"This was one of my favorite 'look to the left' moments," Lauren Marttila wrote on Facebook under a beach scape photograph she had taken of two surfers seated on their boards in water, bathed in the light of a soft pink sky. "Sometimes during sunset -- that's really where the magic is."

What Lauren was referring to, and what most south shore beach dwellers know, is that when you're standing on this part of the island's glorious shoreline, the sun sets west, to your right, and most only look in that direction, watching as it slips beneath the horizon. The real pros, however, the seasoned islanders among us also look left, to the east, for that gorgeous swell of color in the sky -- pinks and purple hues which glow long after the sun has gone down.




And for Lauren, it's these unexpected moments of beauty that make up her portfolio. Whether it's a clutch of birds scattered across the length of a wave as captured in her piece entitled "Flock" or surfers patiently waiting on glassy waves for the next swell as captured in "Lineup," Lauren has found a way to preserve these subtle and serene moments of splendor, and more recently, has developed an online store to share them all.







"Seeing them in people's homes, that's what excites me," Lauren says with a smile as she sits across from me in a coffee shop, taking the early morning opportunity to meet with me before she begins her day as a paralegal with Rhoda Weinman, Attorney at Law. The night before I was to meet with her, I asked a friend what I should ask Lauren during our interview, to which my friend laughed and immediately replied, "Ask her how exhausting it is to be so perfect!" And now, at an ungodly hour of morning, without a hair out of place and dressed in a cashmere sweater, Lauren sits across from me, intently answering each question with a soft, friendly voice and plenty of welcoming smiles. While it's true that Lauren appears to be perfect, more than anything, she also appears to be good. Extremely philanthropic, she and husband Neil Marttila are both an integral part of the charitable communities on island; Lauren herself serves as the Co-Chair of the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club annual fundraiser; and at the time of our interview, had just completed four years on the board of Small Friends.

"I always liked to take photos," Lauren explains. "I didn't have a great camera, but would love to sit on the beach and take pictures of Neil surfing. For our first anniversary he gave me a really nice camera -- maybe partially to get better photos of himself," she laughs. "That was almost four years ago." But, being that there are only so many photos one can take of their husband surfing, Lauren began to explore and take pictures of other things while she sat there on the beach. Posting a few shots to social media, interest grew surrounding her new endeavor, and people inquired if they could buy them. "So I started to think, ok, maybe? It started more as a love of interior design. So I started to move stuff around in our house and use the photos in such a way that could be part of an interior design aspect." As we browse her Instagram account of carefully curated coastal interiors ornamented with Lauren Marttila photography, she laughs and says, "I kind of ran out of corners I could use in my house. Some of these are from customers. I think when someone sends you a picture of your art in their home -- that's the coolest thing."


Although a gallery does not currently represent her, Lauren's work is prominently featured in downtown Nantucket boutiques such as Milly & Grace and Bodega. Lauren's photos compliment the bohemian, breezy-interior feel of the later, and Stephanie Sproule, owner of the shop says, "Lauren is a perfect fit for my store because she took her hobby and love of interior design to the next level. She captures the beauty of Nantucket in all seasons."

For Lauren, living on Nantucket was almost accidental. Having grown up spending summers on the island, the New York City resident already had a strong affinity for Nantucket when plans for her to attend Hotchkiss, a local boarding school, didn't go as planned. "I chickened out," Lauren says with a smile. "And we already told my old school that I wasn't coming back. So my mom was amazing and she moved here for the year so I could do my freshman year of high school here." During the course of that year, Lauren met fellow classmates that she has remained friends with to this day, and also fell even more deeply enamored with the island she now calls home. After the year came to an end, finally attending Hotchkiss, then college, Lauren moved back to the island year-round. 

"It was always just a place where everyone was so happy," Lauren says of Nantucket. "And that's what it became. A safe place, a happy place where I could really just be who I wanted to be. I'll go other places and I love it, but realistically I couldn't live anywhere else."

And on any given day, as the sun gets low in the sky, Lauren can often be spotted hanging out of her husband's truck, chasing down the setting sun, taking pictures of the beauty all around her. "I don't know if I would have described myself as creative," Lauren says. "If you asked me to draw something, it would be atrocious, literally a stick figure. But I think that because my day job is sort of detail-oriented and analytical, I wanted -- I needed something that was an outlet, and creative, and photography became that." She pauses, then says, "It was like a missing piece. So I'm not sure if I am creative, but I'm enjoying trying to be."

And Lauren, we are enjoying it too.

To see Lauren's complete portfolio, visit www.laurenmarttila.com, check out her Instagram account @laurenmarttilaphotography or stop by local shops Bodega and Milly & Grace, both located in the heart of downtown Nantucket.


More work below . . . . . .

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Rebecca Nimerfroh is a writer and lives with her husband Jonathan on Nantucket year-round. For more of Rebecca's work visit www.rebeccanimerfroh.com.







Surf and lifestyle photographer Jonathan Nimerfroh's "Slurpee Wave" photos recently became a viral internet sensation. Jonathan lives year round on Nantucket and is the owner of three photography businesses; JDN PHOTOGRAPHY, Nantucket Salt and Runaway Bride Nantucket. To view Jonathan's complete portfolio, visit www.jdnphotography.com.

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