Hello, welcome to my professional photography blog. My name is Martina and I live in Austin, Texas. Capturing a beautiful moment or place is my passion. I am a natural portrait and wedding photographer, creating beautiful and timeless photos that tell your unique story. My documentary style of photography captures true emotion and allows you to be yourself in front of the camera. If you are interested in scheduling a portrait session or wedding, contact me at: info@photosbymartina.net. If you enjoy my work and would like receive updates, submit your email address below. I hope you will pull up a chair and stay a while!

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Baby Blackwell portrait session

Photos from a family portrait session with my friend, Sabrina and her adorable son. I am so happy I had the opportunity to document these special moments with them! She is an amazing mom :)

Click to see picture of Baby Blackwell 1
Click to see picture of Baby Blackwell 2
Click to see picture of Baby Blackwell 3
Click to see picture of Baby Blackwell 4
Click to see picture Baby Blackwell 5

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Family Portrait Session: Trip to the beach

Photos taken with our family from our trip to the beach at Padre Island in Corpus Christi, Texas. The kids had so much fun playing in the sand and water! My son loved playing in the sand, and I couldn't keep my daughter out of the water! She loved the waves, she had the biggest smile on her face the whole time. We had so much fun and got some amazing photos to remember our trip by!

Austin family portraits at Padre Island in Corpus Christi, Texas
Austin family portraits at Padre Island in Corpus Christi, Texas
Austin family portraits at Padre Island in Corpus Christi, Texas
Austin family portraits at Padre Island in Corpus Christi, Texas
Austin family portraits at Padre Island in Corpus Christi, Texas
Austin family portraits at Padre Island in Corpus Christi, Texas
Austin family portraits at Padre Island in Corpus Christi, Texas
Austin family portraits at Padre Island in Corpus Christi, Texas
Austin family portraits at Padre Island in Corpus Christi, Texas

Monday, June 8, 2015

Portrait sessions now available!

Hello friends,

I am excited to announce that I am now taking appointments for portrait sessions! Portrait sessions include 1-2 hours of shooting at a location of your choice. I can come to your home and take pictures both indoors and/or outdoors. My style of photography is to document special moments and events. I prefer to use natural lighting, when possible and capture candid and posed photos.

I am open for newborn & children photography, family portraits, and/or other events. Please contact me at: msv1013@gmail.com or call me at 361-548-7451 if you are interested in pricing options and availability. Portrait session prices include a copy of the high-resolution images.

Thanks!
Martina

Click to see picture of a family portrait session by Martina
Click to see picture of a family portrait session by Martina


Tuesday, June 2, 2015

3 things you didn't know your camera could do

If you are like me, learning all the features of your DSLR or Mirrorless camera can seem like an impossible task. There so many options, features, and settings to pick from, especially on the newer models. It seems like there is always something new to learn as the technologies evolve. Below I will discuss three settings you probably didn't know your camera could do that can help improve exposure compensation and your photography skills. 

1. Metering - metering is used to help determine exposure. Your camera will balance the exposure based on which area is selected (spot, center, or multi-point). There are three types of modes: spot, center-weight and matrix mode. Spot metering only measures a very small area. It is very accurate and is not influenced by other areas within the frame. It can be useful when shooting very high contrast scenes. Center weight is when the meter focuses towards the central part of the viewfinder. It is less influenced by small, bright areas at the edges of the viewfinder. Matrix (multi-point) metering is the measure of light intensity in several points in the viewfinder and then combines the results to find the settings for the best exposure. This option is located under the custom menu settings.

2. Multiple exposure (bracketing) - many photographers use automatic bracketing to ensure that at least one shot gets exposed properly. This is helpful when you don't have time to adjust the exposure or review the image. It works by shoot the same subject multiple times, slightly varying the exposure settings for each image. To use this feature, you must be in one of the four letter modes (P, S, A, or M). Go to your custom menu settings and look for bracketing/flash. Then you need to select whether you want to bracket for the exposure (AE), white balance (WB), or active D-lighting (ADL). Please refer to your user manual for specific settings how to use exposure bracketing on your camera.

3. Active D-lighting - active d-lighting is used to help balance elements that are shaded in the foreground. It utilizes technology that optimizes high contrast images to restore shadow and highlight details that are often lost between bright and dark areas of the image. It can also readjust mid-tones, making the image look more natural. Using matrix metering in combination with active d-lighting can help balance photo exposures while maintaining detail. To enable the active d-lighting, go to your custom menu settings. You can active the d-lighting settings in your camera before taking the picture or after taking it, in Nikon's optional camera retouch menu.