VCU news

By Kristen Caldwell
Office of Development and Alumni Relations

Looking at his portfolio of images, it’s hard to believe Cade Martin (B.G.S.’89/H&S) snapped his first photograph halfway through his sophomore year at Virginia Commonwealth University. Martin, who’s based in Washington, D.C., has been hailed as one of the 200 best advertising photographers in the world by Lürzer’s Archiveand his award-winning work has been described as “inspirational,” “magical” and “elegant.”

VCU Alumni caught up with Martin recently and learned that his journey actually started long before he stepped onto the VCU campus.

 

What motivated you to enroll at VCU?

Well, I started college at Virginia Tech. Growing up mere blocks from VCU, it felt like 18-year-old me had to leave. But while Tech is a great school, the town of Blacksburg, Va., didn’t provide the same things as the eclectic community in the heart of the Fan. At the time, I was not sure of what I was supposed to be doing, what my purpose was, so I decided to come back home. Having grown up with two parents who both worked at VCU, I was happy to be back, and this is where I first took a basic photography class.

Funny thing is that I remember vividly the first class in the basement of the little church [the James W. Black Music Center] and thinking there was no way I could compete with all these students sitting around in black clothes, pontificating about art, and that I was going to drop the class. I was really only interested in basketball at the time, but I think it’s fair to say that with the way my life and career have gone, I feel fortunate that I never got around to dropping the class.

I grew up in an artistic community in Richmond, surrounded by painters, sculptors and printmakers, and I guess without realizing it, I received my visual education growing up.
 

 

When did you first realize you had a knack for photography?

I didn’t answer “photographer” to the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” until I was already an adult. But certainly the seeds were planted earlier. My father, Bernard Martin (B.F.A.’59/A), is professor emeritus at VCU and taught in the painting and printmaking department [in the School of the Arts] for 32 years. I grew up in an artistic community in Richmond, surrounded by painters, sculptors and printmakers, and I guess without realizing it, I received my visual education growing up. I’ve appreciated the way things look and the way they are composed since I was young.

My parents dragged me to movies — good movies, bad movies, all movies — from the time I was small, and I internalized a ton from the range of cinematography — before I ever knew the word cinematography. I didn’t pick up a camera until I was 20 years old, when I took that first basic photography course at VCU. I liked the class enough to take others, though I didn’t initially think of pursuing it as a career. While at VCU, I was fortunate enough to have a couple of really great teachers in George Nan and David Sauer (B.F.A.’50/A). Both were very knowledgeable and supportive as well as insightful, not only about the technical and compositional aspects of photography but also about life and the day-to-day. George set up my first internship, and approximately a year and a half ago, he sent me one of his prints as a gift. At the time, I was getting ready to start a project for the Smithsonian on their 101 Most Influential Objects, and I used his image as inspiration for my approach to the project.

 

Your father being an art professor here at VCU, was that an influence on your career choice?

Both my father and my mother, Barbara, definitely influenced my career choice. It’s likely a mix of nature and nurture. Born and raised by parents who embraced the creative in their lives and work, and growing up in a part of Richmond that was really rich with art and culture, I saw it was possible to have a career in the creative fields. I felt supported and empowered to make my own choices and follow my own trajectory, and I think they’d like you to know they would have been just as supportive if I had wanted to be a dentist or psychologist.

<slideshow id=141 align=center width=620>

What was your big break in photography?

It was touch and go. I almost didn’t pursue it at all. I always hated working in the darkroom; the running water always made me have to use the bathroom. Early in college, I briefly considered a career in computer programming but decided against it because I didn’t want to be glued to a computer screen for the rest of my days. This is ironic considering the transition to digital photography and always having to view your images on a monitor now.

There are multiple avenues for breaking into the profession but assisting really worked for me. It’s a bit more gathering little sticks and rubbing them together than a match to lighter fluid, but it’s a great way to learn the day-in, day-out realities of the business. In addition to finding out what type of work is out there and what the markets are like, you get to work with different photographers and see different approaches and solutions to oftentimes-similar problems. Hopefully, you can incorporate these experiences into your own vision once you strike out on your own — find out who is doing the type of work you like, or would like to do, and go after them.

My first big break after graduating was being hired by Chuck Savage, a photographer in Richmond. I was his full-time assistant for almost two years, and I will always be grateful to him. This was my first and actually last “full-time” job, and I lit out on my own when I was 24 years old. I left Richmond and was fortunate enough to work on a project for National Geographic on the Great Indian Railway in India. We chased trains for six months all over the country. India was probably one of the most intense experiences I’ve had. In addition to sensory overload, it’s exhausting both mentally and physically. It’s a magical country full of extremes — sights, sounds and smells. It’s a place that you can’t wait to leave and can’t wait to go back to. In addition, I actually met my wife in India on a steam train, and we have two boys.

 

You’ve shot photos and campaigns for several well-known brands. What projects and experiences have been the most rewarding?

Photography has been very good to me. I’ve had some really memorable experiences shooting big brands, and they stand out for a range of reasons. I recently worked on an Oscars feature for The Washington Post. Being asked to photograph actual props from Oscar-nominated films was such a privilege. I’ve always loved going to the cinema since I was a little boy so it was a blast to feel this close to great movies and get to hang out with these movie props for a bit. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I also photographed a really special campaign for the New York Philharmonic 2016 Biennial. One of the things I loved most about the concept was how it needed to be as much about the environment as it would be about the narrative — an elegant pied piper in an enchanted forest setting, charming a group of curious characters. This piece brings to life the delightful sound of N.Y. Phil’s 2016 Biennial season, titled “Let’s Play,” by combining a very magical Northern California location with the Phil’s French hornist, Leelane Sterrett, and an audience of curious carousel horses.

I was recently in Spain working on a fun project for Proctor & Gamble. Less recently, but one that has stuck with me, I worked with Starbucks on a project with their in-house creative team in Seattle. Those were some of the nicest, most collaborative people and the creative was off the charts. I didn’t want that project to end.

One of the biggest challenges for me is finding time for personal projects, which I’ve found are very important to me. With my professional work, which I love and am supremely grateful for, it is tricky sometimes to carve creative and physical space to pursue personal work, but I always try to “assign” myself new projects.

 

How did you hone the unique storytelling perspective you bring to your photographs?

In my home growing up, I often found myself around the dinner table with an eclectic cast of characters — sculptors, writers, painters. They marched through my childhood, shaping my artistic foundation and forming my eye for the candid beauty found in people from all walks of life. I’ve been chasing characters and their stories ever since. I seek their stories in every picture I take. Storytelling is everything in a photograph. It has both always been there and what I’m chasing. More than anything, I love the adventure and the challenge of making things work — the crawling around, the actual act of creating an image. Capturing a moment is much more interesting to me then looking at the image later.

 

Where do you go from here?

I want to continue to grow and evolve in my established work, but I have always loved adventure, and I want to go where I don’t know I want to go yet. One of the great things about working for yourself is that you never know what is coming around the corner or where you might be going next for a project. Someone may call and say you’re going to so-and-so tomorrow; it may be a place you never been or never heard of. You might love it or hate it, but you have those experiences. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel a good bit, to be exposed to all kinds of different environments and people, and the camera has been my passport.

View more of Martin’s work at www.cademartin.com.

 

This article first appeared in the June issue of VCU Alumni’s e-newsletter.