Tracy Martin Photography Blog

Creative Live & Sue Bryce Inspiration

Tracy Martin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:57:36 +0000

Last year I watched my first CreativeLive workshop at a pivotal time in my photography career. It was Bambi Cantrell and she inspired me to take the step I have been wanting to take but was afraid to do, transition to photography full time. A year later I am happier with that decision than I could have expected yet I still have a way to go before I am truly comfortable in the role as business owner. I am one of two photographers that has been named company photographer for TheatreWorks in Menlo Park, 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle and We Players in San Francisco on top of the weddings, portraits, headshots and personal work that I do. CreativeLive has been there along the way and I have soaked it all up like a sponge but the biggest influences have been Tamara Lackey, Matthew Jordan Smith and Sue Bryce for their business savvy as well as their life lessons. I really wanted to submit a video to become one of Sue’s live students but was already committed to shooting for 5th Avenue and I have to go where the money takes me. So I pre-purchased the class and have been going through it bit by bit when the opportunity presents itself and have loved every second.

You see, I really love shooting women and making them feel and look beautiful, it is just as simple as that. Weddings are fun but they can be a bit crazy, live production theatre and dance shooting is amazing but I have only one chance to get the shot, publicity studio shoots scare the heck out of me because of all the pressures. But give me one woman and an empty room and I am truly happy because I am a one on one kind of person. So above all the CreativeLive workshops I have watched, Sue has inspired me the most to work for what I want to shoot. I will continue with all the others because I am realistic and those gigs pay for all my great gear but I want to take normal women and show them how beautiful they are. This is a shot of my friend Lizzie who was over at our studio to model for Mark and I asked if I could borrow her for a couple of minutes to practice some natural light posing and this images is the result. Not perfect, the hands aren’t quite right and she wasn’t done up with hair and make-up, but it is a lovely shot of a beautiful soul.

Thank you CreativeLive and thank you to all the amazing presenters.

PACO and Music in the Schools Foundation

Tracy Martin — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 01:39:10 +0000

Members of the Willow Oaks School Violin Class perform Twinkle Twinkle Variations

We cover 1 or 2 PACO (Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra) events events every year and this is the second time we have been to Costaño Elementary in East Palo Alto to cover this special benefit concert. Interspersed between the PACO performance something special happens, students who would otherwise not have the opportunity to experience music perform thanks to the Music in the Schools Foundation. After just a couple of months with their instruments, they performed in front of an audience with assistance from some of the more seasoned PACO members. To learn more about how you can help please visit their website. www.musicintheschools.org

Photo Shoot Video

Tracy Martin — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 06:27:30 +0000

Seriously? It has literally been months since I posted anything. That is an abysmal record. Perhaps if I had some kind of following that held me accountable I could summon the time to, at the very least, post once a week. Someone? Anyone? Of course one could argue that if I posted more often I could generate a following. Sigh. In the end it really does comes down to me but I swear that I have not been idly sitting on my laurels twiddling my thumbs. Building and growing a business in a tough economy when your primary clients are in the arts is no easy task and we are working very hard to build our brand while delivering great photos to our clients.

I am also beginning to experiment with video as an extra service that we can offer especially since both Mark and I can’t shoot the studio shoots at the same time it gives me an opportunity to showcase and document how we work. Take a look and if you have any feedback I will happily take it.

The Secret Garden

Tracy Martin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:14:46 +0000

Ok, I must confess, I have never read The Secret Garden, nor have I seen the movie or the musical until earlier this week. Mark blames it on my Canadian upbringing but really it is because I lived in an oversized garden as a child and likely didn’t think I needed to read about one. As early as the age of 9 I would disappear into the woods on our 350 acre farm for hours and I never remember getting into too much trouble for it. I explored, made forts and made up stories of the wild west and survival, not your average fare for a a girl but then I wasn’t your average girl. I look back on those days with the fondest memories but my mum remembers it differently, she remembers thinking that I was a lonely child where as I remember life so full of everything. I did read as well but it was all about the Black Stallion or Black Beauty or the Lone Ranger which all went along with my love of horses in general. But I digress.

Angelina Wahler was but one of the delights I experienced Sunday as I photographed this wonderful Gothic tale, another was knowing so many of the cast but ultimately it was all of the cast and the story that makes this production so wonderful. I hope all of you have a chance to experience it but if not here are some of my images including the poster image that we shot earlier this year at Filoli.

For more information on how you can see The Secret Garden please go to the TheatreWorks site

Angelina Wahler

The cast.

With Angelina Wahler, Patricia Noonan*, Theodore Barry*, Mrigendra Steiner, Robert Brewer*, Sharon Rietkerk*, Leanne Borghesi, Noel Anthony*, Joe Cassidy*, Courtney Stokes*, Daniel Olson*, Alex Brightman* and Andrew Apy.

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

The Projection Project

Tracy Martin — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 01:39:47 +0000

For several years now I have been struggling with where I am going and what I want to do in my personal photography. I have questioned, doubted and completely lost faith in who I am and what I want to say through this medium that I love so much and the inspiration that I hoped would come when I decided to leave design and just focus on photography didn’t come and left me feeling even lower. I knew that I had to give myself some breathing space so that my inspiration could bubble to the surface. I decided to draw from some lessons that I learned from a wonderful teacher many years ago and as I explored these I started to get an idea. I bought a projector with a vague vision in mind and did some tests that didn’t turn out how I wanted. The disappointment of it not turning out actually helped me develop a stronger vision and lead me down a better path that is only at the beginning of what I hope to be a much longer journey.

Thus begins the Projection Project. It is about how we project ourselves to the world and how we see ourselves within, all the insecurities, perfection and flaws, our joys and failures and everything in between. It is about letting go, embracing, flaunting, loving the person we want or hope to be all caught in one instant. A session starts with writing a full page starting with “I feel most … when…” in a stream of consciousness, what ever that person is feeling in the moment. It can also be prepared in advanced but it will still need to be written in the book that is part of the project. I then project what is written onto the writer and try and capture the essence of what they have written.

If you or someone you know is interested in participating please contact me. Here are a couple of the first images that I took when I was still testing the process.

Cara – Alive

Melissa – Overwhelmed

Dance Class

Tracy Martin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 22:12:36 +0000

A couple of weeks ago Mark and I had the pleasure of shooting 32 teenagers from the San Mateo High School dance class taught by the wonderful Robyn Tribuzi. It was a pretty tight schedule and was relatively stress free considering the number of dancers we were shooting but what was so remarkable was how inspiring these kids were. The energy was wonderful and creativity infused the entire day. I can’t really pick my favorites for the day because there are so many but I can say that these girls were all delightful to work with.

Teatro ZinZanni

Tracy Martin — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 07:26:39 +0000

One of the really the great things about being a performance photographer is that while I am shooting I get to experience some amazing talent. Although I don’t get to fully appreciate it until I go through the images later since while it is going on I am trying to get the shots that wow the clients. The most difficult shooting I have encountered is for Teatro ZinZanni since the theatre is in the round filled with paying clients, wait staff, performers and management. The guidelines are strict but the payoff is pretty incredible as you can see in the image below.

If you have never been to Teatro ZinZanni and live in either the Bay Area or Seattle I highly recommend it. The venue itself is intimate and unique, the food is great but it is being so close to the performance that creates some real magic that you can’t find anywhere else.

Maestro's Enchantment // Teatro ZinZanni // Elena Gatilova

TheatreWorks Conservatory 2011

Tracy Martin — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 06:24:54 +0000

For the last 3 years I have had the pleasure of photographing the TW Conservatory. It is a paid job but one that does not feel much like work since I get to see these young adults in preparation for their culminating performances that occur at the end of the 4 week program. For the second year, as a gift to the kids, Mark and I have shot the performance and we were once again blown away by these young and aspiring thespians. During their time at the conservatory they learn all about their craft but they also have the task of writing an original monologue that they each perform during the presentation. The theme this year was In Transit and each of them interpreted it in their own unique way, some with incredible ingenuity and others with heartbreaking honesty. All of them put themselves out there creatively and left me in tears, again.

Thank you goes out to all the teaching artists associated with the Conservatory as well as the countless others helping kids in this way all across the country. I have repeatedly seen how important the arts are and what a difference they can make in a child’s life. Here are just a few images from the performance which was held outside.

Fly By Night

Tracy Martin — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 01:18:16 +0000

The World Premier of Fly By Night opens in 2 weeks and we had the delight of shooting the publicity a couple of weeks ago. Here are a couple images from that shoot and stay tuned for some of the live production photographs later this month. To learn more about the production or how you can see it visit TheatreWorks

Kristin Stokes and Wade McCollum

Wade McCollum (Narrator), Rachel Spencer Hewitt (Daphne), Kristin Stokes (Miriam), Ian Leonard (Harold)

Rachel Spencer Hewitt (Daphne) & Ian Leonard (Harold)

Carnaval 2011

Tracy Martin — Sun, 29 May 2011 21:54:08 +0000

What a wonderful way to spend a day, The Mission with great food, music and joy everywhere. Here are 2 from today and 2 from Carnaval in 2008. Both Mark and I commented on the staggering number of photographers out there this year, it was difficult to get a shot without one in the background.

2011

2008