Wedding Receptions on Film; No Flash, No Automation

Say what you will about wedding photography but few other gigs will allow you to party with beautiful people without having to even know a single dance move. My wife and I are freelance wedding photographers. She shoots digital and I shoot on b&w 35mm film. I use vintage, all manual cameras and lenses and […]

The Voigtländer 15mm 4.5 Heliar & An Introduction to Rectilinear Super Wides

What are your go-to focal lengths? I shoot most of my work within the 50-90mm range. But everyone needs a jump-start to their creativity once in a while. A different lens can helps us take our work in different directions but also can improve what we already do. Yes, folks, the equipment matters. Previously, I […]

A Bride’s Guide to Gorgeous Wedding Photos

Hey brides! I’m Johnny Martyr and I’ve been photographing weddings since 2001 when I interned with one of the highest rated wedding photographers in Baltimore. Almost two decades later, I am still passionate about weddings and now I have the added pleasure of photographing them with my wife, Stephanie Lee. Our work has been published […]

The Wedding of Arthur & Michael

Recently, I was privileged to photograph Arthur and Michael’s classy, intimate wedding at the Montpelier Mansion in Laurel, MD. The event would consist of a small ceremony followed by an upscale dinner with only a handful of close friends and family in attendance. It’s an honor when anyone hires you for a wedding, but particularly […]

Go-To Portrait Lens: Nikkor 85mm 1.8 K AI’d

A lens that has been a long-time staple in my Nikon kit, since about 2005 actually, is my Nikkor 85mm 1.8 K AI’d. I chose the 85/1.8 for the reasons many people reach for an 85/1.8; available light portrait work and a little smaller, lighter, less expensive, easier to control lens than an […]

Leitz 5cm f2 Summitar

When we think of Leica, the second thing we often think of is Summicron. But before Leica formulated their legend, there was a lesser known yet still quite remarkable nifty 50. Thanks to having been overshadowed by the Cron, this very capable Leitz 50/2 is usually available for less than $400. That’s right, I’m talking […]

An Inspired/ing Wedding

I have been shooting weddings on film for over 4 years. I started shooting about 15 years ago and in that time frame, when we were attending Villa Julie College, just outside Baltimore, is when I met Joe and his lovely girlfriend (then girlfriend, now wife) Christina. In college, Joe and I were artistic one-uppers […]