Gregory Martin
Resume and Artist Statement
Gregory B. Martin
Growing up, I took my point and shoot camera with me on every vacation. Perhaps
it’s the scientist in me or perhaps it’s the first four letters of analysis, but
I found myself seemingly documenting everything and everyplace when I traveled.
If there were four mountains, six building and five rivers, I’d make sure I took
pictures of four mountains, six building and five rivers. Vacations started to
become a time to catalog rather than a time to enjoy, so, fifteen years ago, I
stopped taking pictures and started to just relax during my travels.
About six years ago, my interest in photography was rekindled when it became
necessary to do some macro-photography for another hobby. After purchasing a midrange
modern 35 mm SLR, taking a local continuing education course, and completing my
project, I decided to use my new camera to take some local landscape shots, landscapes
being my favorite subject. Of course this lead to taking the camera along on almost
all of the trips that my wife and I take across North America.
I started to display my early photographs on a couple of bare walls in my office.
As I studied the prints made by my local photo lab I noticed that they just didn't
seem sharp enough and did not seem to match my memory. I bought a medium and then
a large format camera to address the first and Photoshop and a digital printer
to address the second. My goal is to have my prints match both what I remember
what the camera actually recorded.
I now try to balance the enjoyment of the vacation and photography by becoming
somewhat more discriminating on both what and how I photograph. I patiently compose
my photographs and wait for the best lighting and can now drive by three of those
four mountains and a couple of the rivers without stopping. I even occasionally
set the camera up, examine the scene before me, sigh, pack up, and leave without
ever tripping the shutter.
