Check Out Tayva Martinez’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tayva Martinez.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My first camera fell into my hands in the mid-1980s as a child— it was a 110 film camera. My subjects were childhood playmates, pets, and paused Nintendo games— I always had to prove to my friends that I made it to certain levels.
It wasn’t until 1992 that it became a serious thing. I grew up in the Arizona southwest, pretty much on the Navajo Nation. Inspired by Ansel Adams, my first “real” images were of the White House ruins at Canyon de Chelley.
Me and the camera were pretty much Siamese twins after that.
I spent the 1990s photographing skateboarding, punk rock music, local indigenous persons and had a job as a newspaper photographer editor and editorial assistant.
I saw the death of the darkroom and the birth of digital photography— something I was not fond of. The camera and I were estranged for some time, as digital left so much to be desired back then. It wasn’t until I started up a jewelry brand that I was fully immersed once again.
Outsourcing photography was costly, and the images were never what I truly envisioned. I had a house full of mid century modern furnishings, which I used to my advantage, as well as friends with stunning homes that I frequently used as sets. At the same time, I started freelancing with fashion brands and private clients, and started shooting live music again.
I frequently tell everyone that I shoot heavy music and pretty gals.
Many of my friends are in prominent metal bands, so my camera is always in tow when I visit them. I watch a lot of old film noir, horror and sci-fi movies and take inspiration from the lighting. I will take photos of the screen and draw lighting diagrams so that I can incorporate it into future work. Off the top of my head, the films Carnival of Souls and Experiment in Terror have been heavy influences on my work, along with a handful Lucio Fulci films. Even television shows like early Perry Mason, The Twilight Zone and Mr. Lucky have inspired a shoot or four. 1960s Vogue editorials have also been a huge inspiring factor, especially those that were ‘space age’ in nature.

Obsession is what got me here today— I am always trying to outdo myself and make each image better than the last

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As I mentioned— I saw the death of the darkroom. When I worked in the news industry, I spent a lot of time developing film and printing photos. Later, we saved time with negative scanners, which I loved. However, the day I was given a digital camera to replace my film camera… that was a dark day. The image quality was terrible, as it was pixelated and didn’t have much contrast. The shutter delay was unpredictable, and even worse if you were using a flash.
I remember when it was impossible to find a place to develop film! It was pointless. Freelance work also dried up at that time. Luckily, I had other things to fall back on, such as graphic design and illustration, so I spent my days doing just that, as well as designing merchandise for bands and doing web design for Motörhead, which I did for many years.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My day job – I work in the paint department at one of the biggest guitar manufacturers in the world.

When I’m not doing that, I am doing photography. These days, I’m mostly working with metal bands, both portraiture and live music. Most recently, I worked with Exodus on an album project, doing all of the portraiture and promotional images for that release. Some of those images were published by Rolling Stone, which meant a lot. Before his death, I had made friends with their very first rock photographer, Baron Wolman. He was a fan of my work and always had encouraging words for me. To finally have an image run by them felt very special. Same with Guitar World— I grew up reading that magazine, as I’ve been obsessed with guitars since I started playing as a little kid.
I think what sets me apart from others is my attention to fine detail. I’m sure I drive people bonkers with lighting adjustments, as I do take my time and constantly shift things around. I like creating a dramatic image. Some things I like period correct. As far as live music goes, I feel like there’s a format that most people adhere to. I like to capture the image as if it’s a portrait. I also like to capture the action— extreme facial expressions, sweat and hair flying. I try to capture the music itself in image form.

Because I don’t have enough to do (sarcasm!) I also do freelance illustration within the music industry. My work usually ends up on guitar picks and merchandise.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I feel like it’s always up and down. Sometimes I can’t keep up with the work, but other times, it doesn’t come in at all. I’ve never been able to predict what’s going to happen next, and I don’t think I will!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tayvamartinez.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/tayvamartinez

Image Credits
Lola Blanc
Charlene Kelly
Ashlyn Coco
Dax Riggs – Acid Bath
Sammy Pierre Duet – Acid Bath
Tom Araya – Slayer
Jeff Walker – Carcass
Alex Skolnick – Testament