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My Newest Painting....

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:54:00 +0000

When I was at the home of Scott and Darla McCutcheon in San Clemente recently, I also did some camera studies of their 8 year old daughter Hanna.

Hanna was so at ease during the session that I knew a painting would be beautiful, even while I was capturing the initial images with her. I was so pleased with the final painting that we used it as a sample for the annual auction at St. Anne's School in Laguna Niguel, where Hanna attends.

More and more clients have been commissioning us for paintings. What a privilege it is to create them. And we are having a special sale on Children's paintings in January!

The portrait that I treasure most....

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:14:00 +0000

When our little granddaughter Emma Grace Hartman was born, I experienced something first hand that we tell our clients all the time: Beautiful portraits are important. They truly do capture once in a lifetime moments.

Now, I am probably about the proudest grandpa around. And I get to create all kinds of portraits of Emma. Most recently, I did this one in my favorite classic style.

Throughout my career, I have loved creating timeless, elegant portraits. They are sometimes unappreciated in a fast-paced, trendy culture like ours. But don’t be mistaken: these portraits will stand the test of time. They are simple, beautiful and arresting. They require extraordinary attention to detail. I love Emma’s innocence and purity in this image. It is fun to see her budding personality. When she turns one, I’ll probably create a painting, which of course I’ll be excited to show you. But I know I’ll always love this portrait of our beautiful granddaughter.

Honoring CHOC and the Duffy Family

noreply@blogger.com (April Brandes) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:50:00 +0000

Last week, I had the incredible honor of helping the CHOC Foundation (make link) raise funds for their important cause at the ChocWalk at Downtown Disney.
We featured this painting of little Emma Duffy, daughter of Patrick and Erin Duffy, created in the dining room of their home. The family has been committed to CHOC in a significant way because their daughter was a patient there.

The Perez Family in Santa Barbara

noreply@blogger.com (April Brandes) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:40:00 +0000

April and I had a wonderful time with the Tony and Liz Perez, and their daughter Isabel when we visited one of their favorite Santa Barbara restaurants, The Wine Cask. We shared a great bottle of wine, and then created this portrait. I love the romantic feeling and the evident intimacy this beautiful family shares, not to mention their great appreciation for excellent wine!

Newest Magazine Article features my portraits....

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:39:00 +0000

Professional Photographer Magazine interviewed me recently for a feature article in this month's issue. The article includes my first portrait assignment, before I had even chosen portraiture as a career. I was pleased that they also featured my portrait of Andrea Leonelli, that was made in the elegant, formal style I've enjoyed for many years.
The portrait you see here is of Sally Bowen, her daughter and three granddaughters. Sally is a huge fan of John Singer Sargent and Richard Pinos, which inspired me to create this painting sketch in Sally's home in Orange County.

Notes from Mark

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:58:00 +0000

Looking back over the summer, both April and I have been reminded about
how much fun it is to be artists. In the last 4 months, we have created
portraits locally here at some spectacular places. We also did some work
in Canada and Hawaii. We made some great new friends. And as if that
was not enough, we get to experience what many creative people only dream
of: excited clients who trust us to make works of art they will enjoy for a
long,long time. Here is a recent painting of Michael and Wendy Cupps with
their daughters on the loggia of their Italian villa.

Laguna Beach is so Beautiful

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:12:00 +0000

Most of my beach portraits have been made along the Malibu coast, so it was really fun to create several in Laguna Beach recently. April and I had a great time with Gunnar and Lindsay Williams and their children. We all loved how this painted portrait captures Laguna's stunning beauty. Even more, it shows the happy intimacy of their young family.

My Latest Work from Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:48:00 +0000

April and I had an amazing experience in Canada where the beautiful environment of the Pacific Northwest fed our creativity. I discovered this incredible little lake where I created this portrait of Wendy Bates in the early morning sunlight. Needless to say, it has been an inspiring summer.

Notes from Mark

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:18:00 +0000

We had such a great time with the Muir family up in Montecito last week. They were so excited about the portrait we planned in this garden. Right from the start, we connected with the whole family. Sara brought several changes of clothing, so I was really inspired, and I felt like the sun set all too soon that evening. It was such a great experience. We're making a painting sketch before they come for their selection appointment. There will be way more than enough to choose from for both their primary and secondary wall portraits. I love them all.

Going Public

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:20:00 +0000

We are once again displaying our portraits at the newly remodeled Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks. We are especially excited because it introduces more people to our new Masterpiece paintings as well as the latest in studio and location portraits. I have selected some of my favorite portraits to display. We will be changing the exhibit often, so come by whenever you are in the mall.

Tribute to my sister, Marla Joy Baird

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:39:00 +0000

My sister died last week, and I believe it's profoundly changing me.

She died of ovarian cancer, after discovering it only last summer. Unfortunately, the chemo didn't work for her, and she slipped away before any of us were prepared to say our goodbyes.

This doesn't seem at all fair to me, but I do believe in a God who has the best plan, even if we can't always see it. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Marla's family was way overdue for having a portrait done...they all live such busy lives that it was hard for Marla to pin them down. Fortunately, we were finally able to do this portrait on Easter Sunday this year when we all gathered together. It's sad that we had to do it under these circumstances, but I thank the Lord we were blessed with this window of time.

It broke my heart to see her cry when I brought it to her bedside only two days before she died. She could barely talk as she whispered , "Mark, that's so beautiful". Little did I know that would be the last time I would see her.

How am I being changed? My desire is to move to be more "time committed" to my family and friends... I seriously have no idea how long I have to be with them. Earlier this year when I realized that Marla's situation was pretty desperate, I realized that if I made the trip to Palm Desert to see her every single week, I'd still probably only have a handful of days left with her.

I have come to an even greater respect for the importance in a family's life for the value of what our studio does. Last week, I made a slide show tribute for Marla's memorial service, and it had so many portraits from our years together. For me, putting it together was a cathartic, and healing time that I will fondly look back on for many years.

Hug your family for me, o.k.?

What better way to experience Paradise?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Wed, 21 May 2008 01:46:00 +0000

April and I just returned from Maui, where we had a great time mostly eating, looking for scenes of rural Hawaii (that we never found in spite of hours of driving) and sailing on the America II ... ex-America Cup boat. We spent one evening creating these portraits on the beach of newlyweds Andy and Jackie Zellman.

We were amazed at their thoughtfulness when they had a bottle of champagne sent to our room later that night as a special thank you gift. Classy, eh? Thanks guys ... it was appreciated on our "honeymoon" too.

Marcus Shelby's Senior Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Embrace Life Photography) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:44:00 +0000

Adam has been busy photographing high school seniors for Studio101 (our senior portrait division) and just recently created some impressive images that I've asked him to share here on our blog:

Last week I had a great photo shoot with Marcus Shelby of Simi Valley. Marcus is really into football and also runs track for his school, so we created lots of cool images at his school's track and field. By the way, he's also a very good student and is going to college on a full-tuition academic scholarship! (He'll be playing football, too!) Congratulations Marcus.

This picture is one of my favorites from our shoot!

We also spent some time creating nice portraits at Marcus's home and some at Leo Carrillo beach in Malibu. Here's a video where you can see more of the portraits:

By: Adam Charles George (Studio101)

Congratulations Gloria!

noreply@blogger.com (Embrace Life Photography) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:34:00 +0000

Our very own Gloria Mesa received an Accolade of Excellence from Wedding and Portrait Photographers International! With a score of 85, Gloria qualified for the award on this photograph that she created at our Westlake Village studio:

It was an exciting moment to see her print on display at the annual WPPI Las Vegas convention. Congratulations, Gloria! We're very proud of you.

"Locals Only" Photo Shoot for The Branch

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 05:42:00 +0000

Join up with me and a few friends in an experimental evening shoot this Friday.

I've gotten involved in the planning of The Branch ... a forward-thinking gathering at our church that's going to be quite artsy. We plan on using a lot of visuals in print as well as in web and video applications. Only problem is, we have no stockpile of images. This is where you come in.

This Friday nite, 3.14.08 from about 6:00 p.m. to whenever we get tired and hungry, we're going to have a "Locals Only" Photo Shoot to get our stock of images. This doesn't mean that you have to be a local, but we want your images to feel local.

We're not looking for "pretty" shots as much as graphicly interesting art shots! Nothing will be critiqued, and nothing will be ruled out. Consider this a visual scavenger hunt.

We're looking for grainy black and white stuff, movement, nite shots, anything that captures the Conejo and it's surroundings on a Friday nite. You just have to be cool with our group using your images (but hey, we want the stuff you probably deleted last week 'cuz you thought is was junk).

We're meeting at the studio, 2649 Townsgate Rd. Suite 600, Westlake Village at 6:00 p.m.

Questions? Call me at the studio...805-367-8100

"Locals Only"...it's all good!

Emma Grace Hartman arrives Feb. 25, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 20:10:00 +0000

Can you believe this portrait of my granddaughter, Emma Grace Hartman was taken only 8 hours after she was born? She looks like she's ready for a Gerber Baby commercial!

Emma arrived Feb 25, 2008 at 10:22am. She weighed in at 8.5 lbs...pretty big for Kelly's size. Andrew was by her side during the whole thing...unfortunately, by the next day when they went home, they both had only had about 5 hours of sleep out of 36 hours at the hospital.

Andrew's parents, Larry and Ruth flew down from Seattle on Sunday, so we were all at the hospital when Emma made her entry. The guys had a cigar (pink bubble gum), and Ruth gave me a run for my reputation as the premier cameraman in the room.

What an exciting time for our family. Emma is such a blessing from God, and we are thankful to the Lord for the safe delivery. If you would like to see more, Andrew did a great video that is on the Hartman blog...you'll also find it here:

Jeff and Karen Beaudoin's Portrait at Home

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 01:30:00 +0000

Two weeks ago, April and I had the pleasure of doing a portrait for Jeff and Karen Beaudoin along with their dogs in their home in Calabasas. As you can see, the dogs were very well behaved, and Jeff and Karen didn't do too bad themselves! They spruced up in some of their formal wear that they'll be wearing on an upcoming month long cruise to China.

After the camera study was complete, Karen asked if we wanted a little snack, and then offered us a bit of her gourmet talent from the night before. "Meatloaf!", she said..."from Mario Batali." Let me tell you, I'm a real meatloaf fan, and this was nothing like I've ever had in my life! Jeff, you're a lucky man!

April did a painting sketch for them to see how one of our Masterpiece Portraits might look in their home. Her painting work really transforms a beautiful portrait into a work that is very close to the feeling of an original oil. April's art talents are such a compliment to my portrait work, and I consider myself to be a very blessed man as well. (She's pretty darn good in the kitchen too, I might mention. Personally, I think April and Karen should have a "cook-off" after the Beaudoin's get back from the cruise. Jeff and I will have to be the wine pairing experts!)

My Baby's Having A Baby...

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 04:52:00 +0000

Wow! It's hard to believe that I'm going to be a grandpa in the next 2-3 weeks! Certainly I can't be that old. Then again, we all know, old is just a state of mind.

Kelly and Andrew wanted to do a pregnancy portrait, and we both agreed that we didn't want to do a typical image. So we went out to an area on Balboa Island and did these portraits that I think really capture who they are...fun people who are some of my closest friends.

Most of these portraits were done with a very long, 400mm lens that I just love, because the lens compresses the feeling of the background, and really makes my subjects stand out. This last image was done with a little lens called a "LensBaby", which produces an image with a very selective focus point. It's great for giving a feeling of motion and blur.

You can be sure there will be more on Kelly, Andrew and their baby girl in the weeks to come. I can't yet reveal my granddaughter's name...even though I guessed it several months ago. You'll just have to be patient.

Barkin' Cats

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 04:40:00 +0000

After spending a few days in Nashville, April and I headed over to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia to spend some time with friends who are wonderful portrait artists themselves. Last year, we decided to have a little "marketing think tank", so we each reported on a business or marketing book. One of the books was called "Waiting For Your Cat to Bark?", hence our adopted name of the "Barkin' Cats".

I'd like for you to visit our friend's websites, so I'll link you to them. On the far left of the portrait here is Tim Kelly www.timkellyportraits.com and his wife Mitzi. In the back next to April is William Branson III www.williambranson.com and his wife Dianne. Next to me is Michael Thompson www.micaelrenee.com , and in the front right is Greg Daniel www.gregorydanielportraits.com with his wife Lesa. Thanks to Greg for the
portrait of us all, and the cabin he had built for our background!

Loved the time...loved the cabin...love friends who spur us on to bigger and better things. Thanks, Cats!

Nashville Portrait of Michael and Alexander

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:02:00 +0000

In my last post I talked about going to Nashville to do a portrait of the sons of our past clients, Patrick and Natalie Owings. The Owings live in a traditional Nashville home - complete with a flag, columns and a rocking chair on the front porch. I would have loved to have created the boy's portrait on the porch, but it was about 16 degrees when I did this image!

The boys were fascinated by a stereoscope that was in the living room, and loved sharing the stereo images with each other.

Both Michael and Alex are very bright boys, and they totally engaged in lengthy conversations with both April and me. We heard many stories of a blanket named "Sting Ray" from Alex (Alex is the younger boy on the right). Sting Ray is probably behind him on the chair...or else on top of my head at this point!

It's always fun for April and me to get to know new clients, and find out what makes them tick...especially when they're 6 and 3 years old.

Photographing Michael and Alexander in the comfort of their home allowed us to come into their environment, and allow them to be the local experts...totally un-threathening for them. I think their comfort with us comes across so well in the portraits.

In an email, Natalie said: "I am excited to get the pictures of the boys. Even by the time we get them, the boys will have changed tremendously. Mark, you once again performed phenomenally. The boys looked AMAZING in those shots! THANK YOU!"

April and I will be headed back to Nashville every so often to do portraits in that area. If you would like to make arrangements to have a portrait done, give us a call at 805.367.8123.

Wonderful Camera Study for the Martello Family

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:01:00 +0000

Yesterday, April and I did a great camera study of Brittany, Christopher and Nicholas Martello in the living room of their parent's home in Trabuco Canyon. Ben and Jackie Martello's home has incredible natural light, and we created some great portraits of the kids together as well as individually. I was so anxious to look over the work that I got on it this morning, and thought I would share a few of my favorites with you.

The Martello's son, Chris, plays football for Santa Margarita Catholic High School, and back in the fall of 2007, the school had a football fundraising auction to which we donated. The Martellos wanted to update their portrait of the kids since Brittany is now off at USC, so at the auction they chose our studio to create the new portrait.

Don't you love the feeling of these black and white portraits?

If you are going to the upcoming Santa Margarita "Valentasia 2008" fundraiser coming up on February 9th, be sure to see our work in the auction. If you aren't able to make it to the auction, and you would like to know more about a special offer we are making to "get Mark busy" in Orange County, please call us at 949.515.5140.

P.S. If we don't get back to you right away, it's because we are in Nashville for a few days doing a portrait for one of our past clients who shamelessly cashed out of California real estate, and headed East! More to come on that next week.

Chloe and Jessica

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:21:00 +0000

Friendships are so great, and should be celebrated...especially in portraits. This last week I had a wonderful session with Chloe Burleson and her friend Jessica Carlen, who have been friends for years. Chloe was celebrating her 13th birthday, and Jessica flew in from Huntersville, South Carolina to join in on the celebration! To honor the girl's relationship, Chloe's mom, Maria, asked me to create a portrait of the two girls together. What a memory this will be for the girls in years to come.

I've been playing with doing more work by natural light, and these portraits are a great sampling of that style of work. They have a softer look and feel to them that I'm really enjoying.

Maria took a quick shot of the three of us after the camera study was over...thought I'd include that as well. Oh, to be 13 again!

Photography Class Assignments

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:48:00 +0000

From September into November, we held a basic digital photography class at the studio, and I'm pleased to show you some of the results of a few of our assignments for the class. I don't know about you, but I'm sure impressed!

If you're interested in possibly taking a class in the future, fill out a contact form and let us know. There will be a new class forming up in the Spring.

Andrew Wall
Jennifer Hart
Shawn Hodnett
Christine Hatch
Danny Lombard

Hurry to the Getty!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 02:46:00 +0000

Today, April and I visited the Getty with two new friends...Kent and Christine Hatch. Christine was a student in my recently finished photography class. We went to see the Edward Weston exhibition , and it was great. I snapped these two shots before being politely asked to stop. How was I to know it was only permanent exhibitions you could shoot? Don't you love the design elements in these?

We also saw work by Luc Delahaye, and wow, was it powerful! The image of the Russian people was so gripping for me, because it was lifesize, and so reminded me of my past trips to Russia. These are truly Russian faces.

Both of these shows end November 25th, so drop what you're doing, and GO! You won't be disappointed.

Halloween 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Brandes) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 02:43:00 +0000

What a hoot! Just for kicks, my good friend and fellow photographer, Ken Taylor (www.kentaylor.com) and I set up a studio in our garage, and photographed a boatload of neighborhood kids. We had bunches of pirates, tons of characters from Harry Potter, and many other really cute faces. Here's a sampling: