Comments:
Look at my picture up there! Looks like someone is pulling on my ears giving me Chinese Eyes! Loooool! Whew! I haven't seen that picture in years! Loool!
Anyway, below is a brief history:
I still remember people asking me what I was going to do after high school graduation. My reply was “nothing”, I just wanted to kick around in my home town and have one last summer, which I did, other than a moderate amount of farm work. After that I followed in my fathers footsteps, driving spikes for a living with the AT&SF (SantaFe Railway).
I was 25 and still doing that heavy labor when I finally bought a brand new Nikon 2020 with a 210 mm lens, something I should have done much sooner. I’ll never forget the astonishment of my local friends, they couldn’t believe I spent that much on a camera and would ask “Do you know how to use that thing”? My answer was.......”No” but about three years later my 3rd publication was in “Horse n Rider” magazine.
After ten long years of dangerous work on the AT&SF, I decided that It sure would be nice to retire with ten fingers and ten toes. That and I was off with an injury when I started attending the OK School of Photography in OKC. I never intended to make a living in the business but I thought it might be something to fall back on. Maybe work in a photo lab or something. I resigned from the RR a short time later and graduated from photo school a couple months after that.
Next I was off to Dallas to attend The Art Institute and get computer skills for a graphic arts career. I did feel I could get into this field and had been encouraged to do so many times while still attending high school art classes. Needing to work my way through school, I talked to my school rep and informed him that I did have some photography schooling, he reluctantly steered me to a freelance assistant list for art institute photo grads.
After I completed art school the rest is pretty much history. My first job, while still in school was assisting on a JC Penney location shoot. I'll never forget how hot it was setting up tents (the merch) and unloading a moving van full of equipment and props. Later I began assisting on everything from jewelry and fashion, to food and beverage, to airplane and automobile shoots. I have now traveled on assignments to almost every corner of the US and some tropical locations south of the border as well! Anything to make the day rate!!!
Now I have my own clients and contracts with agencies who market my images on a world wide basis. It is a continuous struggle in this business but it is worth it and most of the time it pays off! It has really been an adventure... I guess getting hurt on that RR job turned out all right after all!
Gib Martinez
