photos by marti[na]

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Inspirational photography quotes

For all my photography friends—here are a couple inspirational photography quotes I designed. As photographers, artists, designers, and creators it's important to draw inspiration from the world around us. ~Martina

This quote was inspired by Ansel Adams.

The art of story telling & capturing emotion.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Austin Couples Portraits: Nikki & Mark

Photos from a couples portrait session at Walnut Creek Park in Austin, Texas. I had the opportunity to get to know and photograph this adorable couple! They were fun to work with and, they are very much in love. Here are my favorites from the day!

Click to see image of Couples portrait session by Martina

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

What to wear at your next portrait session

Here is my top ten list on what to wear at your next portrait session.

1. Remember to wear simple clothes, darker colors work best.
2. Avoid wearing all white, neon colors, busy patterns, bold strips, plaids or polka dots, clothing that’s too tight or too baggy. These all bring more attention to your clothes, rather than your face.
3. Avoid clothing with pictures, writing or large logos on them (for example, graphic t-shirts).
4. For group and family photos, wear similar colors (they don’t all have to match) but be party of the same color family/theme.
5. Pick colors and clothing that’s comfortable and looks good on you.
6. Avoid wearing watches or hair ties around your wrists.
7. Wear minimal jewelry: 2-3 pieces at the most.
8. If possible, remove glasses before the session, as they catch reflections that can cover your eyes.
9. Don’t forget to wear shoes and socks ;)
10. Bring a great attitude to the portrait session. If you are relaxed, and your eyes and smile are genuinely friendly, your portrait will be too!

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.