Life in Black and White

By Nora Heston Tarte | Photos by Pierre Martin

A varied education is partly responsible for Pierre Martin’s cinematic form of photography. Exploring hyperrealists in books and movies while growing up led him to question the obvious. Finding hidden messages in media, observing minute details in print, and focusing on storytelling yet leaving much for the viewer’s interpretation have become the groundwork for his creations in photography, music, and design. “Thinking outside of the box has become the de facto recipe for most of what I have tackled,” he says.

Martin’s passion is also partially inherited. Growing up surrounded by graphic arts—design, photography, painting—he was inspired by the various media and able to see them as a viable path to success. His father passed down some of the physical pieces, gifting cameras to his son, getting him into the “wearing a camera” style that encourages pointing and shooting when the mood or location inspires.

Early in his career, while studying at Ecole Française d’Enseigenement Technique in Paris, France, Martin focused on black and white, studying the masters of the genre. “I always had the perception of color being a distraction and that the infinite palette of grays offers all the options,” he says. “If there is a story, black and white tells it better, I believe.”

Many of Martin’s most notable pieces fall under the category of street photography, allowing him to instantly interpret what is in front of him and capture his own version of reality. “Sometimes it is a specific situation or an interaction between people, elements, and structure,” he says. “Urban and natural landscaes have an infinity of shapes to offer, and they can become the primary subject or the background.”

“I do not overthink the end result rather I enjoy the process of creation,” says Martin. “If I can trigger emotions in others in that process, I have succeeded.”

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