The Visual Language of Jordan Martinez

Photography, like many artforms often comes from a deeply personal place. Jordan Martinez is no different. He picked up photography during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to keep busy and it has since grown into a full-blown passion. 

Much of my inspiration comes from my childhood and the way I experienced the world growing up. The city I live in and the cultures that surround me continue to shape how I see and document moments.

Jordan’s photography is a mix of documentary and editorial fashion work. 

B&W = intention

While Jordan utilizes both color and black and white image making, he enjoys Black & White (B&W) because of how it, “creates images that almost anyone can understand, almost like a universal visual language,” he explains. Black & White, or monochrome photography strips away color, allowing nuance, detail, emotion, character, and mood to stand out, bringing the subject forward with greater clarity and impact.

Nikon Z series mirrorless cameras make it easy to shoot in B&W via the Picture Controls, which allow Jordan to be more intentional with each photograph he takes. Mirrorless cameras, by their very nature allow you to see in B&W in the viewfinder or on the LCD as you make your images. Using these technologies to enhance control while shooting helps you stay immersed in the creative process and focus fully on the subject or scene in front of the camera.

Portraits that capture character

Jordan also began exploring portraiture because of its revealing nature, and how it allows you to capture nuance and learn more about a person than what you might see at first glance.

A portrait has the power to raise so many questions, and that mystery is something I deeply admire. Each portrait session gives me the opportunity to see a side of someone that might never appear in ordinary conversation. 

Jordan enjoys photographing people his own age. He notes: “We are all growing up and changing at the same time.” Whether its classmates or close friends he’s grown up with or people he’s only just met, Jordan says he finds it interesting to watch the people around him, “grow and evolve the same way yet so differently.”

Finding your personal style

Experimenting with different photographic techniques has helped Jordan grow into his own distinct style that is visible on his website and through the images he shares on social media.

Incorporating a sense of motion in his images is one technique Jordan often uses. “I find that motion is what makes some portraits even stronger. It carries a heavy, dramatic weight to the message that [was] in the photograph to begin with,” he says. 

Another technique he is fond of using is showing a contact sheet type layout instead of just a single captured frame. “It makes it a more intimate and understanding experience. Almost as if you can relate to the subject at hand or understand the photo even better than seeing a singular frame from the session.” Bringing the viewer into his thought process whether it’s seeing the pictures that led to a particular shot or sharing his thought process through markup. He explains: “Markups and all showcase the process and beauty of the film photography look. Emphasizing the chemical miracle theory, that is the creation of a photograph.”

This technique is something that photographers, especially those who experienced their entry into photography through developing their own B&W film and prints, marking up contact sheets in order to select images to print will fondly remember in this digital realm we live in today. It brings you back to a time of discovery and experimentation.

Intro to photography

We asked Jordan about his time discovering photography through the NYC SALT program. 

NYC Salt was my introduction to [learning] how I can translate my personal experiences into photographs. They made me come out of my shell and showed me how to express myself without a limit. I would have never thought I’d get to where I am without NYC Salt. [It is] something that I will always cherish.

Jordan notes that he wants to use his photography as a way for people to think and grow. “I want to produce projects that are not only personal and meaningful to me, but other people can see themselves in. Photography has such a unique power to transform and confront you,” he explains. 

We wanted to know what other photographers have influenced Jordan. He explains: photographers such as Gordon Parks and Joseph Rodriguez introduced me to the beauty of documentation.” Feeling nostalgic when viewing their work, he says, “They take me back to that time period and force me to engage in the most brilliant way possible.” Current photographers influencing Jordan include Renell Medrano, Jack Davison, and Diego Bendezu.

View more of Jordan’s work at his website and on Instagram.