Marcia and Russ met in college at SUNY New Paltz in the beautiful Hudson Valley of New York. She was completing her Clinical Practicum in Speech and Language Pathology, and about to go Student Teaching.. He was a Graduate Teaching Assistant, pursuing his Master of Fine Arts Degree in Photography.    

 

     After graduation, Marcia decided to learn photography. Having no formal training, she relied on Russ to provide information on technical and aesthetic issues. They began photographing together in the spectacular landscape of Minnewaska State Park. Her work was well received, and she was allowed to use the college darkrooms. Soon, Marcia was exhibiting in Woodstock, New Paltz, and Poughkeepsie.

     Two years later, the couple had the opportunity to photograph nearly 6,000 buildings in the City of Poughkeepsie for a grant-funded program to create historic districts. They worked with an "architectural historian" who determined the eligibility of the buildings by viewing photographs of their facades. The Union and Academy Street Historic Districts, which exist today, are some examples. Marcia also assisted Russ when he was asked to photograph decorative arts at the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site.

      Soon afterwards, they moved to New Jersey. Marcia began a graduate program, and abruptly gave up photography. She would receive her Master of Arts Degree, and begin a career as a Speech/Language Pathologist. A year later she was awarded a Certificate of Clinical Competency from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 

 

     After a hiatus of nearly thirty years, Marcia, now retired, has returned to photography. Her award-winning work has been nationally exhibited, and internationally published. 

 

     She is best known for her portfolio of "Autumn Leaves", a black and white study of leaves, water, and reflections.   Shawn O'Sullivan from "Black and White" Magazine wrote, "Martin seeks to take relatively mundane images to a higher level of abstraction through the use of higher than normal contrast."  

 

     Elizabeth Avedon, the well- known curator, photo book and exhibition designer, and writer said, "The Leaf. The Composition. The Technique. The harmony of these three things gives Marcia Schulman Martin's Lucie Award-Winning Still Life Portfolio, 'Autumn Leaves', their power. She's captured the elegance of leaves floating on water, shot with such technical precision, you feel you can almost touch the water.  Martin's mastery of the camera, in combination with bold lighting, and her technical expertise in extreme close-up photography, adds dramatic impact to these otherwise familiar objects in nature. The sheer physical beauty of these images is captivating."    

 

Please visit the "Awards and Publications" Page.

Marcia and Russ have contributed their photographs to charity auctions, such as the Tibet Fund and Friends Without a Border.