A Night for Alyssa – Benefit

Alyssa is a 16 yr old from Hobart, Indiana. She is the cousin of my girlfriend, Emily. Alyssa has been battling with cystic fibrosis for many years now. This was a benefit to help collect donations for Alyssa and her family’s medical expenses. The event was definitely a success, and couldn’t be pulled off without generosity of so many people. It’s always a good feeling to see people come together for a good cause and to be a part of it. All proceeds from my photo sales will go towards helping Alyssa and her family. If you would like to make a donation now using Paypal, follow this link to A Night for Alyssa.

For more information, please contact me at 219.613.8883 or email me at raul@raulrafael.com.

Leiah & Vy – Engagement

Leiah and Vy met with me and my second shooter, Amanda Temple, in Chicago on this deceivingly chilly Wednesday. However, it could have been much worse. So, I should probably not complain too much. Besides, there was a ton of great scenery to use. The grass was green, the sky was blue and the flowers were in full bloom. Below, I am posting pictures that both Amanda and I captured. Consider it my visual sales pitch about why having a second shooter can be so beneficial. I feel that you get so much more from your event when you have two different perspectives photographing the same subject.

If you have an interest having engagement photos taken, please contact me at 219.613.8883 or email me at raul@raulrafael.com.

A Covershot? Really!

I know! I could hardly believe it myself. Lately, I have done some editorial work for Northern Indiana LAKES Magazine. They were in need of a spring shot for the cover of their March/April issue. They had the vision to find a shot with a bee buzzing around some flowers. Well, it just so happened that I have hundreds of such pictures. I don’t mention it too often, but I have a small fascination with photographing life’s little wonders…particularly bugs. But, how does one mention that to a client or bride? “Oh, by the way, if you’re interested I shoot wonderful bugs shots.” No, it just doesn’t work. No one has ever asked me to photograph their pet tarantula or centipede. Yet. =)

If you have an interest in hiring me, please contact me at 219.613.8883 or email me at raul@raulrafael.com.

Surrounded by Smiles

As long as I could remember, my family has always had children in our lives. Being part of a really big family definitely has its privileges. Especially when you’re a photographer. At every gathering or event I have tons of little ones that are usually more than happy to pose for the camera. Whether it be my nieces, cousins or their little friends, for some reason kids are always drawn to me when I have a camera in my hand. Being a big kid myself definitely doesn’t hurt. Here are just some random photos I’ve taken in the past year or so. My post is also in honor of my god-daughter whose second birthday is today. Happy Birthday Lilah Bean!

If you have an interest in hiring me to photograph your kids or your family event, please contact me at 219.613.8883 or email me at raul@raulrafael.com.

A New Day, A New Year

Hello everyone and welcome to the blog for my photography and design business. My name is Raul Martinez and I live in Northwest Indiana. Designing has been my main source of income for the past ten years. Over the course of the past four years, I have taken on the challenge of learning and mastering the art of photography.

My very first camera. The Ricoh RDC-1 captured images, video and sound.

Photography has always been a passion of mine. I remember my very first digital camera purchase was back in 1996. It was the Ricoh RDC-1. I bought it at a computer fair in Indianapolis. I took this thing everywhere with me. I remember taking so many pictures with it, but ended up losing all of them to a hard-drive crash. Plus, I don’t think I even had a computer with enough memory or processing power to handle the video and sound files. After this camera went kaput on me, I didn’t have one for a while. (I was a broke college student.) It wasn’t until May of ’06 I could finally afford my first DSLR. It was love at first click.

Two pictures taken the first day with my camera.

Immediately, I took my camera over to my brothers and started shooting pictures of my nephew and niece. I was hooked. I knew I had to learn more. Once I started learning more, I had to acquire more equipment and it’s sort of snowballed into what it is today…a full fledged obsession.

In my upcoming post, I plan to share with you the work I have done over the past few years. I hope you like it and if you feel you have a need for my services please contact me. I’m open to all opportunities and adventures.

Thank you for reading and take care.

Raul R. Martinez
Owner/Photographer/Designer
219.613.8883