We had the good fortune of connecting with Mitch Martin and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Mitch, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
When it comes to the creative industry, success is often publicly defined by how many followers you have, how much money you’ve made or how much clout your reputation has. Many of us would probably say that we’ve looked on Instagram, saw someone with over 100,000 followers and thought, “Wow! They are probably doing so well for themselves.”
This puts so much pressure on those aspiring from the bottom up because it twists our own perception of our value and personal self-worth.
In the sports industry, it’s not much different. Specifically, when it comes to sports photography, success is usually defined by the team you work for or the size of the league you are shooting for, and again we run into the same issue of minimizing our personal value.
Having worked in the sports industry for a little while, I can say that this is backwards thinking. Success is and should be defined at a much more personal level. If you are happy and enjoying the images you are taking where you are, then I would widely consider you more successful than someone who shoots the biggest teams and doesn’t find any enjoyment in it.
Don’t let the numbers make you feel insignificant on your individual journey and growth. Find success where you can and where you are.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My name is Mitch Martin and I’m currently a Photo Assistant for AMB Sports + Entertainment. AMBSE is a member of the Blank Family of Businesses and operates as the main umbrella overseeing the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. I’ve currently been working there for about 6 months now and have been absolutely loving it.
For my job specifically, I help and assist the photo coverage of both the Falcons and United, am the team photographer for Atlanta United’s 2nd team (Atlanta United 2), help assign freelancers to cover external assignments, and also act as one of the in-house photographers for Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
I picked up photography around the beginning of high school and would spend time taking photos of friends, trees and anything I could think of. A hobby slowly began to grow more into a career interest when I worked at a local photo studio for two summers after high school and loved it.
Taking what I learned there, I joined the student newspaper down at Florida State University and began covering all of their sports. Quickly falling in love with it, I knew it was something I wanted to pursue as a career. I photographed any and every sport I could at FSU and also worked for their Men’s Basketball team as a photographer.
These experiences helped me develop a portfolio that I used to apply for my current job following the pandemic.
From all of this, the biggest lessons I’ve learned is don’t be afraid to take some risks and stay persistent when doors get closed in front of you. Grit is required sometimes and you really have to put in the work.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There is much for to Atlanta than meets the eye and many of the locals would tell you that straight up.
For a week long trip, I would say knock out the big attractions first. Go visit the World of Coke, the Aquarium and go to the High Museum. Yes they are cliche but will give you a good starting point. From there, start to visit some other fun spots like Piedmont Park, walk the belt-line to Ponce City market, visit Atlantic Station and see a show at the Fox if there’s something good there.
To round off the week, go a bit further from the city and go see Stone Mountain, the Battery, and then come back in to see Centennial Olympic park and a sporting event at Statefarm or Mercedes-Benz Stadium if you can.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t be the photographer I am today if I hadn’t met Melina Myers at Florida State University. Melina is a computer science faculty member at Florida State but is also an awesome photographer for USA Today and Panini America covering Florida State Athletics and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
She was instrumental in my early growth and development as a sports photographer, and I will always be thankful for her help and guidance as I took risks to grow.
Website: www.mitchmartinphoto.com
Instagram: @mitchmartinphoto
Twitter: @mitchmrtinphoto
Image Credits
Images taken by Mitch Martin/AMBSE