merlinmade

07/06/2021

Boatin'

08/21/2020

At the start of the pandemic many of my favorite trails shut down or only remained open to town locals. Feeling it was important to respect these safety measures I remained quarantined in my home. I still long for the trails and to see some wildlife but thankfully the view out my back window/door has satiated some of those desires. If you have the time take a moment to sit and stare out to your yard. You may be surprised by the amount of neighbors you never realized you had.

08/13/2020

For a few months I had been thinking about starting up my photography again. I had most of the plan laid out and just needed to pull the trigger. The spark set off when my good friend JJ asked to have some head-shots done. These are the photos that got the gears turning again.

Again, I am scheduling for September so if you are interested in having some portraits done then send me a message.

08/05/2020

SCHEDULING PORTRAITURE SESSIONS FOR SEPTEMBER! Message me!

Since the start of the pandemic I have been away from doing much creative work. It honestly felt good, I had time to focus my energy into other things I had been wanting to pursue. But the itch always comes back so when my friend asked if I could take some head-shots of him I gladly obliged (I will share some of those photos in a later post). We got the photos but afterwards we just kept shooting, playing with light and colors! The following photos are the result of this spontaneous photo session!

And if you are looking to have some portraiture photos taken (taking precautions of social distance and in open areas of course) you'll be happy to hear I am scheduling sessions for this upcoming September! I am keeping it simple and quick, $100 for a one hour session (up to 10 digitally retouched images included in the price). It can be serious; it can be fun and creative; it can be a senior portrait, a new LinkedIn picture, or photos of your furry friend! Anything that is portraiture I will accept! (No n**e photoshoots. You may think it is unnecessary to specify this but my past experience tells me otherwise).

All proceeds from September will be donated to the TransWomen of Color Collective, an organization focused on uplifting transgender people of color, addressing the trauma faced by the community, ending oppression, and "shift[ing] the narrative of surviving to thriving" within their communities.

I have no affiliation with the organization. To better understand their message and fight I suggest visiting their website (twocc.us) and researching further on the issues faced by the transgender community.

(any comments of negativity toward the transgender community or people of color will be deleted from this post. If you are someone with any urge to post such comments I suggest educating yourself further on transgender/race issues)

01/05/2020

Meet Zenny! She is such a sweet dog who knows how to strike a pose! This was the first gig I had since returning to Massachusetts. It was a nice way to be welcomed back and helped me get the ball rolling. Pet photography is one of my favorite sessions to shoot. There is no worrying about looks. It is just the moment and the camera waiting to capture it. If you're looking to capture some memories of your furry friend then contact me and schedule a session today!

12/31/2019

Did you get a new camera this holiday season? Are you looking to enter the world of photography in 2020? Well here is a guide to help make that journey from novice to pro smooth and simple, an introduction to the basics and fundamentals of using a digital camera! And this is just the first of many guides to come to help you go pro!

Since leaving this job I have not been able to help others in growing their passion and creativity through media and it has left me feeling lackluster. No more though! With this blog entry I begin a journey with you, reader, into a world of excitement and exploration!

12/09/2019

Got my friends TJ and Matt to come out and do a small photoshoot yesterday. I had two Enola Gaye smoke gr***des, one blue and one purple. The idea was to set the blue smoke in the foreground and the purple smoke in the background. My friends/subjects of the photos would stand between the two colored smokes. It did not quite go as planned. The blue smoke engulfed them and the purple gr***de collapsed into the snow and was mostly trapped beneath it. Still the colored haze added a nice look and depth to some of the photos. I hope to give this a try again sometime with this test run behind me. Contact me if you are looking to do a photoshoot more experimental than just headshots or family portraits. I do those as well of course so I guess contact me either way!

11/17/2019

For more information on my video and photo services please visit my website!

Writings and Visual work from freelance photographer and videographer Sam Merlin. Hire Sam for you next photo or video shoot.