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Martha Asencio-Rhine - Photo Director/Projects and Features

Photo Director/Projects and Features

Ever heard of a momtographer? That was me. I took loads of photos of my two boys, building a love for photography that took me back to the classroom at 32 to get a college degree. Photojournalism wasn’t a word I was familiar with until seeing the work of the masters which led me down rabbit holes and ultimately to Google where I typed, “How to become a photojournalist?” Limited to my location due to the husband and kids thing, I chased a journalism degree at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, a great choice as it set me on a path to intern at the Tampa Bay Times’ photo department. Since formally joining the team I’ve learned a lot from smart, talented people and found a well of support. I’m originally from the Dominican Republic but I’ve grown up in St. Pete; the Times is my hometown newspaper. I love spending time with my family, including the rowdy Dominicans in the diaspora. Any outing with friends is always fun; bikes, beach, brunch, plus reading a lot of novels, shopping for antiques, getting lost in the trees or laying in the sun.

  1. Heavyn Harris prays as she pays her respects Saturday during a vigil for the victims of an overnight crash of a vehicle that caused several deaths and injuries at Bradley's on 7th, a popular LGBTQ+ nightclub. "It's all I can do," Harris said of taking a moment to pray.
  2. Eyhanna “Cookie” Johnson, 30, of Tampa, performs at the St. Pete Pride parade on Saturday, June 28, 2025 in St. Petersburg.
  3. Visitors admire the artwork displayed in "The Beacon of Hope” exhibition at the Woodson Museum, in honor of Juneteenth.
  4. Members of the Albany State University Marching Rams Show Band perform during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Big Parade on Monday in St. Petersburg.
  5. Times photographer Dirk Shadd on assignment at City Hall in St. Petersburg.
  6. Women react after news that Amendment 4 is projected to fail during the Yes on 4 watch party Tuesday in St. Petersburg.
  7. Jamir Lewis wades through floodwaters with his two daughters, Nylah and Aria, on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Crystal River. The area flooded due to storm surge from Hurricane Helene.
  8. An local resident local takes a seat as waves crash against the balustrade along Bayshore Boulevard on Thursday in Tampa.
  9. Tammy James, 42, a Firefighter with St. Pete Fire Rescue, at Lake Maggiore Station 8, on Aug. 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg.
  10. Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris appears on stage on Aug. 22, 2024, during the Democratic National Convention at the United Center.
  11. Poll workers Caleb Teeple left, and Corey Judge post precinct signs while participating in the 2024 primary election on Tuesday at the Polish Center in Clearwater.
  12. A general view of the extinguished Olympic flame at the Gardens of the Tuileries during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games , at the Stade de France, Paris on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (Tolga Akmen/PA via AP, Pool)
  13. A white-faced capuchin monkey sits within its enclosure at the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary Foundation on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, in Palm Harbor.
  14. Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump stands on stage with former first lady Melania Trump, family members and Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and his wife Usha Chilukuri Vance, during the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum, Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  15. An oak tree with sprawling limbs is pictured around a bike path at Hammock Park in Dunedin. The tree is popular with local kids who like to climb the branches.
  16. Ezekiel Trujillo, 4, of Albuquerque, NM, observes the solar eclipse Monday while attending the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival's solar eclipse viewing party on Clearwater Beach.
  17. A rescue worker stands near the cordoned off site of a leaning building in the aftermath of an earthquake in Hualien, eastern Taiwan on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. Taiwan's strongest earthquake in a quarter century rocked the island during the morning rush hour Wednesday, damaging buildings and highways. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai)
  18. A pair of juvenile alligators are pictured among the grass in Lake Maggiore at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, Wednesday, March 21, 2024 in Str. Petersburg.
  19. A juvenile alligator suns itself on the shore of Lake Tarpon at John Chesnut Sr. Park on Wednesday, March 20 in East Lake.
  20. Richard Hornbuckle's car rests where it skidded to a stop just14 inches from the edge of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which was struck by the freighter Summit Venture on May 9, 1980. The freighter rammed the southbound span of the bridge, collapsing a 1,200 foot length of the bridge and sending several cars and a Greyhound bus into the water. Thirty-five people died.
  21. Wildflowers bloom in a field at Largo Central Park Nature Preserve on an overcast day Friday in St. Petersburg.
  22. People attend Localtopia, a yearly celebration of all things local, at Williams Park on Saturday in St. Petersburg.
  23. A person snaps a photo of Historic Old Northeast’s popular Tabebuia tree, or pink trumpet tree, which is in full bloom, Monday in St. Petersburg.