Paul owns and operates Paul Tumason Portraits which he opened in San Jose in 1972. At the start, he did a variety of photographic assignments including weddings, but since 1980, he has concentrated on classical studio portraiture.
He graduated from San Jose State University with a B.S. degree in Industrial Technology in 1965, Paul also served in the U.S. Navy Reserve for 12 years achieving the rank of Lieutenant. He also worked as a professional musician during and after college, playing ragtime banjo.
Paul and his wife Kathy live in the Santa Cruz Coastal Mountains, south of San Jose and they have 5 grown (out of college) children and 8 grandchildren.
He has occasionally taught classical studio portraiture to photographers at schools for professional photographers (Winona, Mid America Institute for Professional Photography, West Coast School, and Golden Gate Schools, California Photographic Workshop) and conventions in the U.S., Canada, and once in Oaxaca.
Occasionally, Paul lectures or gives seminars and classes in classical portraiture. His knowledge of portrait art has given him a tremendous insight into the psychology of what makes his clients excited and thankful for their portraits. He has met his clients’ somewhat high expectations of their own perceptions with his own artistic style. He has become well established as one of the nation’s finest portrait photographers.