Conversations with Walter Martin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Walter Martin.

Hi Walter, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have been doing photography for about 9 years. Before, I was trying to get into the local film industry and I ended up having to put that on hold because I would frequently be working for free on film sets and I needed to find a stable job to help pay for bills. When I started working at an office job, I turned to photography as a hobby to keep up with my film making skills and when I started sharing my photos, I often get told that I need to pursue it professionally. Since then, I have been doing photography on the side here and there, but mainly have sold a few of my photos through Shutterstock.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I cannot say that it has. When I was in college and working on film sets, I often get told by a lot of the professionals to keep an open mind because you may think you know what you want to do and where you want to go, but you may find yourself doing something entirely different and you’ll find yourself finding a new passion that you never knew existed. I suppose that has what happened with my photography because I never had much of an interest with it until I bought my first camera and I began to experiment with it. Since then, it has really opened my eyes and I never realize just how much I have fallen in love with it. In the course of the 9 years, I have been trying to figure out how to start doing it professionally, but never really devote much time on it because of how busy I have been with my office job. Getting laid off, I am now trying to devote some time on how to make more money off of it, become a full professional, and use it to support me in my career and life.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
For the moment, I have been doing photography as a hobby though I do sell some of my photos through shutterstock and on occassion do a professional photoshoot here and there. I mainly like to take landscapes, architecture, travel and events. Since I have been laid off from my office job, I have been exploring the possibility of transitioning into doing something more professionally. One of my co-workers has often advised me to look into travel blogging. But like I have said, I am still exploring and figuring out my options. Generally, what I am most proud of are the photos I have taken in foreign countries and allowing people to take a glimpse of them through my social media posts. It’s the one thing most people like to comment about because they often say they feel like they’re right there in the action and so I try to maintain that consistency though I do sometimes try to switch it up and experiment a little.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Lately, there have been a lot of talk regarding AI for both photography and the film industry. A lot of the things I often see on LinkedIn is the question whether or not the photo has been geniunely taken by human hands or if it is a completely a synthetic creation. The best example is that I’ll see someone post about how they took a candid photo of themselves with a cell phone and they used the AI to synthetically create a professional headshot. Does it look good, sure. But does it show them as genuine? That is a matter of debate. I think AI is a useful tool that can help with editing photos, but I don’t believe that it can fully replace the human element no matter how advanced it gets within the next 5-10 years. I think people will appreciate and want something that is done with emotion and human hands. In the case of having AI to make a candid photo to appear like a professional headshot, I’m sure it looks good, but if you compare it to a photo taken by a photographer, I would say the photographer would win out because they know the proper angles, they know how to draw out the emotion and the authenticity of their personality that can help establish a connection with their fellow peers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wamartin.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writer.filmmaker2013/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walteramartin/