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2011 Photo Contest {winners announced!}

Paul — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:00:38 +0000

The votes are in… the tallies have been counted, we are ready to announce the winners of the 2011 Photo Contest! There are three winners with prizes as follows:

1st place – 24×36 canvas print of image of your choice ($600 value)
2nd place – 20×30 canvas print of image of your choice ($500 value)
3rd place – 16×20 canvas print of image of your choice ($300 value)

Even though we knew I would want to redo this video about 800 times, we decided to go ahead and do a video announcement for the results. Paul did put a stop to my feminine-self-conscious-madness so we only did this maybe twice which means I would be so happy if you would ignore the fact that I’m totally awkward in front of the video camera. Now that we have the disclaimers out of the way, watch our video below to find out who the winners are!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this contest, you helped to make it a great success! And a big congratulations to our winners! Expect an email from us with more info on what to do next to receive your prize. We are so excited for you to get your gorgeous canvases and to see them up on your walls!

*Carolyn

New here? {best of 2011}

Paul — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:00:39 +0000

Hey there! Are you new here? Welcome! We noticed there was an increase in new visitors to our site, so we thought you might like to see some of our favorite posts from the last year that you may have missed…

Some Fan Favorites: Most Viewed Posts:

1. Meredith & Kevin’s Wedding : a Destination Wedding 1. Christina & Cole’s Wedding : a Christmas Wedding

2. Emily & Noah’s Engagement : a Boardwalk Engagement 2. Eva & Mike’s Engagement : a Fall Engagement

3. Monday Marriage Moments {inbetween} : a post on Marriage 3. A Year of Party People : 2011 in review

4. Kristin & Ben’s Wedding : a Summer Wedding 4. Briana & Chris’ Wedding : a Fall Snowstorm Wedding

5. Sonia & Dan’s Wedding : a Beach Wedding 5. Monday Marriage Moments {that’s your job}

*Carolyn

ps. Do you have a favorite post that’s not listed here?

pps. I know you are DYING to find out the winners to the 2011 Photo Contest… we are tallying the votes and will announce the winners very soon. Stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy this video I recently rediscovered from my past life as a Spanish teacher:

Let the games begin! {2011 Photo Contest}

Paul — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:00:51 +0000

Yay! I’m so excited to announce that we are running our first photo contest! Can you tell with all these exclamation points??!! Simply choose your favorite image and vote for it by going to our Facebook Fanpage, “liking” our page, and commenting on the photo with a couple of your own words to describe the photo. The couples in the photos with the most votes by midnight on Tuesday, January 17th will be the winners! There will be three winners with the prizes as follows:

1st place - 24×36 canvas print of image of your choice ($600 value)
2nd place - 20×30 canvas print of image of your choice ($500 value)
3rd place - 16×20 canvas print of image of your choice ($300 value)

If you’re wondering how big 24×36 actually looks, here is me in front of two 24×36 canvases. Don’t mind my end-of-the-day look.

again, in order to vote:

1. Go to our Facebook Fanpage here (http://www.facebook.com/paulfrancisphotography)
2. “Like” our page
3. Comment on the photo with a couple of your own words describing why you love the photo. (You are free to “like” the photo as well, but this will not be counted as vote, so be sure to leave some love in the comments.)

Happy Voting!!!

*Carolyn

p.s. If you would like to see the full post of images from any of these weddings click of the couples’ name.

Christina and Rex

Melissa and Juan Manuel

Meredith and Kevin

Julia and Rich

Briana and Chris

Melissa and Eugene

Christina and Cole

2011 {a year of party people}

Paul — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:00:30 +0000

Our couples are awesome. I know I often boast of our couples awesomeness but seriously I wouldn’t say it if it weren’t true. Not only are they awesome but so are their friends and family. They have such a good time it makes me want to jump on the dance floor and celebrate with them – though that isn’t too hard because I usually want to dance anyway. So as a lover of love, celebrating, dancing, and fun-having here are our favorite photos of 2011 of all those party people that make weddings so much fun!

*Carolyn

Love Letters

Carolyn — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:00:38 +0000

My favorite type of love letter is from Paul, but love letters from clients are also high on the list. Here is a letter we recently received in the mail from Meredith and Kevin. It was a pleasure and an honor to be a part of your wedding!

*Carolyn

ps. If you’re interested in seeing more photos from their wedding day, click here.

Mmmm Just like the Bakery…

Carolyn — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:00:01 +0000

The glorious aroma of fresh baked bread is like heaven. It is such a treat to have warm fresh bread to enjoy all to yourself without having to go out to the bakery. About a year ago Paul started on a mission to make homemade bread as good as the bakery. He has made many different variations from the Gourmet Rosemary Lemon to the Hearty Whole Wheat; all which have been delicious. I never knew that you could make such good bread at home. Recently Paul baked, what I would consider, his masterpiece. And this Italian girl is not so easy to impress. I have high bread standards. Up to now, all the loaves have been good, yet still were missing something. But THIS bread… mmmm… it had the beautiful round shape, crispy crust, and soft fluffy inside of a perfect artisan loaf. Not to mention he made it whole wheat, to make it both nutritious and fabulous. That way I don’t feel too guilty eating so many carbs

*Carolyn

Maternity Photo Session: Janice & Anthony

Paul — Mon, 02 May 2011 12:08:56 +0000

I cannot believe seven babies will be born this year in our family. That’s right, SEVEN! Paul’s two brothers, two sisters, along with my brother, sister, and us will have or just had babies. Little Leo will have six cousins within a year of his age. He might never know the spotlight, but he certainly will never be lonely either. What a lucky kid. The next baby in line to be born is my brother’s son. He and his wife recently set up the nursery and are now just waiting. Eagerly waiting. You can’t help but see the joy and anticipation in their eyes. They are just SO excited for this baby to come into the world.

I love the glow of the light coming through the windows behind them. It mirrors the happiness in their eyes!

This is one of Paul’s favorite shots from the session. He was laying down on the floor to get the right angle. I love how soft the shot looks, almost like a painting. As usual, none of these photos are photoshopped in any way beyond the occasional black and white shot.

Janice has got that model look down. Work it, girl.

This shot looks pretty sweet with the soft twisting branches in the background. Paul got the idea for this shot as soon as he saw the tree.

What’s your Wedding Style?

Paul — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 13:00:07 +0000

Chic. Sophisticated. Funky. Regal. Classic. These are just a few possible words that a bride may use to describe her wedding. You may be a city girl planning a fabulous, knock-out wedding. Or maybe you’re a hopeless romantic putting together a simple, yet elegant affair. Whatever your personality, it is important that your vendors know who you are, so they can help you create the wedding of your dreams. Every couple wants their day to be a reflection of them and the love they share. So how do you make sure your photographer, florist, cake decorator, hair stylist, and everyone else involved in the big day know what you want? Discover your own personal style and do your best to communicate that style to everyone involved. This can ensure that YOU shine through all the details of the day.

I find that most professionals do their best at creating and drawing out natural beauty when you let them know who you are in a few words and then let them do their magic. Recently this was brought to my attention as I was watching “Say Yes to the Dress” – one of my favorite wedding shows. (I just love looking at wedding gowns!) On this particular episode (Season 5, Episode 9) there was a bride who had tried on over 100 dresses. Yes, 100. That is an insane amount of dresses! Clearly this bride was confused and did not know what she was looking for. The store’s fashion director, Randy, stepped in to help. He asked her, “Who are you?” She immediately said, “Fun. Energetic.” In almost no time, Randy was able to find her the perfect dress. So on her own, after looking at over 100 dresses, she still did not know what she wanted. But once she was able to show the professionals who she is, they worked their magic, and delivered something she may never have chosen herself, and it fit her to a T.

Here at Paul Francis Photography it is important for us to get to know each couple a little more than the casual meeting. We enjoy hearing about how the couples we meet with met and how they got engaged because we like to get a feel for the couple’s personalities as well as a glimpse at their style. This helps us to ultimately take photos that will be treasured and speak to their personality. This is just a part of how we go above and beyond to ensure that each couple’s wedding photos are the best possible collection of memories from their day.

So be it edgy, rustic, opulent, sleek, sexy, refined, hip, classic, glamorous, fresh, or fun, who are you? What’s your wedding style?

-Carolyn

Tim Margiotta’s CD Release Concert

Paul — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 01:52:53 +0000

Tim Margiotta, a talented Christian musician, released his CD “Make a Venture” just before the 2010 Holiday Season. Dan Ferrari, musician at St. Paul Inside the Walls, opened the night of the release concert by sharing his own original music. Tim then followed by showcasing some of my favorite songs from his new CD. Even though I was not feeling my best (I ended up going into labor later that night with our son, Leo) I was impressed at how gifted and intelligent all the musicians and songs were throughout the night. Since we were unsure of whether Leo would be born before the concert date, Tim enlisted the help of another photographer friend of his, Daniel of Daniel J Photography. Since Leo waited until the next morning to arrive, we were able to document the evening with photographs and Paul ended up becoming instant friends with Daniel J so we are glad that Leo waited a few more hours.

Tim’s promo posters featuring some of Paul’s photography for the CD.

Dan Ferrari filling the auditorium with his tunes.

There I am in the front row at the end closest to Paul taking the picture, can you spot my pregnant baby bump? Its crazy to look back and realize that little Leo was about to join us in only a few hours. We will have to tell you more details on Leo’s birth in a future post, its pretty interesting!

Tim Margiotta, Make a Venture

Paul — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 03:11:14 +0000

“These things I’ve carried for so long,
My love for them is strong.
So let’s face them one at a time.
And with you there at my side
I’ll give You all the things
I’ve marked as mine.”

These are some of the lyrics from Tim Margiotta’s song “Marked as Mine”, my personal favorite and a very prayerful track on his album “Make a Venture”. We were privileged to photograph this Christian artist’s release concert, and all the images for his album. It was a pleasure working with Tim and getting to know him and his family. He and his wife are dedicated to raising a faithful family and pursuing God’s purpose for their lives, which shines through the music. Check out Tim’s website to hear this song and a few others as well as keep up with upcoming concerts and other news.

-Carolyn

P.S. If you’ve ever been to our studio, you might recognize something on the album cover… It’s our front door! Paul spent hours with Tim brainstorming for ideas and turning our living room into the scene below. Yup, that is also our living room wall and a combination of furniture from our’s and Tim’s homes. Stay tuned for pictures from his CD release concert. It was the night before our son Leo was born!!