’t seem worth the convenience of viewing my breath taking photography at 2:30 in the morning.

Not only is my new web host in line with my environmental conservation values, but the company donates to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and so do I!

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Mom called him her little papaya.  Dad kept a steady hand on his newborn fruit as I suspended the little guy from my boom stand.

newborn baby

They both were stoked to give this a try.  It was my first attempt at baby surrealism- the way I like to see babies pictured.

baby photograph

baby photo

Babies are superb explorers of new objects and the sensations of texture.  After settling into the sheepskin, he started to play with the fibers and then fell asleep.

baby photobaby photo

I met the military family at thier home on base.  We had some good conversation and exchanged music.  Daddy didn’t intend on being photograhed but it wasn’t hard to convince him.

baby photobaby photobaby photobaby photo

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Hannah is featured in our Teens portfolio.  Here are some additional portraits we made from the same session.

I edited the first shots to hide a tooth gap and braces.  Here is a before and after example.

BEFORE

AFTER

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I’m feeling a bit down this autumn.  Usually my fall is filled with outdoor nature excursions.  This year we are forced to be ever more frugal and have chosen to cut out the road trips.  I am missing my family and friends in Philadelphia.  Honestly, I miss exploring new Pennsylvania trails as much as my loved ones.

My favorite state park of recent visit is Ricketts Glenn.  The slippery trails along boulders misted by endless cascading waterfalls is especially enchanting when the leaves are scattered in your path.

We stayed at a charming bed and breakfast called Hart’s Content.  It was romantic and our host put us at ease.  The owner built the home for the purpose of a getaway for couples and travelers to the wilderness.  I appreciate the craftsmanship and upkeep and, of course the main event, her fantastic breakfast.  She coordinated breakfast time for just me and my wife  after the other guests were fed.

I’m learning there are lots of great hikes in the Central PA area.  I’ll be reporting on what I find close to home and try to remember to bring back some pictures.

A dead tree, roots, vines... I don't remember what this is

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resevoir park fountain statueAutumn is a time to purge.  The trees shed old burdensome growth.  Setting forth the ability to develop greater strength, winter prepares challenges which may prove sustained life.

It is the meaning of our son’s adaptation of the Tutelo word for the color-rich season.  My wife and I had to leave behind growth as single individuals to come together to begin a strong family.  Fall is a time when we most enjoy taking hikes, making family portraits against the fall foliage, and watching nature’s course.

My son fills in the hues when I get trapped in a black and white picture.  He is blessed with pure kindness and generous forgiveness.   He is a spectrum of color- an autumn of inspiration.

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Polaroids used to be indispensable to photographers of all walks from casual camera users to legendary artists.  When film and chemicals were the only means to process photos, Polaroid prints were a quck and easy way to take test shots and compose candid shots.

The pioneer of the Instamatic has gone under and is forced to sell one of its most priced assets, the Polaroid photography collection. Artists such as Ansel Adams used the amatuer SX-70 to compose  masterpieces.   He was a master of film processing, which shows even in images taken with the consumer camera.

Sotheby’s has mini web site dedicate to this monumental auction here: http://www.sothebys.com/minisite/polaroid/index.html

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The Guiness Book of Work Records wouldn’t accept my entry for the longest panoramic photograph of graffiti, even though it is.  The abandoned rail tunnel features over 100 yards of continuous graffiti.  We took about 75 exposures, covering about 70 yards of wall space to complete a panoramic image measuring 25 feet in length.

This place brings back memmories of being young, rebellious, and feeling at home.  Anywhere abandoned, serene or overtaken by nature is where I liked to hang out most.  I remember thinking at age four that the concrete jungle surrounding me was awfully unnatural.  Luckily I grew up near part of Fairmount Park that were easily accessible by bicycle.

Sometimes I think that there could be a day that we are all gone and everything built by man will come undone.  I found a book that explains theories of how the Earth would continue if humans dissapeared.  It is titled ‘The World Without US’ by Alan Weisman.

Click here to see the entire panorama


I travel extremely light when urban spelunking.  I didn’t bring along all of these items.  I used just one speed light, light stand,  umbrella, Canon 1D MKII, batteries, and head lamp.

camera gear

I don't mind damaging or losing this equipment.

Entering the tunnel

Porsha took snapshots as I entered the shadowy abyss of the abandoned rail tunnel.

Jason reviewing image

Checking the exposure often helped continuity for the panorama.

Jason firing umbrella

section of graffiti panorama

This is a good example of how pieces are painted over one another.

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