For as long as we have represented David Martinez (over twenty years now!), we have described him as nimble, resourceful and fast. Before people were calling shooting for content LIBRARIES, he was shooting just that. His start as a retail photographer taught him how to direct a scene to maximize the most amount of relevant imagery possible. From the very start, when clients shot with David, they walked away with more hero images than they knew what to do with.
So, when agencies and clients started asking for LIBRARY shoots more and more, there was no learning curve for David. He was already doing what they were now concepting. As David‘s style continues to involve, so do his library concepts. So, when a hot, local restaurant asked him consider their place for a shoot, David jumped at the chance. Here is what he had to say about it:
“Most of my career I’ve been known as a lifestyle photographer. It’s a label I don’t mind being assigned + a category which allows me to do what I do best – capture a moment in a life. It usually involves people and interactions and making sure the light feels real and beautiful – a recipe for a photograph that has a million permutations.
Sometimes a project comes along that gives me the opportunity to think beyond this lifestyle category which I do love so much. Recently I’ve shot a few projects that have required people interacting with food + hero shots of the food they are eating. I realized that lifestyle and food photography are two categories that feel like natural companions. Food brings people together and some of my favorite pictures have been taken at family dinners or during a long lunch with friends at a beautiful restaurant. It’s the perfect setting for showing people that are relaxed, happy and communicating.
I’ve been asked by clients on these lifestyle shoots if I’m comfortable shooting ‘hero’ food shots – a type of shot that is usually reserved for the ‘food photography’ shooters. My answer is always a resounding yes! Food photography has the same principals as lifestyle – the light has to feel real and beautiful. The food itself should look composed, but not labored. The photograph should feel like some place you want to be. And, creating that feeling is natural for me in a lifestyle setting.
To see more of David’s lifestyle library images, link here.
