Martha was born in Chicago, grew up in the Panhandle of Texas, lived in Baghdad and Madrid, before going to graduate schools in Spanish literature. She taught Spanish for many years to high school and university students and continued to travel.

"Photography is one of my passions. Through photography I record the visual impact of the world around me: street scenes, daily life, special celebrations, and landscapes. I try to capture the play of light and shadow, textures, colors, shapes, and most difficult of all, how people live and feel. My photographs are a way of sharing with others the world I experience. Recently I have begun writing short pieces about my photographs, thus combining two of my interests - writing and photography."