Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Walter Martin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Walter, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I probably knew I wanted to pursue a professional career as an artist since I was in elementary school. Of course, there were many career paths I had in mind back then as a child such as an astronaut or a pilot, but the main flow of my creativity has always been present. One of the main things I did was writing various stories throughout my schooling career. One of the earliest stories I started to write was probably when I was in 4th grade. I have even written and published a novel shortly after graduating high school before I shifted my focus to film making when I started going to college. Then I went into photography because I was struggling to make it into the film industry and I didn’t want my skills to go to rust. Since I have been gaining more attention on my photography, I am in the process of figuring out how to make a living on it and transition from a hobby to a full on professional. But throughout it all, I knew I wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember.

Walter, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My closest friend, who is now working in Hollywood, convinced me to try a career path in the film industry because he wanted to see me fulfill my creative talents. After graduating from Cleveland State University with a bachelor’s degree in Film & Digital Media, I struggled finding work in the film industry. A few film projects I worked on, I did not get paid for. After three years, I felt something needed to change so I got myself a day job to help pay the bills and then started a new hobby that became photography. I didn’t want all of my filmmaking skills to go to waste so I bought my first professional camera and started taking photos. After sharing them online, so many people, including professional photographers, were telling me to go professional with my photography. While I am working my day job, I am in the process of transitioning into a professional photographer.

I take photos of just about everything: landscape, nature, travel, events, architecture and etc. Every now and then, I have been hired to do a few jobs. A friend of mine hired me to do a photoshoot of his band during a live outdoor concert and I was hired to do an impromptu engagement photoshoot while vacationing in Arizona. The latest job I did was doing a photoshoot of one of my co-workers for a corporate headshot for a promotion he had gotten. I bring a lot of passion for what I do and deliver high quality photos in a quick turnaround.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

When I was very young, the most rewarding aspect was having a voice and being able to open up my thoughts, heart and soul. To be able to communicate in other ways that words cannot fully express. It is still like that now, but over the years as I continue to learn and grow, the most rewarding aspect is seeing the world through a different lens. I think one of the things that captivate me through photography is that I am forced to see the world through a different set of eyes and every time I click the shutter button, I feel like I am being reborn again and see the full expanse of the world and the people around me.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Around the time I first started photography, I would share my photos to as many platforms as I could. It was on Instagram when someone commented on one of my photos that my shots look so realistic that they felt like they were right there. Since then, whenever I edit my photos, I try to keep that level of quality so when people look at them, they could feel themselves be transported to another world. Art can speak different things to different people so I like to find ways of provoking an emotion or find ways of having my work say something to them.

But for a more grander purpose, my goal is to continue putting my name out there and trying to attract attention to myself regarding my skills as a photographer. I don’t keep to any one specialty because I love all forms of photography and would be open to different kinds of work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wamartin.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: /writer.filmmaker2013
• Linkedin: /walteramartin/
• Other: https://waltmeister.darkroom.tech/

Image Credits
All featured photos by Walter Martin. People Featured: Greg Phillips, Jonathon & Elizabeth Munoz, and Nathan Genovese.