Welcome! I am so glad you stopped by! Below you can get to know me and see examples of my work. Hop over to the investments page for session details and FAQ’s. Getting married? Check out my engagement and wedding page for my current package information.
Thanks for checking out my page. Hope to hear from you soon! ~Sam
About me
Hello! I’m Sam, a camera collecting, photo loving chicken lady.
I got my first camera at a garage sale. I was about 12. It was a disposable film camera all wrapped up in a shiny silver bag for a dollar. After I persuaded my mom to buy it I went home and set up a white shower curtain in the corner of my room and photographed my two younger sisters. I never stopped taking pictures after that. I fell in love with the darkroom and an old metal Pentax camera in high school. Looking back, I think most of my days at DRHS were spent in the art room!
I then attended Minnesota State University, Mankato where I received my BFA in Photography. Digital photography was so new and frankly took me a while to come around to! My favorite memories of college are still the late nights and endless coffee in the darkroom. It was while I worked as a photojournalist for the Mankato Free Press where my love for Nikon, digital photography and documenting life’s moments was truly born!
I met my husband while living in Memphis for a year. We eventually settled in a little house in the suburbs of Minneapolis where we started our little family of four. But life is a funny journey! After my son was born I had this overwhelming feeling it was time to “go back home!” So we packed up, found an even littler house in the woods, got a few chickens, a giant St. Bernard, and made this place home again!
I have a sign that hangs in my living room made by Twisted Metals that says: Trust your Story. It is one of my favorite things and I wholeheartedly believe it! While in the twin cities, I worked for both a large photo studio and also did my own photography on the side. After my son was born, I took a 2 year break from photography and focused on my family. I received a message from an old high school acquaintance a year after moving back to Deer River that the pony league t-ball teams needed some pictures and if I could do them…"SURE!" I said! It might be a little cliché, but you should always trust your story! I consider that message and that photoshoot to really be the turning point where SMP went from a lifelong hobby to a true business. I love being in a small town community and being able to capture moments and truly be part of my clients' lives.
This is my Story. I would love to capture yours!
"Don't shoot what it looks like. Shoot what is feels like"
David Alan Harvey
Let's talk
Samantha Martin Photography
Deer River, Minnesota
218-398-7946
samanthamartinphotography@hotmail.com
​