The Beginner Photography Podcast

From Family Snapshots to Captivating Photography with Mario Martinez

• Raymond Hatfield

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#556 Mario Martinez is a dedicated photographer driven by the desire to capture genuine memories for his family. Mario shares his journey from an amateur photographer, motivated by a disappointing family photo experience, to a passionate pursuer of capturing genuine moments. The episode primarily revolves around the evolution of Mario’s photography skills, his intrinsic motivation, and the seamless integration of his camera into his life as a tool for cherishing memories.

KEY TOPICS COVERED

  1. Discovery of Photography - Mario reflects on his initial interest in photography after a family photo mishap, which led to his purchase of a camera. The key takeaway is the power of personal motivation in learning a new craft.
  2. Progression and Style Development - Mario discusses his journey from photographing street scenes to more intentional family portraits and engagement shoots. This progression highlights the importance of adapting one's style based on personal interests and experiences.
  3. Use of Lighting and Technology - Mario shares insight into his exploration of lighting techniques to enhance the emotive quality of his images, demonstrating the impact of technical knowledge in achieving artistic goals.

IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS & CONCEPTS

  • ADHD: Mario mentions his ADHD as a factor in his photography approach, highlighting the intuitive aspect of his work.
  • Lighting Techniques: The use of flash and shadows is emphasized as vital in creating mood and emotion within a photograph.

DISCUSSION & REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. How does Mario's approach to capturing genuine moments influence your understanding of emotional expression in photography?
  2. In what ways can personal experiences shape one's photographic style and technique?

RESOURCES:
Follow Mario Martinez on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/marios_creative_imagery/

Download your free copy of
46 Creative Photo Ideas to Get You Out of a Rut
at https://creativeimageideas.com/

Sign up for your free CloudSpot Account today at www.DeliverPhotos.com

Connect with Raymond!


Thanks for listening & keep shooting!

Mario Martinez:

I would like for them to say they feel almost like they were there. Like if it's a couple that's laughing, I would love to see what happened there? Like why are they laughing kind of deal. Something good must have happened. Like, I want that feeling to be evoked through the pictures, through the editing, the way that I capture it, the way that I use light, and I want it to feel like it belongs in somebody else's memory, if that makes sense. I want my images to feel like a memory no matter who's looking at it.

Raymond Hatfield:

Hey, welcome to the Beginner Photography Podcast. I'm your host, Raymond Hatfield, and today we're chatting with community member Mario Martinez about chasing the images he visualizes in his head. First, the Beginner Photography Podcast is brought to you by Cloud Spot. Impress your clients with a beautiful gallery that is easy to view, share and download on any device. Control image size at a watermark, and even download limits. You can grab your free forever account today over@deliverphotos.com and only upgrade when you are ready. Today's guest, Mario has not only been a member of the Beginner Photography podcast community for years. He's consistently been one of the top contributors of the group according to Facebook. Now, how Mario uses the group has helped him grow his skills faster and further, honestly than I would say 99% of everybody else in the community. See when Mario posts something in the group, he doesn't just say, here's a photo that I captured today. What do you think? What Mario does is he shares the image, what he was aiming for in the images, whether it's, a focus on capturing a specific emotion or a new use of light. And then he asks, Hey, what did I do that works here and what specifically about my lighting or timing could I improve next time? And that is a game changing move that everybody should implement. And I have to say, when talking to him today, after years of interacting with him in the group, it was exactly how I imagined. He's curious. He wants to learn and he wants to be the best version of a photographer that he can. So in today's interview, we talk a lot about visualization. Coming up with the idea for photos in your head. We talk about how you have to be a selfish photographer to be a generous photographer, and we talk about how photography acts as a second or external memory for your life. And as I said earlier, Mario is in the beginner photography podcast community where he's able to learn and grow his skills as a photographer. And I would love to invite you to join Mario, myself, and the others in the group as well. So why don't you come join us. Just head over to beginner photo pod.com/group to join us now. It's free and honestly one of the safest places on the internet for new photographers like yourself. So with that, let's go ahead and get on into today's interview with Mario Martinez. So, Mario, I'm just gonna jump right into my first question for you, which is, when did you know that photography was gonna play an important role in your life?

Mario Martinez:

I don't think I ever realized or thought it was gonna play a big part in my life. I just kind of got a camera to take pictures of my family and it just never stopped,

Raymond Hatfield:

Really,

Mario Martinez:

yeah, and it just, from there, it just started growing and growing and growing, and it just turned into something that I can't put down anymore.

Raymond Hatfield:

But why did you get the camera in the first place?

Mario Martinez:

There was an instance where we, me and my family went to go do, I believe it was a fundraiser, so I'm not gonna chastise the person, but the photos came back really bad. I was really impressed'cause I had never seen a studio setup, but they had like umbrellas and a backdrop and everything else, and I was expecting something grand and it turned out to be very bad.

Raymond Hatfield:

Hmm.

Mario Martinez:

I said, I'm going to go ahead and just learn how to take pictures so I could take pictures of my immediate family for the holidays and stuff like that.

Raymond Hatfield:

Is that kind of indicative of who you are as a person. Once you start to get into something, you just dive all the way in.

Mario Martinez:

No, this is the first time, like I am your typical A DHD kid.

Raymond Hatfield:

Uh.

Mario Martinez:

I would pick something up and then I would go do it again, and then drop it, and then go to the next and next. Like you see the guitar back there. It's been sitting there for so long and I've tried learn, but I've just never stuck with it.

Raymond Hatfield:

Dude, same. I know. Yeah. It, it can be difficult. So then what is it about photography?

Mario Martinez:

I dunno, to be honest. It's just, it brings me into a sense of my brain working in a different way.

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm-hmm.

Mario Martinez:

So, I'm not gonna say I'm a very technical kind of shooter. Everything that I do is almost intuitive, and that's just in my life I'm like, this feels right, this doesn't feel right. And I don't technically go say, well if I put this here, it's gonna go like this. I'm like, ba So it's just very. It just feels right, if that makes sense.

Raymond Hatfield:

It does. I've never been diagnosed with a DD or a DHD or anything, but I, I would definitely. Say that I have a lot of tendencies that would suggest that that's a possibility for me. And when I get started with something, I get so excited, right? Like whether it be, I got a base over there in the corner that I've attempted to learn how to play, a hundred times throughout my life. And yet, it never happens. or whatever it is, disc golf, brewing beer, lawn care, all of these things I get so excited for in the beginning. But then very quickly, I'll lose that amount of enthusiasm, going forward with them. So I think for me, when it comes to like photography, I think for me, the thing that made me stick with it was, it's. I don't wanna say ease, but like the ease of ability to capture, because it's like withdrawing. It could take hours with music if you get, you know, it's so hard to tell if you're good or bad. It's the same with, brewing beer as well, but it's like with a camera. I don't have that same sort of barrier. I can look at it and kind of subjectively say yes or no. It's good or bad, and then keep going from there. Would you say that it's similar for you? Is that right? I.

Mario Martinez:

Yes, and it's just, I guess you could say that for the longest time I've wanted to like capture what I've seen in my head because I would see, I. by where I used to work in Oxnard, there's, you know, you go through the pass and you're up high and you come down and you see the mountains and the landscape and there's clouds and they're low and everything else. And I was like, I wanna capture that. I've never been able to I started shooting on my camera.

Raymond Hatfield:

Hmm.

Mario Martinez:

And so it's just always been that I want to be able to see if I can replicate what I see in my head

Raymond Hatfield:

Hmm.

Mario Martinez:

it's, it's beautiful. It's like people, sceneries and stuff like that. I can't do landscape. I just don't know how but it never comes out how I want to. And so it like, that just brings me a sense of almost like an achievement,

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

like I did that.

Raymond Hatfield:

Okay, so, let's lay the groundwork here first. What style of photography are you most drawn to right now? You said it was, it was portraits. Would you go deeper into that?

Mario Martinez:

I think it's just, I would say human interaction.

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm-hmm.

Mario Martinez:

So, I like seeing people and the way that they behave. I like giving as of lately, I'm not gonna say at the beginning,'cause I hated that I wanted to be a, a street photographer first, because I don't have to interact with people. I could just hide in the shadow, take pictures, nobody notices, and then you move on. But it's just, Human psychology, I guess like people just interest me. The way that they work, the way that they think, the where they come from and the expressions that they have and those kind of things. It's what caused me to taking pictures of people because you could say something that'll evoke something and you get to see that person and understand them a little bit more.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah. you started off doing street photography, is that right?

Mario Martinez:

Yes, because, and my kids and that kind of stuff. So it was just always and shoot, like just see what happens and just react to it. And there was no, the sun is too bright or this is other here it was just go out and shoot and just capture whatever I was seeing as I see it without any intention behind it.

Raymond Hatfield:

Why did you not stick with street photography?

Mario Martinez:

I just don't have the time. Like I'm

Raymond Hatfield:

Hmm.

Mario Martinez:

working. I work seven nights a week, so it's just, I wake up, go to work, come home, go with the kids, and then if I have time to, I'll do something here at the house, but I'm never, I don't feel like I'm anywhere close to where I could be to go do street photography.

Raymond Hatfield:

I see, I see. Yeah. Street photography is one of those things that's like I've shared this before. I don't live in Indianapolis. I live in a suburb of Indianapolis, but it's like the town that I live in is small enough to where if I were to just go out on the streets, it could be a while until somebody shows up. You know? Like it's not, it could just take time. Whereas, if I'm at home, I got a dog, I got kids, I got, my family who I could photograph here. Was that the natural progression for you to just start photographing, your family?

Mario Martinez:

Yeah, that was always 100% the goal, and it was my, especially my oldest son, he's been my test subject for everything and anything that I've ever done or tried from trying to figure out exposure from just laying in my bed and using my camera to take pictures from my bed to where he was and that kind of stuff,

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm-hmm.

Mario Martinez:

I was standing at. then from there it just progressed to my girlfriend and then, her kids that are now my kids. And so our kids, and it's just been an ongoing evolution of like, I want to have something for me, I was gonna say for my family to pass down, but it's, it's for me.

Raymond Hatfield:

Hmm.

Mario Martinez:

have something to remember my family by, because I didn't give any value to photography before. Like, it didn't make sense to me, like why people care so much about photography until custody of my oldest son.

Raymond Hatfield:

Explain to me a little bit more about the difference between shooting for them and shooting for yourself.

Mario Martinez:

So I guess you could say I'm just selfish in that sense.

Raymond Hatfield:

I don't think that's what it is.

Mario Martinez:

yeah. Well, for me it is, it's more of a, I want something for me. Like it's nice for me to shoot and to have these memories. I don't know if they'll appreciate'em the way that I do, but you know, I have of my mom playing soccer with all the grandkids and as they're getting older, I didn't understand what it was to say, have a finite time with somebody. I went from having a kid to, he wasn't there one day and then I got him back again,

Raymond Hatfield:

Hmm.

Mario Martinez:

so I never realized how quickly things can change. Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing. So now that I have that foresight, I guess I want to be able to capture the memories of us doing stuff like going to Disneyland, my kids playing sports, my family during Christmas, that and Thanksgiving that we like to dress up and stuff like that. So those are all just for me to have, and if they like him, good, but if not, hey, I have something.

Raymond Hatfield:

I wouldn't consider that selfish at all. In fact, I would consider that extremely generous.'cause I have found that as a photographer, when I'm trying to create something for others,

Mario Martinez:

Mm-hmm.

Raymond Hatfield:

I'm not that other person, right? So it's hard for me. I just have to make assumptions of what it is that they want and how it is that they want that. Whereas if I'm photographing for myself. I know what I want. I know, how to stylistically capture that, and I'm able to produce what I think is a better product. And when I'm happier as a photographer, I then shoot more. And when I shoot more, I have more stuff to share. So it's like if I were to just photograph for my family, like, not even for myself, just my family, I think it'd be really easy to get burnt out and then I would just stop taking photos. Whereas if I photograph, quote unquote for myself. I fulfill myself more as a photographer to allow myself to now be taking more photos. And then in the end, there's just more photos for the kids to have. And if they want a certain something, I'd be happy to teach them how they can, use this tool. But it's like, yeah, I don't know. does that make sense?

Mario Martinez:

Yeah, because you know, at the end of the day, that is my goal for somebody to have something.

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm-hmm.

Mario Martinez:

I just, like I said, I want to take the pictures that I want to take

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

the day,

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

I want to shoot the way that I think I that I can do it and not in, like if somebody, if my kid comes, like, there's been a couple pictures where he's like, Hey, can you make me look like an anime? And I was like, okay, ghost trails, let's go.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

know, like we do the whole shutter drag and I'll put some lights and there's trails coming off of him. And while he's doing his thing and. I like challenging myself, and you can say that was for him. But I have that memory of him now that he's into this because right now he's getting ready to do a tournament for boxing I don't think anybody else is gonna have pictures of their kids doing these things for boxing

Raymond Hatfield:

Right, right. Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

but

Raymond Hatfield:

That all. And you do, and that all stemmed from you wanting to capture it the way that you wanna capture it. So I wouldn't consider that, that selfish at all. I think again, that's a very generous thing. So, I like that. Let me ask, just so that we can get kind of an idea, because as, as you know, I mean, you're in the Facebook group, there's a wide range of skill. People with different skills, right? Within the Facebook group, people who are brand new to photography. I think I saw somebody today just say that they got their first camera last week. And as you know, yourself included, there's people who have been shooting for years. So, how would you describe your, current skill level and your confidence behind the camera?

Mario Martinez:

I am comfortable behind the camera and I'm also very ignorant behind the camera, There's a lot that I don't know about photography. So that kind of opens up a lot of possibilities as towards what I can do because like I don't know this lighting technique, but I also don't know, How to do it properly. So there's technically not a wrong way for me to do something. So for me it's like my ignorance is my greatest asset at the same time.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

like I don't know what good lighting good lighting is'cause you know, it, it is just the way that what I know how to do right now. And, but you know, I'm not a Lindsay Adler or a Seth Miranda and or Chris Knight and those kind of people that, they're pros, but I know how to do what I know how to do, and I know that there's still a lot more that I need to learn.

Raymond Hatfield:

I think that's always gonna be the case though, right?

Mario Martinez:

I hope so.

Raymond Hatfield:

You Right. Okay.

Mario Martinez:

Like I don't, I don't want to tap out and be like, oh, there's nothing left for me to learn. What do I do now? Like, I guess I'll go play with my kids now.

Raymond Hatfield:

I know, like how, sad is it to think, it's so funny'cause it's like when you first get into photography, you think I wanna know everything about photography. And then is, you get deeper into this journey, you think to yourself, I hope that I never learn everything about photography because, at least for me, that joy of discovery,

Mario Martinez:

Mm-hmm.

Raymond Hatfield:

of trying new things is, is what I'm after these days. You know, it's like, it's not so much the end result, but it's. Well, I guess it's the journey.

Mario Martinez:

It's,

Raymond Hatfield:

the journey. Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

yeah.

Raymond Hatfield:

I love that. Okay, so, you feel confident behind the camera, so, let's go back to the beginning a little bit. What camera did you start with and, what was the most challenging element of photography for you to learn when you first got your camera?

Mario Martinez:

Well, my first and only camera has been my Nikon Z.

Raymond Hatfield:

Oh, really? Okay.

Mario Martinez:

Yeah. Yeah. So that was four years ago. I bought it on, Valentine's Day, actually,

Raymond Hatfield:

Huh?

Mario Martinez:

I'm never gonna forget that day. But yeah, so I bought that camera I still don't think that I ever felt like there's been anything hard or complicated about photography. Per se. So it's just been constantly trying and learning and doing stuff with the camera because again, when you're ignorant and you're like, oh, well I've never had a camera. This is the best camera I've ever had. So I don't, the first picture I took was the best picture I ever took because there's been nothing else like it before it. So I, I don't know what else to compare it to. So the journey has just been like, okay, let's try this. Let's go here, let's go there. And just constantly learning to attach myself to the camera, I guess.'cause that's what you always told us.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah,

Mario Martinez:

your camera, go outside, get used to having it with you, even if you feel weird. And it does feel very weird still

Raymond Hatfield:

it does feel weird.

Mario Martinez:

Yeah. So I still don't make eye contact with people when I'm out shooting and I just feel like, oh, they caught me.

Raymond Hatfield:

Well, that's the thing. I feel like if you do make eye contact, then there's more of that question in their mind of like, were they looking at me with that camera? Yeah. No, I try to do that same thing.

Mario Martinez:

it just feels awkward, like, no,

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

don't do it.

Raymond Hatfield:

Well, it's funny, I just looked right now in the group and you joined March 10th, 2021, so you must have joined. Less than a month after getting your first camera

Mario Martinez:

Yes.

Raymond Hatfield:

after getting your camera. Wow. That's wild. Okay, so then tell me, first, how did you find the podcast? How did you find the group?

Mario Martinez:

Well, first I would had the idea of buying the camera. And then it was me realizing I don't know how to use a camera,

Raymond Hatfield:

I.

Mario Martinez:

how am I gonna learn this? So then it was just, let's find out whatever I could do with, a podcast. I had never really learned or listened to podcasts until I started listening to yours. Like I had just heard like one or two and I was like, eh, podcasts aren't for me. I'm usually listening to music. So I started listening in 2020, and so I could figure out how to use a camera before I got it. And then I got the camera and then like just kept going. And now it's like is a podcast.

Raymond Hatfield:

Ev, everything is a podcast.

Mario Martinez:

like so many different, podcasts for photography like yours is because yours is almost more like I guess.

Raymond Hatfield:

Hmm.

Mario Martinez:

cause it's, you know, it's a story. It's, behind the scene. How did you get here? It's very heartfelt, I guess you can say. It just makes me feel like I want to understand how people shoot so I could learn how to do that because photography means something to me it means something to somebody else. And so it just grew from there. And then, there's business, podcasts and different people that I listen to and a bunch of different things in between.

Raymond Hatfield:

First of all, lemme say thank you for that, description. I love how you're able to, to pull that out of a podcast because it's, it's one of those things. It's funny'cause I was, looking back at some of the earliest episodes of the podcast as I go through and I try to update them, like some of those first episodes were like about how to use Snapchat for photographers, and then there was an episode with Brian Capi on like a clubhouse. And it's like, there, there are some things that change, you know? And I don't want to be the podcast where all of the information is topical right now. Only right now. and I would, I do strive to, to create more of an inspirational, podcast episode. So, hearing you say that, I really appreciate that.'cause I think that the inspiration is something that can last much longer than like any social app or, tip or trend of the day. So that's cool to hear from you, man. I really appreciate that. Wait, did we get into the biggest challenge that you had, when learning?

Mario Martinez:

you did ask me, but I don't think I ever saw anything as a challenge. It's just that I didn't know anything like,

Raymond Hatfield:

Hmm

Mario Martinez:

I mean, literally nothing because the first thing that I looked at was like, oh, what's the largest aperture that my camera can have?

Raymond Hatfield:

mm-hmm.

Mario Martinez:

that it came from a

Raymond Hatfield:

The lens.

Mario Martinez:

So, yeah, so I had to learn all of that, the, you know, through podcasts and through, articles and, whatever I could find on Facebook and anything else. So it's just been, I guess you could say the biggest challenge has just been learning what photography is in general, so much as the technical, as the vision I guess,

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

photography. The art, there you go. The art of photography.'cause it's, you could be a technical person and just I'm gonna take a picture of my dog that's laying down there. You can't see him, but he's right there. and call it a day. And then it's gathering all of the information of, okay, I just want to have his nose in focus. That means I gotta get closer. I have to have a shallow depth field, and, and just gathering the information, I guess, was the most challenging part, and figuring how to create the image that I see in my head.

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm. Because you don't know what you don't know.

Mario Martinez:

exactly.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

is just always been like, chasing, chasing, chasing, chasing, chasing. it, I guess that has been the most challenging part, trying to get the image in my head out into reality.

Raymond Hatfield:

So let's talk more about that vision that you have in your head because it, it's funny'cause when I look at, your work, like if somebody were to tell me like, Hey, Mario just posted something in the group. I would have like no preconceived idea of what it might be like. It could be, uh, photos of your son, like boxing. It could be, plants. It could be, double exposures. It could be the shutter drag, it could be, your trip to Disneyland. Like it could be the family rollerblading. It could be so many things. and that's one of the things that I, I love most is how versatile you are in what it is, that you're able to shoot. But, even concert photography. you shared some photos like of a concert that, that you had went to. Talk to me then about I don't wanna say talk to me about your vision, but like, it seems to me like you have a way of seeing the world, You have a direct connection with your camera to be able to capture it in such a way that it, I can tell that you're reaching for the vision that you have, that you're reaching for the, the creative, idea in your head that it's not just a snap, it's not a snapshot, it's not unintentional, but you're actively going for it. And I can tell that from every single one of your photos. So talk to me about that creative process for you from when does this vision for a photo start, and then how do you get to the point to where you press the shutter and you achieve it? That's a giant question. So take your time.

Mario Martinez:

a very, very big question. Hold on. gonna need like half an hour to process this. Uh,

Raymond Hatfield:

I got time.

Mario Martinez:

It's weird or funny that you say that because I don't, put as much thought into it as it might seem. It's just more of observing the world for a second and just, slowing down, just observing. Like if I am at a, like you said at a concert. I see the person, and if I've seen them before, sometimes I know exactly what they're gonna do. Like, there's a band called The Lytes. I just shot them and we wanna go watch'em. And it's almost like every single show that they have is the same thing. So you kind of know what to expect, what they're gonna do, how they act, and stuff like that. But it's. You're like, I see the lights and I see the things, and it's almost like trying to create a movie poster, if that makes sense. Because a lot of everything in my images, like a lot of the visual elements. Come from being raised on TV and movies. And so, used to call me Bobby from Bobby's World.'cause that was just me just living in my head, just constantly, imagination running wild and like, let's go on an adventure. All right, let's go. And so

Raymond Hatfield:

Wait real quick. Did you have that big wheel, that same big wheel that Bobby had?

Mario Martinez:

uh, God, I wish I did. I was too busy being on a skateboard.

Raymond Hatfield:

Gotcha.

Mario Martinez:

Yeah. But, um, it's my A DHD that makes me hyper aware of the world. That is just a small instance. Like you have a small window to see something that you're never gonna see again.

Raymond Hatfield:

Hmm.

Mario Martinez:

ever. so I've been seeing those things in my head for such a long time that now my camera is just allowing me to create that image for me. If I'm doing something like I think that's the best way that I could explain it, if

Raymond Hatfield:

Uh,

Mario Martinez:

sense.

Raymond Hatfield:

It does make sense. Is this something that you think has developed over time since, since using your camera, or did you have the same ability

Mario Martinez:

no,

Raymond Hatfield:

day one.

Mario Martinez:

no. Well, I've had the same ability in my head since as far as I could remember.

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm

Mario Martinez:

been certain moments in my life I wish I could forget and moments that I am glad that I have in my head,

Raymond Hatfield:

mm.

Mario Martinez:

and, uh, moving around and doing a bunch of different things since I was a kid and living in places like Mexico City, it was just you. You see a lot of things in the best and in the worst ways, and my brain works almost like a sponge still. I have so much information accumulated in my head that it's just all mental images of stuff that has happened in my head.

Raymond Hatfield:

How does the camera fit in there? If you're keeping these memories in your head, why even get a camera?

Mario Martinez:

because I don't know if you, this is normal or if you've ever felt this, but sometimes I have memories in my head that almost feel like a dream, like did it actually happen?

Raymond Hatfield:

Hmm.

Mario Martinez:

And I wanna know that it did happen.

Raymond Hatfield:

Hmm.

Mario Martinez:

So that that's where the camera comes in for me to know that, okay, this did happen I have this as proof, and I almost validate myself with that and I get to make it look kind of cool. I.

Raymond Hatfield:

You definitely are able to make it look, pretty cool. So then, one thing I've noticed, with you over the past few months, uh, year or so, some lights, set up. You've been doing outdoor portraits, you've been doing more creative portraits as well. So, when we think about these, remembering moments in time, as though they actually happened, talk to me about fitting these ideas of more creative uses of light, which we wouldn't normally see with our eyes, but we're able to create with a camera. And being able to do that. Is for you because again, as I said, like you've gone deep into the world of flash photography and it's been amazing to see. But yeah, sometimes we create images that are not, not based on, the reality in which our eyes see, but it's a world in which we're creating, within our head. Does that make sense?

Mario Martinez:

Yes. So, well, it's your fault first of all.

Raymond Hatfield:

You're welcome.

Mario Martinez:

Yeah, so thanks. But you were, you pushed a lot of people in the group, or I'm just gonna say you pushed, flash photography out just as a means to enhance a picture, but for me it was a flash. The pictures don't feel what I want to capture. So there was always something missing without the addition of flash.

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm-hmm.

Mario Martinez:

And once I started using flash, it was not necessarily, I don't think of it as creative, or at least not yet, because I think that there's different kind of people when it comes to photography.

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm-hmm.

Mario Martinez:

the natural light users and they're happy to be like that. There's the people that use flash and I, I think I'm in like, in the middle group of my, don't know how I segment people it's, I know how to use the light to enhance what I see.

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm-hmm.

Mario Martinez:

Then I think that there's other people like Lindsay Adler and other people that create something, that, they create a stage, they create an ambience, they create a scene the light and with props and with everything else. And I, am not creative in that sense, I know that without light, I can't bring the vision that I have in my head into reality. If that makes sense.

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm-hmm. I would say that I'm similar as well. When I create images, I don't use light to create a new world.

Mario Martinez:

Mm-hmm.

Raymond Hatfield:

and I know that I want more than just what's available naturally. so yeah, I would say that I'm right there in the middle, with you. So, was there a moment that you thought to yourself, I'm not happy with my images, I need to start learning flash? or what was it that got you into it specifically?

Mario Martinez:

I don't think it was, I needed flash. I just felt that there was something always missing from my pictures. I didn't know what it was. And then, like I said, you mentioned it and I went and bought the gear that, I don't know if you still have it up on the website, but it was like, the young Nu

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm-hmm.

Mario Martinez:

and I think it was like a newer or a Gods like a, I think it was like.

Raymond Hatfield:

Like a soft box or something?

Mario Martinez:

like a square soft box.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

a tiny little soft box. So I went and I invested in that and I got a light stand it was, okay, this is, is closer, but it's not what I see yet.

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm-hmm.

Mario Martinez:

so it's just been building and building and building and building and trying to figure out, I. More, not the light, but the shadows because don't think that I see light as light. I just see light for shadows, and that's what helps me guide my images and what I want to see in them.

Raymond Hatfield:

Oh, that is cool. Is that something that you developed just by working with light is realizing that it's the shadows that, uh, stand out to you.

Mario Martinez:

I don't know if it was working with the lights. I just remember noticing shadows.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

an image that I took of my, I'm not gonna call him ex, but my father-in-law, but he passed away and a couple years ago.

Raymond Hatfield:

Hmm.

Mario Martinez:

there's a picture that I kind of show it to you.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah,

Mario Martinez:

Let me grab it really

Raymond Hatfield:

yeah, of course.

Mario Martinez:

picture,

Raymond Hatfield:

Ooh.

Mario Martinez:

lemme get rid of the glare.

Raymond Hatfield:

Oh wow.

Mario Martinez:

the shadows of the blinds and this is like maybe a month after I grabbed my camera.

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm-hmm.

Mario Martinez:

And so I just.

Raymond Hatfield:

what? You captured this photo just a month into photography?

Mario Martinez:

Something like that.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

that. That's, like I said, it's the what I see in my head, and it wasn't so much that I saw. Just him. It's just that we were sitting down at the table and I was literally sitting across from him the sun was coming in from the side and I saw the shadows from the blinds and I was like, sit there. Just keep talking to me. And I just shot a bunch of pictures of him and you know, the exposure went up, exposure went down to try to create the shadows, and then editing went into it and like that. But I didn't know what I was doing. It was just. liked what I saw

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm-hmm.

Mario Martinez:

also a lot of the first validations of, I was doing a good job, I guess, and

Raymond Hatfield:

Hmm.

Mario Martinez:

I took his to heart a lot. So,

Raymond Hatfield:

Do you have that photo on Instagram or something?

Mario Martinez:

I

Raymond Hatfield:

Trying to figure, trying to figure out if there's a way to put it in the show notes, would you be able to send it to me and I can put it in the show notes?

Mario Martinez:

I could send it that to you later, but yeah, but that was like one of the very first pictures that I took and still to date a lot of people complimented me on it and I don't, never thought a lot of it, my girlfriend makes a lot more about it because for her it's those were her memories of him, like just

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

down and having conversations with him and she was like, and you just captured that image. And that's all that I remember of my dad is just sitting down and having conversations with him. Yeah, so he gave me a lot of encouragement and pushing and started noticing things in me before I even can say I loved photography, so it.

Raymond Hatfield:

That is nice, it's always good to get an encouraging word, especially in something so subjective as photography. Everybody has their own opinions on, on work and there's, there's work that gets a lot of praise that I don't see why it's giving a lot of praise. And then there's stuff that I think people hate and I absolutely love it. So, yeah, to hear that your stuff, that somebody likes your stuff, that it's resonating with somebody, that it means something to somebody. it does feel good. It does feel good. So, I want to go a little bit deeper into that because I think you said something there that was really interesting and that was, you know, your girlfriend said like, this is what I remember of my dad. This is truly who he is. And I think when I look at your images, I see two different things. I do see a, opposed the look, right? And that's typically coming from like the kids. And I can tell it's like, okay, this is something that you set up. This is something that you're testing, this is something that you're looking to achieve. But then also when you're out, when you are on a family adventure, when you're all rollerblading together, when you're doing, you know, whatever, there's something about those images that feels so genuine and so pure and not, put together or anything like that. So, I guess let me ask you, are you trying to keep the two separate because they're two separate things, or would you say that you're trying to get closer to one version or another?

Mario Martinez:

I think I am working to getting closer to things, not looking so Posy, I guess, like,

Raymond Hatfield:

Oh, okay. I gotcha.

Mario Martinez:

I think that there's a time and place for everything.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yep.

Mario Martinez:

And so if I am doing an engagement shoot, like in my head, I know that they're gonna want some of the, Hey, let's look at the camera, let's hold, let's pose, let's do this. But at the same time, it's like, can you get them to act themselves out in public?

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm.

Mario Martinez:

And not feel awkward in front of the camera kind of deal

Raymond Hatfield:

Yes.

Mario Martinez:

still want them, like if they're walking, I want them to feel like they're just walking and hanging out with themselves. And at the same time, if they're kissing each other, I want it to look like they're just kissing doing something else. But at the same time, I want it, to incorporate the background into whatever it is that I'm shooting to make it look like they belong in that scene, in that environment, if that makes sense.

Raymond Hatfield:

I love that. Yeah, absolutely.

Mario Martinez:

Yeah, so I think I'm just trying to get closer to how can I make things look the way that I want them to and feel natural at the same time.

Raymond Hatfield:

How are you working towards that? Because I just, real quick, I remember your engagement session, one of the ones that you posted, and I thought that you, you nailed it with that. I thought that it looked very natural. So maybe some of the images that I'm thinking of where it feels a little bit more posed. You know, again, I get it with kids, like my kids do it too, even today. Like I, I, I get it. Maybe some of those are older images. but with your engagement stuff, you've been killing it. And I definitely think that it has that feel. So how are you, practicing to get closer to making your couples or your subjects feel more comfortable in front of the camera so that their genuine self comes out?

Mario Martinez:

Talking. That's one of the biggest things that I found out, like even when I'm taking pictures of my kids. Like I said, it's just waiting for that one moment because I could be talking to my kids and I could just tell, especially my teenager, I could just, if I want him to smile, I'll talk to him like, Hey, what's going on with schools? And then I'll just blurt out boobs and then he'll be like, ah. he'll start laughing and because he's

Raymond Hatfield:

Kids. Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

Yeah. And it's just waiting for that small moment to, for something to happen. And it's the same thing with my other kids, of course, you know. My daughter, perfect princess. She does whatever I ask her to. She always wants to cooperate, and girls I feel are easier than boys. are always just stiff. So it's just been, trying to figure out how to talk to different people so that they can react the way that I want them to, I guess you could say.

Raymond Hatfield:

Are you saying that you are just trying to distract them from the fact that there's a camera in front of them?

Mario Martinez:

Yes. like Peter Hurley, like let's just for say like one of his things when I was doing a photo shoot with some models and we were doing like a group meetup thing. remember I used one of his lines and I was like, okay, now turn your nose a little more right towards, or Ryan's belt. And then she just looked at me. She was like, what? And I was, but that was just enough to get her out of, I'm a model.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah. Yeah.

Mario Martinez:

just a genuine smile. She relaxed and then we just kept shooting and, but you know, it is just trying to figure out those little things of how you can distract people enough to forget that they're taking a picture.

Raymond Hatfield:

Oh, that's so huge. That's so huge. It's funny'cause it's like we as a society take more photos of ourselves than ever before, and yet I feel like there's also so much more, trepidation to taking, to getting your photograph taken. Right. And I don't know if it's because we've just seen ourselves more so an image means less. I, I don't know what the answer is, but, I think it's fascinating that, that that's what we do. You know? And, and, but it, I can tell you it works like obviously it's working. I've seen it in your images. and I would just say. keep it up.'cause I like what you're doing and it makes sense, like from a psychology perspective, take somebody's mind off of the camera. They're gonna act more natural, you're gonna be able to get better photos. So that, that's great. well, let me ask, because we're getting to the end of our time here, One of the things that I think of in photography, I don't really talk about it often, but it, it is, it's legacy, right? And I'm only bringing this up'cause you kind of brought it up earlier in, in the form of, these images are for my kids, but I'm doing it for myself. And I'm the same way. I take photos for myself, but I want the kids to have stuff to look at, in the future. So if you were to think, a hundred years in the future, people are looking at your photos, not even your kids. it's a hundred years from now. What would you want those people to say about your work?

Mario Martinez:

I would like for them to say like, they feel almost like they were there. just in a sense, like, not just necessarily per se, they just wish they were at Disneyland per se. Like if it's a couple that's laughing, I would love to see what would, what happened there? Like why are they laughing? Kind of deal. Something good must have happened. Like, I want that feeling to be evoked through the pictures, through, the editing, the way that I capture it, the way that I use light, and I want it to feel like it belongs in somebody else's memory, if that makes sense. I know it sounds very weird and, you know, but that, that's just how I feel. Like it, just like, I want my images to feel like a memory no matter who's looking at it.

Raymond Hatfield:

Oh, I kind of sent chills down my spine. I love that idea. Because again, like photography isn't necessarily just about a document of something right in front of you, but when you use the camera the right way, you're able to bring emotion into an image, right? Like that intention right there is what makes an image more than just a snapshot and for you to say like, that's the thing that I'm chasing, tells me that you're never gonna have a problem, taking photos no matter what camera it is, whether it's your iPhone or a point and shoot, or your camera. you're always gonna be able to take photos that are going to mean something to others. So, I appreciate you saying that, but

Mario Martinez:

Not with a phone though. I stopped using my phone. I don't

Raymond Hatfield:

oh, completely, really?

Mario Martinez:

I completely like it. images I get from my phone never correlate to what I see in my head. I could never get what I see in my head onto my phone. Like as hard as I tried and tried using different range or zoom modes and different things, like I could just never, that's why I picked up the camera and I take it everywhere I go.

Raymond Hatfield:

Wow. Okay. So, I mix a lot. I take photos with my Fuji cameras. I take photos with my, you know, a GoPro. I take photos with my iPhone. So let me ask you, having the knowledge that you have now, just knowing how cameras work and I. The whole process of photography, why do you think that you're not able to achieve what's in your head with a cell phone?

Mario Martinez:

Because I think it, it does too much thinking.

Raymond Hatfield:

The camera does too much thinking.

Mario Martinez:

go. Yeah. So like with a phone, like I might be able to do something more with like, say a point and shoe camera than I probably could with everything that a phone does. don't get me wrong, I still think that phones take great pictures. They're great quality. I will still stand by Google Pixel. I still think they have the best camera. But it just, It never represents what I show, what I have in my head. Like I could look at my dog and take a picture with my phone and I won't be happy with it because, not enough detail. The, it decided that there's gonna let more light in from the background than I wanted to, or something like that. So my phone for when I don't have another option. So, like, say if I go to a concert, I can't bring my camera in, so my phone will do. And there has been some, like, there's some pictures on my from when I saw, say, Ferris, and that that was all done with my phone. Anything that's concert related is done on my phone'cause I can't take my camera. but if I, if I could ditch my camera on my phone and just carry my designated camera, I would do that all the time.

Raymond Hatfield:

I love it. Well, Mario, I gotta ask my last question for you here is, this is geared to help the people who are currently in the group who are struggling, to really make any progress with our photography. And that is if you were to rewind the clock, the four years to shortly after you first got your camera. You have all the knowledge that you have now, right? What's the one thing that you would tell that version of yourself about photography to either make it easier or just more enjoyable?

Mario Martinez:

Don't stop being curious. Because that, that for me has been

Raymond Hatfield:

I.

Mario Martinez:

everything, like the curiosity of what can I see with my camera. Like I posted the picture of a tiny little spider that was literally the size of my fingertip,

Raymond Hatfield:

I hated that by the way. Thanks. No more spider photos, please.

Mario Martinez:

know, anytime I got some more, um, I have it frozen in my, in my deep freezer.

Raymond Hatfield:

The spider.

Mario Martinez:

yeah. So I put

Raymond Hatfield:

What?

Mario Martinez:

and it was already dead. So I put it in a baggie to preserve it and I put it in my deep freezer in case I wanna try something else with it again. Um,'cause when am I gonna find another spider like that again?

Raymond Hatfield:

Hopefully never.

Mario Martinez:

uh, that would be great. But you know, it is just that curiosity of wanting to figure out what you can see with your camera. As long as you can keep chasing that, I don't think that there's ever gonna be anything difficult that comes with it until you start a business, then that's a completely different story. But in terms of just learning your camera, just that of saying. What happens, what can I do? What can I see, what can I add? Then it's just, it, it creates a lot of possibilities and it never ends.

Raymond Hatfield:

Hopefully, yeah, hopefully it never, never ends.

Mario Martinez:

I don't

Raymond Hatfield:

Well, well, Mario, again man, we're at the end of our time. I appreciate you so much. I know that you are in the group, you share photos constantly. You are, according to Facebook, one of our top contributors. So I appreciate you for that.

Mario Martinez:

I will keep annoying everybody.

Raymond Hatfield:

But for those, who want to follow you in the group and they wanna follow you outside, where's the best place to see some of your work online?

Mario Martinez:

Uh, I would say probably the best place would be Instagram, but I haven't updated that thing in like six, seven months because I don't, I refuse to, I just don't like social media. But, that would probably the best place. And I just started my website, so that has more of my recent work. Everything is under Mario's creative imagery, if you guys look for that, then you can find it.

Raymond Hatfield:

Remember if you have any follow up questions, Mario is in the community. So if you got a question to ask or you just wanna start sharing your photos and getting feedback on your work, then join him, myself, and the thousands of others who are looking to learn and grow their skills in photography by heading over to beginner photo pod.com/group now to join us. Today's action item, meaning the one thing that if you implement it today, will move the needle forward in your photography is this take your camera with you everywhere. Mario talked about taking his camera everywhere with him, and by forcing himself not to use his cell phone, he's been able to not only capture more and higher quality images of his life than what he would with a cell phone, but also it gives him a huge advantage of simply spending more time with the tool, and capturing more images. So I encourage you. Take a camera with you everywhere, whether you gotta buy a comfortable shoulder strap, a padded pocket for like a purse or a backpack, or a wrist strap, or honestly, just do what I do and just kind of throw your camera around. And I don't mean like throw your camera around, but I will tell you that cameras are not as fragile as you think that they are. So like, you don't have to protect it as if it's some fragile egg or something like that. Just take it with you. Capture more photos. Take your camera more places, photograph more things, get better. That was it for today.