Marinda Fowler Photography - Seymour Indiana Baby Children's Family Senior Maternity Photographer » information

It’s big. It’s huge. It’s a wedding giveaway! | Seymour, Indiana Wedding Photographer | Marinda Fowler

Marinda — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 17:13:49 +0000

Have I lost my dang mind? Perhaps. I can feel my photographer friends out there shaking their heads in disbelief. I mean, who gives away wedding photography?! Yeah, this girl.

Here’s why…

November 3, 2001. Our wedding day. We planned for a very very small wedding. Now, I’ve always had an appreciation for good photos… not as much as I do currently. However, on one of the most important days of my life, I had not planned for a hired photographer. I (*gasp*) was going to just rely on my mother’s friend to snap some photos with my camera and hope for the best. The thought of hiring a photographer honestly never crossed my mind and honestly wouldn’t have been in our very limited budget.

Enter my bridesmaid’s boyfriend. Her boyfriend that dabbled in photography and knew how to wield a camera. I had no idea he would be there or that he would end up capturing our day… for free! I cherish those photos more than he’ll ever know.

Some of my faves (these are scans of not so great quality prints – I need to get my wedding photos reprinted… one of these days):

Jason and I

My beautiful mother, sister and I

One of my absolute all time favorite photos of my dad and I

Jason and I with his parents (who I can honestly say are two of my favorite-est people in the world. I am beyond blessed to have the in-laws that I have!)

I have no words. Haha. This was as we were walking out of the tiny church, with the tiny aisle, while I was wearing a big poofy dress. By far, one of my most favorite photos from the day!

Looking back on our wedding (which I always thought we’d have a vow renewal “one of those days”), I know that I was blessed to have someone there that knew what he was doing. And knew that I would regret not having “real” wedding photos. And out of the kindness of his heart, stepped up and gave me a priceless gift.

I want to pay it forward. I want to give some loving couple that same gift that was given to us. I want to bless a couple who is thinking they can’t afford a wedding photographer and will just hope to get some decent snapshots from their family and friends. I want that couple to look back at their wedding photos on their 10 year anniversary and think of something they can do to pay it forward for someone else.

So, have you recently gotten engaged? Is your mind blown with all of the details that go into planning a wedding? Would you like to have one of the planning burdens lifted?

Here are the details:

What – The gift of 4 hours of wedding coverage, 5×7 album and a hi-res disc of images with print release along with a 30 minute engagement session with a hi-res disc of 3 images from the engagement session (retail value $1,425)

When – Any date in 2012**

**Of course, I must be available for your selected wedding date. So please ensure that I am available before entering. Or perhaps consider a date change?

Where – Within 40 miles of Seymour, Indiana

Please contact me before entering if your wedding will be take place outside of that 40 mile radius

Cost – FREE

How to enter:

I want to get to know the couples that are entering this giveaway. I want to know what you love about each other. I want to know why you want me to photograph your wedding. I want to know why I should photograph your wedding. I want to know about the two of you! So, I’m asking that you write me a little essay telling me about yourselves, your wedding plans, your dogs, your cats, your crazy Aunt Sue… whatever floats your boat. I’d just like to get to know you. It doesn’t have to be a novel… just a short little essay will be fine. However, if you want to send a novel, by all means. I love to read!

After reading through the entries, I will choose my favorite three couples. Then I will do a blog post featuring those three couples and have my blog readers help me choose who should win free wedding photography.

Where to send entries:

Please send entries via email to marindafowlerphoto@yahoo.com with the subject line as “WEDDING GIVEAWAY 2012“. Please include photo of yourselves along with your entry (to be used in the blog post). Don’t have access to a computer to send me an email? No worries, give me a call at 812-569-4997 and I will gladly give you a mailing address to send your entry.

When to send entries:

Entries must be received by 10:00PM EST on December 23, 2011. No exceptions.

Can I submit an entry for a couple that I love?

Yes, absolutely! You can submit an entry for a deserving couple if you wish.

Can I submit an entry and use the prize for a portrait session?

Nope. Sorry. This giveaway is for wedding photography only.

Can I have the retail value in cash instead of photography?

Nope. This prize has no cash value.

What if we want you to stay longer than the 4 hours?

No problem! We can discuss adding extra hours into your wedding coverage.

What if I do not win but still really want you to photograph our wedding?

All non-winning entries will receive a 20% discount on newly booked wedding collections (wedding must be booked before December 31, 2011)

Spring and Summer 2011 – An Update | Seymour, Indiana Photographer | Marinda Fowler

Marinda — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:01:08 +0000

Hello friends! I can’t believe we’re getting ready to great May of this year! The weather is starting to get warmer (and hopefully less rain soon). With warmer weather comes prime outdoor portrait season!

I just wanted to give an update on a few things going on at Marinda Fowler Photography.

- There is still time to take advantage of the “Free” Session April Sale. Sessions must be booked before April 30th. Details can be found here: FREE SESSION

- Canvas Gallery Wraps are on sale 30% off through June 30th. These are absolutely gorgeous pieces of art that do not need framing. Go ahead, invest in that stunning canvas of your stunning family. You know you want to!

- Session availability: There are no available Saturday sessions in May or June and only TWO available in July. Sunday sessions will be limited to weather reschedules only. To maintain my quality standards and be able to spend time with my children this summer, I will only take two weeknight sessions per week this summer.

These are the dates that are still available. Once they are gone, my availability will be gone as well. If you would like a spring/summer session, I highly encourage you to book immediately:

May – 10, 12, 17, 24 and 31

June – 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28 and 30

July – 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28 and 30

I hope everyone has a great spring and summer!

Copyright? Say what? | Marinda Fowler Photography | Seymour, Indiana

Marinda — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:23:00 +0000

How about a little education on the issue of copyright. Sounds like fun, right? Bear with me as this is going to be a bit lengthy. Go grab that coffee or diet coke now.

What is copyright?

The U.S. Constitution and the Federal Copyright Act give “copyright” protection to “authors” for their “original works,” such as photographs.

.What does that mean?

Simply that the law protects the original works and gives the exclusive rights to reproduce them to the author. When the copyright has been violated, the author can pursue legal action and the offender can be held liable and fined.

,So, what are the rules regarding the prints I purchased from my professional photographer?

Here are just a few examples of things that you may not do with your professional photos:

Scan them – for any reason
Copy them
Reprint them
Crop watermarks out of photos and repost them on the web
Edit them – in any way
Take pictures of your printed professional photos (especially with your cell phone) and post them on the web.
Throw darts at them. Ok, fine. Do it if you must!

.Well, why can’t I scan them? The photos are of me and my family?

While the photos might be of you, they are not yours. The images belong to your professional photographer; who owns the copyright. Granted you may have purchased a print of the image, and you are encouraged to display that image and enjoy it. However, it is not at your disposal to make copies of by scanning or any other means. It’s actually against the law.

Also, most professional photographers like to maintain quality control over their work. There is a large quality difference between a scanned photo and one that your photographer creates and sizes for use on the web. We do not like to see our work all distorted and wonky because it has been scanned.

,What’s the big deal?

The big deal is that your professional photographer works extremely hard at creating the beautiful images that you see. Everything from lighting, posing and post-processing goes into one single image. In that regard, your photographer will price their work to maintain a profitable business. When clients start scanning images and reprinting at home or worse, local one-hour labs, they have basically stolen the ability for the photographer to make a profit from that image. Since selling their artwork is how photographers earn a living, it tends to make us unhappy when clients steal images from us.

,Aunt Susie saw my photo and just wants to have one little copy of it. Now what?

Great! Your photographer will be thrilled to help you get one little copy of that photo for Aunt Susie. It’s always a great thing to hear that your family and friends love our work!

I bought the disc with the printing rights. What can’t I do with these images?

On the print release form, there will be instructions on what you can and cannot do with the images contained on the disc. However, just for the sake of education, I’ll give you a quickie list of those things.

Things you can do:

make prints for personal use
make greeting cards for personal use
make photo books or photo gifts for personal use
upload the images in the WEB folder onto the web to share with your family and friends (however, please do not remove the watermark)

Things you cannot do:

enter the photos into contests – nope, not even those “cute baby” contests
post full-size non-watermarked images on the web
alter the images – part of your photography experience with your professional photographer will include the photographer’s time and talent in editing/processing your images. If you do not like the style in which your images were processed, it might be time to look for a different photographer. I’m just sayin’.

What about the images on your blog and facebook?

The images on my blog are meant to be enjoyed and viewed. If you would like to share the images on my blog, please do so. All you have to do is share the link (URL) with your family and friends. Or, you can simply find share buttons at the bottom of each post (titled “share the love”) and share them anywhere you’d like.

The images on facebook are also meant to be enjoyed and viewed. I welcome and encourage you to tag yourself in the images on facebook or share the link to the images. I also welcome and encourage you to use the images on facebook as your profile photo as long as you do not remove the watermark in the cropping process. To avoid removing the watermark, simply drag the cropping bars all the way to the edge of the photo. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!

Okay, I get it. I might have violated your copyright policy. Now what?

Hey, don’t sweat it! We all make mistakes and I’m sure that you did not intend to do so. I simply ask you to make an attempt at rectifying the situation. If you’ve scanned images and posted them on the web, please take them down. If you need a watermarked copy of the images to use on the web, please contact me immediately and we can get that taken care of.

And please, please, please… promise to never do it again! xoxo

For more information on the issue of copyright, please take a moment to read through this article on photolaw.net: http://www.photolaw.net/faq.html

Photographers: Yes, by all means, feel free to use this post to educate your clients. I just ask that you link back to me. xoxo

I went to the Columbus IN Kids Resale… | Marinda Fowler Photography | Seymour, Indiana

Marinda — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:43:47 +0000

… and had a fabulous time! What a fun day! I watched people scoring great deals on children’s clothing, gear and toys. I got to chit chat with members of the community. I got to set out a table filled with my work! What’s not to love?!?

Seriously, though, I had a great time meeting and talking with each person that stopped by my table. I had a drawing at my table for a free session. I ended up with so many entries that I let each of my kiddos draw a name. So, there were three winners! All winners have been notified.

Since I couldn’t give away a free session to everyone that came by, I did pass out $25 gift certificates to be used before March 31, 2010. Don’t forget to use those!

If you haven’t heard of this sale before, please visit the Columbus Kids Resale website for more information. If I am not mistaken, the next sale will be March 6, 2010.

I owe my sister, Terri Ann, a huge THANK YOU for going with me. I couldn’t have made it through the day without you. Thanks! Love you!

Of course, being a photographer, I couldn’t set up a pretty display and not take photos of it.

[caption id="attachment_287" align="aligncenter" width="800" caption="My big tub of candy was quite the hit with the kiddos!"][/caption]

Operation: Love Reunited {Marinda Fowler Photography} Seymour, Indiana

Marinda — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 20:47:14 +0000

I am honored and excited to announce that I am now an Operation: Love Reunited photographer! Through OpLove, photographers across the country offer their art as a form of giving back to those who so selflessly give of themselves.

Operation: Love Reunited 411

What is it?

Operation: Love Reunited (aka OpLove) is a non-profit organization that allows photographers to give back to military families by offering FREE photo sessions and albums to be sent to the deployed soldier (at NO cost to the family).

Please visit OpLove’s website at www.oplove.org for more detailed information.

What kind of sessions are available?

There are three types of sessions offered through OpLove. All three sessions will have a patriotic theme. If it is a pre-deployment session, we ask the soldier to wear their uniform for the majority of the session.

Pre-Deployment - the soldier and their family meet with the photographer to capture memories of the family to be sent to the soldier in an album form

Deployed - the family of the soldier meet with the photographer to creat memories of the family that will be sent overseas to the deployed soldier in an album form

Homecoming – the photographer accompanies the family to the airport to capture all the memories and emotion of the day that the soldier is reunited with his or her family

Can I participate?

If you or an immediate family member is about to be deployed, currently deployed or scheduled for a homecoming, then yes! You can participate! Eligible families may participate in up to two sessions per year.

How do I find a photographer?

Well, if you are not in my immediate area, you can visit http://www.oplove.org/oplovefinder/index.php to locate a photographer in your area.

What’s the catch?

No catch! Really! You get a FREE photo session and a FREE photo album! I only ask that the soldier wear their uniform for the majority of the shoot (for pre-deployment sessions) and that we keep a patriotic theme throughout the shoot.

What does Marinda Fowler Photography offer to OpLove Clients?

Marinda offers the following OpLove Packages:

Post Deployment or Currently Deployed:

Complimentary Photo Session
Complimentary Photo Album shipped directly to the deployed soldier (at no cost to the family)
Complimentary Lo-Res Image disc of up to 15 watermarked images (for use on the web via social networks or email)
30% off additional prints (NO PURCHASE IS REQUIRED)

Homecoming:

Complimentary Photo Session
Clients choice of either one complimentary Photo Album or one Hi-Res Image disc with signed print release form
Complimentary Lo-Res Image disc of up to 15 watermarked images (for use on the web via social networks or email)
30% off additional prints (NO PURCHASE IS REQUIRED)

For more information, please contact me.
***The photos and other content of this publication do not constitute or imply any endorsement or recommendation by the Department of Defense.***