We recently connected with Rhys Martin and have shared our conversation below.

Rhys, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

Legacy is a complicated term these days, but I hope that if people look at work, my journey to photography and writing serves as an inspiration. You don’t have to have some fancy history degree or super expensive advanced equipment – you just need a passion. I got into this because I wanted to tell stories. At first, it was my story as I was traveling. But that evolved into a desire to tell the stories of others and a larger story of history. And it all started very small and without any kind of formal training.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a photographer, writer, and historian. My entry into this world came when I sold everything I owned and left the country, backpacking internationally for ten months. I bought a little camera to capture what I saw and wrote a travel blog to share my experience – and also to let my Mom know I was still alive!

When I returned home to Oklahoma, I took these new passions and started exploring the Midwest. It started with a small photography business called Cloudless Lens, but I kept writing about my journeys. That led to a few paying gigs as a writer, which led to my “discovery” of Historic Route 66. I fell into that subculture completely and haven’t looked back.

Over the last decade, I’ve traveled all of Route 66, from Chicago to Santa Monica, and kept my camera at my side. I’ve written about the people I’ve met and gotten involved with preservation efforts along the way. I serve on multiple boards and commissions related to the road and we’re all getting ready to celebrate Route 66’s Centennial in 2026. It’s an exciting time!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Take your time. Even after all these years, I get so excited about the journey that I still default to a go-fast, see-everything mindset…and often that interferes with the part of any photographic journey I get the most out of: the unexpected. If I see something interesting, I should turn around and capture it. Preservation isn’t guaranteed – there’s no telling what buildings or landscapes will change by the time I return to an area. Even when something is wonderfully preserved and restored, it’s worth capturing in the “before” state.

Even though I know this, and have experienced some heartbreaking losses personally…I still have to remind myself to slow down, turn around, take the picture.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

It’s hard to balance the desire to create and the pull to monetize – at least for me. Not every side-hustle needs to be a way to make money. It’s nice when those things go together, but some of my worst results have come when I go somewhere to take photos or write a story SPECIFICALLY because I think it might sell or bring in some income. My work is much better when it’s organic and happenstance. That also means it’s hard to plan and I can’t rely on it. It will probably forever be something of a bonus alongside regular work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cloudlesslens.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/rhysfunk
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/cloudlesslens
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhys-martin-11b96411/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Rhys
• Other: www.rhysfunk.com is my blog specifically.

Image Credits

All images credit Rhys Martin / Cloudless Lens