my way to the doughnut shop this morning the temperature in the car read -8 degrees. I thought how I would love to be in California at this very moment. Then I realized that I edited a short film from last years trip and totally forgot to do anything with it. So here we are several months later and I am finally posting it! It just shows some of our favorite spots in Southern California. We stayed in the same spot my parents took me every summer growing up (Carlsbad). While we didnt bring the camera along for much of the trip we were able to grab some cool shots of the area. This was Anna's first time at the beach. It was a ton of fun bringing Zac there as he was finally old enough to want to jump in. Zac was so struck and fascinated by the waves and ocean. I would tow him around the little waves with the boogie board, and we would chase the seagulls around. We got a little shade shack for Anna (which was well worth every penny) and had an awesome time!

Baby Anna

Baby Anna is a story of a little girl who came into this world a little early. Although she was twice the weight, and held on nearly 5 more weeks then her older brother, Anna still needed to stay in the NICU for about 9 days before coming home. It was fun to see the bond being created between the two siblings

Zac's Travel Diary: Austria

NOTE: if you are having trouble with the playback just click on the HD button to turn hd off.

So here is the last video from our recent Europe trip. I think Austria is probably my favorite part of Europe so far. The lakes were so beautiful, throw in some of those rugged Alp mountain tops, some green pastures, and it made the view just stunning! It was unfortunate that it rained half the time, but we made the most of it. Our hotel had the nicest pool/hot-tub area so Zac & Leanne were more then happy to stay and relax! So just like the other videos this was more about Zac's trip to Austria and his reaction to the environment vs just another video showing the sites n stuff. It is hard for me to describe in words how beautiful it is, I guess that is why I try to film it!
The first scene was from our favorite village called Hallstatt. This guy rented us a boat for 15 euros an hour... by far the best money we spent on the trip. The castle you see is called Hohenwerfen. It is a true 11th century midevil castle with a dungeon and torcher chamber. They had blacksmiths making weapons over a flame, and people playing games in the courtyard. Zacs favorite part was the falcon show. They had all sorts of eagles, falcons, and vultures flying around. We also did a little hiking in a canyon called liechtensteinklamm. The only part of this video that wasnt actually in austria was Hitlers Eagles Nest. It is just on the other side of the border in Germany. Very cool experience. It was one of Hitlers homes at the top of this mountain. You take this big bus on this small road along the cliffs through hairpin turns to a midpoint. there you hop out and walk down this tunnel straight into the mountain to a gold-plated elevator which takes you to the top and opens up inside his old home. The building itself wasnt much to see but the view and experience was well worth it.
All in all this was an awesome trip. our goal was to stay away from the bigger cities and spend more time visiting the scenery & villages. I think if we were to do this trip all over again I don't think there is much I would change... well except seeing how fast that Audi would go on the Autobahn, Leanne made me slow down at 200kph!

The Bavarian Alps (part 2)

Our next stop on the trip was to the beautiful village of Mittenwald. Located on the German/Austrian border, about 2 hours south of Munich. It was the perfect home base to explore the surrounding Bavarian Alps. We were able to take the tram to Germany's highest peak called the Zugspitze, hike an awesome narrow canyon called Partnachklamm, and drive the famous Alpine Road. Zac just loved the freedom of exploring (well, with the help of the bear-leash!), finding cool rocks, taking the train, mooing at the cows, and eating the good sausage and pizza!

Hope you enjoy!

Im really excited to get started on Part 3 which will show the Salzkammergut region of Austria and Hitlers "eagles nest" near Berchtesgaden

Bavaria (Germany part 1)

So this is the first video of the 3-part series of Zac's first trip to Europe. We spent 3 days in Fuessen where we spent much of the time relaxing and helping Zac get used to the time change. We really loved this area. We stayed right next to a lake that had a lot of trails and a playground. We were just outside the very small town area where we went daily to a grocery store, McDonalds, and for ATM withdrawal. So get this: McDonalds in this type of area does not accept a credit card!! Neither does the grocery store or any store that we tried. But I was shocked by McDonalds! Donny asked the cashier helping him if other places would accept a credit card and the guy said, "I don't know because I do not own a credit card." The internet was rare also. It was very interesting.
Zac walked with his bear leash part way up (took a horse carriage ride also) and all the way down (maybe 1 mile) from the Neuschwanstien castle just outside Fuessen. That is a big accomplishment for an almost 2 year old- but it was what he preferred. And apparently they have never seen a toddler teddy bear "leash" before, because we had a comment from almost every person that passed. A few asked if they could take pictures? And the Asian tour groups were in a complete uproar with nothing I understood. I always thought that these contraptions were a little cruel; until I needed to contain an independent toddler who loves to explore while traveling:) The main feeling I got from the many words I didn't understand was that everyone thought it was the coolest invention ever. It was a life saver for us. And Zac loves putting that teddy bear on his back because he knows it means he is allowed to walk!

I should post part 2 next week containing some awesome hiking, the beautiful village of Mittenwald, and the famous Alpine Road

Alecia & Dave

Chad & Vy's wedding Highlight

Chad & Vy Wedding Highlight from Donny Martin Cinematography on Vimeo.

Ok so I have been really excited to share this wedding. Its been awhile since I have shared anything, I guess its kind of the lull before the storm! With a ton of projects this fall, I thought I would start with one of those perfect couples, Chad and Vy. They are super fun, outgoing, beautiful, creative (just click here if you dont believe me! yep thats over a million views!) and just a total joy to be around. Vy has this infectious laugh that just makes you smile. You could just feel the emotion from through out the day. I was struck by how sincere and in love they were... hope you enjoy! 
The film was shot with Canon 7D's. lenses were 35L, 85L, 135L, 70-200L, and a tokina 11-16. steadicam merlin, and a glidetrack.
If you would like to have your wedding filmed, my contact info is listed here

Utah July

Utah July from Donny Martin Cinematography on Vimeo.

well this past couple weeks we had a blast in Utah. Just being around the mountains brings us a lot of joy. Zac seemed to love it too! We hopped around from place to place from staying in a motor-home up the canyon to staying in a 17000 sq foot mansion. It was awesome! We really enjoy being in Utah during the summer as they seem to do the 4th of July right. 

Taking the old computer "out back"

getting rid of the old computer from Donny Martin Cinematography on Vimeo.

This past couple weeks we have been in Utah visiting family and celebrating the 4th. There isn't anywhere I would rather be during the holiday. On one of the days my Bro 'n Law took me to the the local gun range in Nephi, Utah. Apparently his computer monitor needed to come with us. I think this may be the first time I have ever shot a hand gun (not pictured as I couldn't hit a target if my life depended on it!). It was a blast and I look forward to doing it again next year.... maybe I can haul out my old printer to teach it a lesson!
Im excited to post the rest of our trip in the next couple weeks!

Snippet of the Marcks Fam

So here is a short, very short snippet of the Marcks family. The plan was to do family portraits and then maybe film a family video. After about 10 minutes of filming we had to cut it short due to the fire ants (im still itching!), and shoot the family pictures.

Marcks Family 2011 from Donny Martin Cinematography on Vimeo.