Featured Photographer – Antonio Martez

1. Tell us a bit about the image? & 2. What inspired you to take the shot?
This image is part of an ongoing 7-year personal project called “Colour Blind”. This is 1 of 20 images from the series. This project came about during a time when I lived in Miami, Florida, and I would go to the local grocer and see many Muslim women walking around in the traditional garments. What really stood out to me and caught my attention was their headwear called a Hijab. The hijab intrigued me to wondered what do these women look like under the vail. At the time also in the world, Muslims was depicted as a negative manner. What I found of this woman and men of their culture and faith, is that they were some of the most beautiful and friendly people I ever met. So when I started developing this project I wanted to name it something that had meaning and evoked thought, hence “COLOUR BLIND” was born. Color Blind, the absence of colour. Meaning regardless of the skin colour of the women behind this Hijab, they were all the same. They were beautiful and intriguing women. I chose to use very bold and bright colouring for the project to really make a statement. This project has exhibited around the world over the years. These most recent images from the “Color Blind” have transitioned into the realm of the classic black and white feel. With this new perspective, I created “Colour Blind en Blanco y Negro” series. I really wanted to push the limits on the project, and make very strong conversational pieces that both intrigued and stimulated the mind when viewed.

3. What gear did you use for the shot including lighting? This shot was captured using the Nikon D850 paired with Nikon Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED lens. I wanted to use a very simple light setup that can be replicated for the life of the project. It was lit using Profoto D1 1000 Air and modified with the Mola Demi 22” beauty dish.

4. Tell us about the editing process?
The editing process was very simple and straightforward. I had a great model with great skin, and a very dope creative team of makeup artist and wardrobe stylist. The makeup was very clean and crisp, which helped to make post-production very simple. The fabrics used in the project really caught the light to create very dynamic transitions of highlights and shadows. When produced the image was originally processed in colour. We kept the hues very close too actual as possible, we pushed the saturation a bit to give the fabric a bit of pop. Once we felt the image would look great in Black & White, we utilized the Infinite Color Panel’s Black & White Panel to create the final look. The final process black & white look was created using several instances of the black & white colour panel strategically targeting certain areas of the photo to create a very unique image.

5. How does this piece reflect you as an artist?
This piece to me as a photographer represents me as an artist and a creative wholeheartedly. I’m a very dynamic creative who love the use of colour and highlight & shadow play to create very compelling and thought-provoking images. You can see more of my work at AntonioMartez.com Twitter & Instagram: @AntonioMartez
https://antoniomartez.com/