Today we’d like to introduce you to Reign Martinez.
Hi Reign, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Reign Martinez, I’m 22 years old and I am a creative portrait artist. About a year ago, I was looking for a new artistic outlet. I’ve had a range of creative hobbies since I was young, drawing portraits and creating characters. Over the years I picked up an interest in fashion, makeup, and popular culture. This led me to my admiration of fashion photography. I poured over digital magazine covers and looked into editorial photographers and their processes. Not long after, I picked up an entry-level camera and started shooting photos of my friends for fun. I found that editing my images gave me a lot of creative freedom. I started developing a colorful yet vintage style and taught myself new techniques for shooting, posing models, and how I could make my editing more professional. I posted my photos on Instagram for a few months and no one really saw them. Regardless, I continued and started to find Orlando’s community of creatives, models, and photographers alike. I developed my passion for editorial fashion concepts and made sure that I shot something new at least once a week. As I continued to post my images and did my own creative concepts, my Instagram grew and I started to receive inquiries from people online looking to have their portraits taken. It started with some casual portrait sessions for fun and grew into engagement photos, creative editorials, as well as shooting my first small wedding within the first year of freelancing.
Today, my style continues to develop and I’m always working on new ideas. I try to post on Instagram as much as possible and after about a year and a half, I have managed to grow my following from 150 to 3k. I have participated in community meetup events in Orlando, partaking in content days and photography meetups. I have tirelessly built my portfolio on Instagram featuring over 150 unique portrait concepts. My main goal with photography is to capture people and allow them to see themselves in their best light. Making people feel comfortable and confident adds so much value to my life and work.
In all this time I’ve had the opportunity to deliver over 70 unique client galleries.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have definitely been some struggles along the way. I think modern creatives are forced to sort of conduct themselves like social media influencers and it has been a long journey learning to separate my creativity from what is popular on Instagram. There is pressure for workers to always be perfect, and you can definitely find yourself comparing your work with other photographers’ work. I am an advocate for mental health awareness and I struggle with Bipolar 2. I’ve found that even though working my 9-5 and freelancing has been difficult, taking photos has given me an outlet to express myself and has completely changed my life. I’ve had periods of burnout, but I have never given up or put down my camera.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in creative/editorial portraits. I’m known for my unique colorful ‘film-look’ style and color grading. I’m most proud when my models and clients tell me how much they love their photos. I think developing my own style and not just relying on presets and basic editing sets me apart from most photographers.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love being creative in Orlando. There is a huge community of people who are trying to do exactly the same as me and share their photos. I have started group chats on my Instagram for new photographers who want a close community to lean on each other, learn from each other, and bounce off ideas as well as ask questions and vent about the more difficult parts of our journeys. There are so many beautiful locations to shoot in, Orlando truly is the city beautiful. I think our creative community only continues to grow and it’s amazing to not be alone in this experience.
I think I least like our city when I feel there is too much competition among artists and models. There is enough room for everyone here and I will continue to encourage new artists.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.reignmphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reignmphoto/
- Other: https://www.pexels.com/@reign-martinez-91949405/
Image Credits
Reign Martinez
