About me
Martine is an award winning photographer and specializes in action photography with animals (horses), but also in photographing weddings and spontaneously photographing people / children.
“What I love about photography is the versatility. A shoot is never the same for me. When a shoot is booked with me, I already get an idea of how we will do the shoot and what the result must be in terms of atmosphere. The customer doesn’t really notice that because during the shoot I want it to be as spontaneous as possible.
Children can go their own way while I photograph around them. Of course I pay close attention to the incidence of light, etc., but the children do not notice that. That way I get the most spontaneous photos and relaxed people and that is my goal. And as a mother of an adult son, I also know how to deal with adolescents:-)
I also love to share my knowledge. That is why I regularly give workshops. It is wonderful to see how enthusiastic the participants in the workshops are and who are also passionately photographing. I get a lot of energy from that.
As mentioned, traveling is also a great passion and I also combine that with photography by organizing beautiful photography trips to Andalusia and Portugal.
And as the text on the wall in my workspace says:
“A good life is a collection of happy moments”
And that is what I capture….
Martine took beautiful photos of our wedding! Even though neither of us had any photoshoot experience, Martine made sure that we never felt uncomfortable in front of the camera. She comes up with great ideas and really thinks along with you, nothing is too crazy! In addition to the beautiful results, she is also very pleasant to have around all day long. We are very happy that Martine captured this special day for us and we definitely recommend her!
Did a workshop with Martine to take portrait photos. Highly recommended, Martine created a nice atmosphere, gave good tips and provided a model to practice with. I'm looking forward to getting started myself and developing a photographer's eye for the right views and backgrounds.
The photographer really listens to the client's wishes and tries to achieve the best result during the shooting. I will also add that I do not know how to pose during photoshoot and the photographer really helped me get into the right poses. The photos are well edited, high quality and in different styles, which I really liked 🙂
What a wonderful experience it was. Martine made me feel comfortable in front of the camera. As a result, the photos were shot very spontaneously with a real smile and not the well-known smile. I just received my photos and they turned out great. 1 word WOW!!!
Very happy with my gift voucher for a photo shoot with Martine.We went there together with my daughters, which we found quite exciting. The tension disappeared quickly after we met Martine. Her spontaneity and enthusiasm made it a very nice, relaxing afternoon/evening for us, resulting in beautiful photos. A wonderful memory of a very nice photo shoot. Thank you, greetings Judith, Marise and Jara
Extremely educational and valuable.In the manual photography course, Martine gave me so many useful tips and information that I am sure I can enjoy my hobby of photography even more.
Martine took great photos of our wedding and with her enthusiasm she is a great photographer who also knows how to get the guests involved in the positive atmosphere!!
Two weeks ago I did a farewell shoot of my fjord that had to be put to sleep. Very fast service from Martine and a nice shoot done. What wonderful memories I have of this. Thank you Martine for the great shoot.
Last week I returned from the amazing BellaVie Photoart tour to Golegã, the horse capital of the country.My goal was to further explore horse photography, fill my portfolio and put together a series of horse photos to possibly exhibit. Martine helped me extra on this trip with ideas and seeing interesting compositions. I really felt seen and helped.I am impressed how Martine has arranged the most beautiful horses and the most beautiful locations.We made good use of all the time from start to finish and I came home with a hard drive full of beautiful photos. As far as I'm concerned, it's worth repeating!
Hey ! What can I say more than what a fantastic journey in Portugal! Martine is an amazing human being, full of life and ideas. I am super happy that I made the decision to do this photo-tour in Portugal. Out of my confort zone, I learned new things, I saw new perspectives, new way of traveling too. And that's good! At the end of the journey, we are tired, yes, but full of happiness, memories and new friends
Absolutely wonderful photography tour organised by Martine who finds the best locations and the most amazing horses to photograph. The hospitality offered by Martine and her family was second to none, I was made to feel like one of the family. The attention to detail in the organisation of the tour meant that I had every opportunity to get the best images possible, ably supported by Martine and the horse owners who put everything into making their stunning horses look a million dollars. Can’t wait for next year!
Recently had photos taken of my dog Kayan with his brother Tambo, 2 beautiful Rhodesian Ridgebacks. It was casual and we were able to talk about many of our wishes. Although it is always difficult to get them to do exactly what we want to see (especially when they are both in the photo), it has resulted in very nice photos. We took photos in the studio and outside in the woods, both of the two dogs separately and together. Very happy with it!
Last week I had a photo shoot with a Friesian horse in Lelystad with Martine from BellaVie Photoart and what a fun, unique but also professional shoot it was.We had a lot of consultation/contact in advance so that it was very clear.The horse was relaxed and the shoot didn't take too long. Martine knew exactly what had to be done and you can really see that in the results.The photos are really beautiful.
We were very grateful to have Martine as our photographer on our wedding day. She captured all of our special moments and all of the emotions very well. Not only is she professional, but very homey. She made us feel super comfortable and relaxed at all times. We definitely recommend her and will definitely come back for more pics when is needed. Thank you Martine! You are amazing with you skills and personality😊
Such an amazing experience to join her on the photo trip to Andalusia. Every setting was different, which gave me the opportunity to have so many different types of pictures for my portfolio. Real pieces of art. She is both professional, friendly and accessible for all types of explanations during the trip. Memories and lessons who will last a lifetime.
Went on a photo trip to Andalusia with BellaVie photoart at the beginning of October. Everything was super organised, from the hotel to the models and locations, everything was arranged down to the last detail. I will definitely come again next year.
I looked at the photos of the wedding and the video, they all looked great. Does excellent work. Super nice and takes the time for you.
Do you know a wonderful, sweet and fantastic photographer, yes I do, namely Martine. Had her capture our wedding on August 19th. one word Great. I have never had such a nice experience taking photos before. patience, rest and above all everything just went smoothly. I am so very happy that Martine and Yvette made this day perfect together.I therefore 1000% definitely recommend BellaVie!Do you want beautiful photos that are taken in a relaxed manner without you having to worry about this yourself? Will this go well? then Martine is the right place for you.
Dear Martine,What an incredibly sweet person you are!How you helped us all day, apart from taking the photos at our wedding, was really great! Including how we were still able to hold the ceremony on the beach, partly thanks to your help. We are very grateful to you for that. The way you thought along with everything, looked for solutions and constantly tried to find the perfect picture was very pleasant. And your enormous enthusiasm even made being in front of the camera fun instead of awkward.We can't wait to receive the photos, but we are confident that they will be a great success!
I was helped very kindly.I always feel uncomfortable, but during this shoot that was gone in 10 minutes!Even after the shoot I had the photos with 2 days!That's really fast!My compliments!Definitely book a shoot here more often 🥰
What an educational and fun day!I followed the basic manual photography course with Martine.Where I started as a layman in the morning, I was able to deliver a well-exposed sharp photo at the end of the day! Even some super good action shots!Continue with this and who knows, maybe a step further with the next course in a while!
For Haarsharp Photography I did a editing course. I learned new things again, but also gained a lot of inspiration. Recommended!
Martine is a really nice person, always smiling and welcoming. The photos she takes are always perfect, she really loves animals and the photo's of dogs and horses she takes reflect this. Perfect timing and light and setting etc.
From automatic mode to manual settings on your camera. The workshop was just what I needed to learn the camera and its capabilities. Very educational, fun and the practical part was super! For me it was the step I had to take to develop further. Professional, good atmosphere, I will definitely go back for workshops!
Recently, I attended BellaVie PhotoArt's photo tour to Portugal. We shot beautiful horses in interesting places, but most of all, the atmosphere that Martine created was amazing. She is a very easy-going person, full of positive energy and able to address and resolve all the situations that might happen.She is keen to share her knowledge and she helps the inexperienced photographers to get their shots properly.I am planning to go for more tours with BellaVie PhotoArt!Edit to add:I am now after two more photo tours with Bellavie Photo Art (3 altogether) - and I am planning even more! Martine can organise beautiful horse models, and their owners are keen to go an "extra mile" for the photographers. Horses during International Photo tour in The Netherlands were spectacular and the cooperation with owners was exceptional.On top of that, her tours are fun, with a lot of laugh and good energy. Highly recommended to equine photographers of all levels!
I really didn't want to do this review, only because it would allow others to share this incredible experience I had with 5 other amazing ladies and Martine of course !The tour was amazing multiple different horses in different settings at different times of the day. Accommodation was fantastic too and the food and hospitality was first class4 days of total immersion in to the photography of horses jammed packed with incredible horses, owners and like minded people.I've mad some fantastic friends from around Europe and Martine and her family are just such fabulous hostsIf you get a chance to do any of the tours you won't be disappointed ...........memories to last a lifetimeThank you !
I participated in the April'23 International Photo Journey and I'm very happy to award BellaVie PhotoArt with a 5* rating. Martine and her team welcomed us at her home very warmly, arranged a beautiful overnight stay in a nearby B&B and apartments. We had breakfast and most dinners at her home were served by her family members who have spoiled us with delicious food.Surrounded by peace and nature, we were given a briefing about the program which, just as expected, held a lot of wonderful shooting opportunities in store for us. Martine is super well organized, has a very light and positive contact not only with us group members and clients, but also with her coworkers, horse owners and whoever else is involved in the process. I found it very nice that we got quick reply on our emails and overall communication worked out super smoothly and efficiently. Everything happened on time, no delays, great shooting places and beatiful horses with experienced human and equine models, owners and handlers. It was really an enriching experience on all levels. During the shooting Martine was always concerned with everyone leaving the scene with nice pictures and a feeling of success and accomplishment, helping out with technology or photographic doubts, accompanying us to the photo store if anyone needed to buy card supply or technical assistance. On the very last day we had the opportunity to have an editing session together and to clarify any doubt or question we might have. I find Martine very attentive, kind, intelligent, warm and welcoming - She treats everyone like a new friend. I loved these 4 intense days and I'd be more than happy to attend more photo journeys with her. These days were packed with great photoshoots. Loved it!!! Thank you!Andalusia'23 Tour - 5*Small group of interesting people, positive vibes, very well chosen B&Bs, very nice shooting locations, charismatic photo models (both horses and owners). Looking foward to participating in future tours with BellaVie! Thank you so much for yet another wonderful equine photography experience ! It's not just about an ever growing and diversified portfolio; these tours are somehow very emotional for me, because they combine lots of good things in one week only!Switzerland'24 Photojourney - 5*I wasn't expecting myself to be booking yet another trip with Martine in such a short period of time! And here again - 4 days filled with beautiful places, horses, SNOW. Even if we had had a streak of bad luck Snow-wise, I'm sure that Martine would have arranged a stunning plan B. You rock, Martine!!! Thank you! Looking forward to meeting you in Portugal in May of this year.
Everything about the workshop was wonderful. Martine is such an inspirating instructor, and very well organised. We had beautiful horses in beautiful locations. Very dedicated owners with a good relationship with the horses. The apartment we stayed in was of a very high standard. And the food Martine gave her at her house was excellent. All in all a truly marvellous experience with a very good atmosphere amongst all the participants
We had a truly wonderful few days with Martine de Leeuw on her Bellavie International Phototour in the Netherlands 2023.Martine is an incredibly helpful tutor, and creates a culture of positivity, inclusion and fun, while generously sharing her knowledge and expertise. The models and locations were all excellent, and the accommodation was perfect.It was a great privilege to be welcomed into Martine's home everyday for great food provided by her lovely mother and husband.We had a very special few days, and I cannot recommend it enough. It surpassed my expectations and was great value for money. I cannot wait to do another Phototour with Martine.
Not only is Martine a very talented photographer, but she is also a very kind and gentle person. I was lucky enough to host a photo tour for her in Switzerland, and I was amazed by the way she is so empathetic with all participants, ensuring each one would learn interesting things, feel good at all times and be happy of their photos. I am so grateful she gave me that chance to work with her, and I can only recommend this amazing photographer to you.
