A Thing or Two

Michael LaMartin shares some lessons with subdued excitement.

By Peak Design

hailing from the 'ham

Bellingham, Washington (a.k.a. The 'Ham, a.k.a. Hamelot) is the City of Subdued Excitement. Literally, that's the town's official nickname, look it up. One of our designers, Rachel (a.k.a. RayRay, a.k.a. Hay Haaay Ray Raaay) grew up in The Ham and we'll be damned if her excitement level isn't generally in the 8-10 range, despite the fact that her eyes say level 4-6. She subdues with the best of 'em.

Anywho, Ray Ray recently introduced us to her favorite adventure buddy from the City of Subdued Excitement, Michael LaMartin. Michael goes by a lot of descriptors: photographer, artist, train-hopper, Parkour instructor, synth mixmaster. Ray Ray has known Michael for the better part of a decade and in her words, he's "the most adventurous, outgoing, self proclaimed artist that I have ever met and has been that same person ever since I met him."

Well, we just had to get to know this guy. And when we did, we realized this cat has one hell of a perspective. We had a lot to learn from him. Hence, we asked him to share what he thought were the most important truth's he's learned as a photographer, artist, train-hopper, Parkour instructor, and synth mixmaster...of Subdued Excitement. The rest of this story is in Michael's words.

Consistency is the key to luck (and skill).

There are some conditions you simply cannot plan for. No one ever really knows exactly what the weather will be like in a location. Who, or what will be there, what will happen next. You have to either be in range and with access to the right vehicles/staff or you have to already be in a spot and get a surprise. The key to this is to just show up, often. The more often you show up, the more often you’ll find favorable weather conditions at a location. Sometimes I have just been out hiking with a friend and been lucky with timing/weather, other times I’ve had to sit in a location for days at a time. If you wait long enough, it’ll happen. The question is how much time do you have? If you’ve got it, allocate free time to spending days, weeks at a time in areas of interest. The more time you spend in an area, the more it will reveal itself to you and the clearer you will be able to see.

Always know whose house you’re in.

Never forget where you are, respect your environment. Other situations may require more discretion. Say you come into close proximity with a mother grizzly and cubs, an aggressive citizen, or stumble into a heard of elk. How you proceed will greatly effect both the proceeding photograph, and the longevity of your life. Always choose life before the photo. It also helps to know as much as you can about a location before you get there. There will always be novelty to being blissfully ignorant in some situations, but if you’re spending any time in-field in a new region, it’s worth doing some research and coming prepared.

Whether it be wildlife, weather, location, or a mix of the three: Always use common sense, be rational, stay focused, and stay grounded. Stop, breathe, look around. What do you see? What do you smell, hear? What are you doing, who/what are you with? Is it time to take a photograph, or time to experience life without the aid of glass and metal? Especially in tense situations at least, I’ve noticed that both animals and people alike will mirror your behavior. If you are scared or tense, they will be too. If you remain calm and unbothered, so will they. If you can manage, especially in tense situations, remain grounded. Situations that may seem frightful and chaotic to another may end up being very rewarding to a strong and focused you.

Let your friends drive.

I love to drive, it’s one of my greatest pleasures in life. However tempting it may be to blast down a new and open road- if you’re out to shoot, let your friends drive. There are many reasons I have found this to be a good decision, and I will share three here:

One: Doing so is a tool to build and display trust. Giving your friend the keys to your baby may be a scary decision, but it shows your road partner that you trust them with your life- a small action with a subtle, and big message. The first toss of the keys is a bonding moment hard to forget for either of you.

Two: You get to see more, and shoot more. When you’re driving, your focus is the road. You might see the major geographic attractions in eyesight like every other driver, but from the passenger seat (or better yet the sun roof, if you’re lucky) you can see everything as you pass by. I should also mention that shooting from the window of moving vehicles is an art-form in itself, worth practicing for unexpected moments (there will be many). I cannot count the number of shots I have missed, or would have missed had I been in the drivers seat. If I could, the number would easily be in the hundreds.

Three: Naps.

Don’t ask me how Daniel was given control of the airplane because I don’t know either.

Always work with your environment rather than against it. Never be afraid to look in the opposite direction.

It’s easy to get caught up in a vision, easier still to think we see what’s not there, simply because we want to. Maybe it’s the wind, clouds in the sky (or a lack thereof), rain, maybe the moon is too bright- whatever is working against you, get over it.

If something you have no control over is altering the image you had in mind prior to getting there- work with it, not against it. Sometimes it may even help in ways you’d previously never thought of yourself. Sometimes it’ll just be an inconvenience and nothing else; we just have to work with what we can get. That might be something entirely different than we originally intended; but that’s not always bad, either.

Also falling in line with this note is to work with what you have. Whenever I’m asked for camera recommendations I always state that the best camera on earth is the one you already have on hand. Until you’re regularly on someone else’s massive advertising budget or you need your work blown up on a 40ft wall, likely any DSLR will do right by you, so long as you take time to learn how it operates. More so, you rarely ever need thousands of dollars worth of equipment for niche uses- 8/10 times you can find a cheap DIY solution to most any piece of camera equipment until you start wandering into the realms of synced speed flashes, motorized gimbals and tracks, etc. Even then, if you have some power tools and arduino know-how… you can still make something yourself that may give desired, sometimes better results.

Be proactive. Stash a pair of boots under your seat and a raincoat in your bag. Love the wet, love the cold. Be prepared.

Simply put, if you ever spot a location of interest and begin assessing the worth of walking a few extra minutes in the cold: put on a coat, pull up the zipper and go. It will always be worth it, every single time. Even if your shots come out like garbage, you get tougher, you gain a better understanding of where you are, maybe even a location to come back to when better conditions arise. Also note: rain is gold.

I think the craziest thing is that many images have more and more value as life experience continues and adds context to images taken from a time of naivety. I find even for myself, crazier still is how easy one can forget about even the most magical times and places until an image surfaces to jog their memory.

REMEMBER THAT YOU WILL FORGET.

I personally believe that the core role of a photographer is that of a student and a witness. The differences in perspectives or overarching themes in bodies of work come from whatever it is a photographer is seeking out in their lives. Whatever it is, their underlying role is to see and share what’s happening, clearly, eloquently, and honestly.

The act of photographing something becomes a vehicle for better learning about whatever is being shot. This is why I think it’s important to photograph your own timeline: What was happening at various times in your life, what culture or cultures fueled your growth. Knowingly or not, each time we take a moment to photograph something we are learning about the subject, and ourselves.

I look at my continually building body of work as a living record of my life. When you need to really assess what you’ve been doing with yourself- you have the best possible archive to pull from. Your own library. Keep it organized. I think the craziest thing is that many images have more and more value as life experience continues and adds context to them when taken from a time of naivety. I find even for myself, crazier still is how easy one can forget about a time or place until an image surfaces to jog their memory.

Viewers of an image get the who and where, sometimes the when. Anyone involved in the photograph- they get it all: the what, the why. They get a window into a past experience, an exact moment; a memory that could have, and would have otherwise been easily forgotten.

If photography is my profession, movement is my passion. In my early days I only occasionally photographed the Parkour community I’ve been a part of for over 8 years now.. while shooting landscapes and focusing on the outdoor industry I think I lost sight of it. It took 3, almost 4 years before I turned my free photographic time & focus back to movement culture, and I kick myself for not having better documented such a major part of my life- specifically the community as it grew to what it is today.

Right after turning eighteen I wanted to move back to the pacific northwest from the east coast. I had just began taking the idea of a photographic career seriously and was itching to do some sort of project. I had got my hands on my first serious DSLR and set my scopes on the railways. I had always wanted to know what it was like to hop freight. On a warm August evening I packed my bag, and from the side of the old Bethlehem Steel factory I said my goodbyes to friends, rolled out of town.

Always look for new perspectives.

This is my last note to share today. Maybe you need a broader view, maybe you need to look at the fine, fine details- maybe you just need to look up and spin around a few times. Whatever gives you inspiration, follow it. Fuel your curiosity. Always look for new perspectives, new light, new experience. This behavior will slowly enter every facet of life, and change it for the better. It’s worth taking a minute to look at the life we have the blessing to live and be a part of- especially from a place of gratitude and learning. I’ve found most often, that any time I’ve become bored of or dissatisfied with my life, it’s because I’ve lost focus. Because I’ve lost awareness of how much I have to be grateful for. Funny how, for a moment, closing one eye can better open both.