Today we’d like to introduce you to Moe Martinez.
Moe, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I have been into photography as far back as I can remember, I remember using my first allowance to buy a camera (possibly a Fisher price Kodak 110), later taking a black and white film course during one of my high school summers. Not until I moved to Chicago did I decide, and built up the courage, to start looking for models to work with. I have done a lot of different types of photography, working for corporate clients and publications, but I made a choice that doing it full time was not for me and now I mostly create for myself or select clients.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I would say I am primarily a portrait or beauty photographer (occasional street photographer). In my work I am always looking to portray strength and beauty. I want to give that sense of empowerment to the people I shoot; in that regard I always try to involve the subject in the creative process, giving them a voice in the overall feel of it, if not the look.
Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
I often see creators trying to imitate others or keep creating variations of the same thing because it’s what got you the most traction on social media. Create what makes you happy and if you’re creating with other people, try to create something that everyone on the team can be happy with. Perfection is an illusion, so don’t chase it, failure is always an option, use it to learn. Don’t let the number of likes, comments, etc. dictate how you create.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I post mostly to Instagram, but if that’s not the best for you, I also side post to all other social media sites (@sfmoe in just about all of them) and try to keep my online portfolio fairly up to date at http://moemartinez.com
Support is always appreciated, be it moral or monetary. In that sense I have started working on putting out some prints into the world, starting with a small limited release of my street photography on Etsy: http://etsy.com/shop/sfmoe
Contact Info:
- Website: http://moemartinez.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/sfmoe
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/sfmoe
Image Credit:
Michelle Reid, Brittany Green, Lexi Perakis, Elizabeth Cohen, Jana Schneider, Cate Perakis
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