Innovation Hub

INNOVATION HUB Breaking Barriers

By Amanda Dahl | Photos by Joe Martinez

Raw, real, powerful and humbling, the subjects that appear in front of St. Louis-based photographer Joe Martinez’s lens each portray their own story in earnest.

“Everyone has a story,” he says. “I am interested in telling stories of people who are breaking down barriers and taking up space in places they normally aren’t welcome or seen in.” Coveted by top national publications for his authentic imagery, Martinez says he is humbled by those he’s met along the way, including U.S. Rep. Cori Bush – the first Black woman to represent Missouri in Congress – whom he photographed for the January cover of Teen Vogue.

“The experience of photographing this person who I respect so much, this person who has broken so many barriers … to have this St. Louis crew in [Washington,] D.C., to photograph this St. Louis icon was really special,” Martinez says. “It was high pressure and intense, in the midst of COVID-19 and the riots at the Capitol – all of that was surrounding that shoot. It was, for me, the most important work I’ve done so far.”

That’s no light claim, given his résumé, which includes tough subjects like his portrayal of the first police academy at a historically Black college or university for Time magazine.

“From a personal standpoint, it was difficult for me to capture these Black students who want to make a career out of being a police officer,” Martinez describes. “I admired them for doing something outside the norm. There’s a bravery to it. I had my own questions, too, about why they chose this.”

Martinez says he strove through his photographs to show the tension in the students’ decisions to follow a career path that holds many challenges and complications within the Black community – a decision that Martinez explains has often put them at odds with their families, friends and communities.

“There was always, during that assignment, this cloud that hung above what they were doing and why they were doing it, especially at that time – a year out from Breonna Taylor’s death,” the photographer remembers, referring to the March 2020 fatal shooting of a 26-year-old Black woman by police.

Martinez notes that attempting to commit to film the inspiring intentions of the young cadets – many of whom expressed their hope to change the system of racial profiling from the inside – was extremely challenging for him, as he navigated the intricacy of that story through a multiday shoot that captured the students both in the classroom and in training.

Martinez traces his love of photographic storytelling back to vacationing as a child with his family and his father’s encouragement to document the moment. He always aims to minimize the amount of editing and post-processing work he does, to ensure the final photo shows a candid depiction of what he witnesses.

“I’m interested in capturing the true essence of people, who they are and their stories, and finding a way to bring that together visually,” Martinez says. ln Joe Martinez Photography, joemartinezphoto.com