Meet Crystal K. Martel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal K. Martel.

Hi Crystal, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Regarding my foray into the photography world, I suppose it’s been a journey of one thing leading to another; building on interests and skills where one day I woke up to the realization that I was running a business in the creative industry.

I didn’t officially attend school for photography or business, but I’m also not afraid to fail and I have – which has acted as its own very in-your-face education. I was brought up with very little extra, but raised by an immigrant family whose own upbringing occurred during WWII, which inevitably sewed in me and my siblings a thread of resourcefulness and a by-your-bootstraps mentality.

My grandfather taught us the inestimable gift of noticing: the way a garden might capture your attention, drawing you in with its tapestry of texture and color; how a nearby creek cuts through another season of build-up every spring, forging a path of least resistance and pouring into nooks and crannies that might surprise and delight; how light affects change. My grandmother kept everything, marked dates and names on photographs and other heirlooms, and loved to create spaces in her home that were intriguing and could keep one spellbound for hours – giving me a deep sense of gratitude for the here and now, the things that were and are timeless, and how to cultivate that in my own home, studio space, and any space I find myself in.

My Dad taught me the importance of preparation and precision. However, despite my desire to get to the meat of something immediately, laying the blueprint ultimately covers you and allows for redirection if and when it is needed. My Mom is a quick and creative thinker. She shoots from the hip, and has incredible gut instincts. When running a business, or leading an on-location shoot where being equally organic and assertive is necessary to success, those skills are invaluable and I got them from my Mamma. She has seen my work, and has watched me work, and has said: “I don’t know where you got it from.” But I do.

It’s the smallest workings of moments in time, building up to where I find myself each day. It was in the nature walks, and dinner table talks. It was the pulling of boxes from crawl-spaces to make magic-places. It was the lessons in good honest work with the fire to see something through a thing take shape. It is in the noticing, the curating, the planning, and the achieving – that is “where I get it from.” And then there’s the stuff you can’t teach – the things that come to you regardless of your circumstances, your opportunity, or your DNA. I can’t help but see light, and shadow, and how they play on colors in frames, as though I am snapping memories to pull from my mental rollback down the road.

At thirty-seven, I have traveled the world over-energized by the general and different chaos of thirty-six countries. I grew up in Alberta, Canada, moved to Finland when I was sixteen as an exchange student, and found I enjoyed being uncomfortable in the belly of “learning to” – learning to communicate, to navigate, and to be present and focused in the unknown. It is now my job to step into the foreign territory of commercial branding, familial dynamics at weddings or family sessions, etc. It is up to me to communicate with those I am working with or for, and to deftly navigate what someone else hopes to convey through meaningful imaging.

I am moved by the invitation to photograph life and death, and those in-between moments that make things fun, sticky, awkward, and amazing. When I came to Nashville in 2010 there were a litany of reasons it was the hardest move I have ever made. I knew no one and had a crisis of identity, that was new. I wasn’t energized by the unfamiliarity of my surroundings, that was new. My coping skills were nada, and that was new too. So, I picked up a camera and began to shoot. It nudged me out of the house, into nature, and the wider-Nashville area.

It forced me to utilize both sides of my brain as I tried to make sense of the technical aspects of a creative endeavor. I made friends with strangers, and asked to take their portraits; many said “yes,” and offered me the opportunity to fail upward as I slowly began to pull myself out of the pit of sadness one might find oneself in when all is new and you’re alone. By the time I could turn my hobby into a business, my name was synonymous with my work ethic, creativity, and professionalism. 365 days from that day would prove if I had any business in the photo business, and it has been over a decade with gear in my hand and roster I am proud of.

By nature, I am curious. My photographic repertoire is diverse, to say the least; and when asked what my favorite type of photography is, my answer: the kind of photography that allows me into the most precious of moments, where others don’t dare or do not have an invitation to go. I have had the privilege of photographing some of Nashville’s stunning legends and up-and-comers. I have photographed weddings, newborns, and expanding families. My studio has hosted Holi-inspired powder shoots, mixed-light-media sessions involving projections, gelled lighting, prisms, etc. There have been hours filled with gauze n’ glitter, paint, and fog.

I have filled pools and tubs with milk and water; played with and in flowers like I was designing a garden of my own, like the ones I was taught to notice. I have hung chandeliers, mirrorballs, belts, and belts of velvet from rafters. And there was one very memorable full-feathered-fully-dressed (ha!) pillow fight where we were bent over, sore with laughter, and wading in three inches of duck down by the end. I get to do all that, for work; and what a joy. But, again, my most important and meaningful works – my favorite to photograph – are the unpaid precious moments I am asked to be a part of: when life begins. When it ends.

Photography is necessary. It is important. I do not take it for granted that I get to wake up and do something necessary and important. What a gift to wake up and do something necessary and important.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have lost camera cards and footage, dropped and broke equipment on high-stakes jobs. I have erased hard-drives before I figured out the need for back-ups. You can bet your bottom dollar on your girl having seven diverse back-ups on content, now. Seven. I doubted myself some way or another every day for years, but kept going because work always came.

I began to rest in the knowledge that I had established myself, and that I wouldn’t be without work or options. I learned, sometimes the hard way, how to get full payment for my services and how to communicate clearly and effectively. I managed my time poorly for two years straight, a couple years into my business, resulting in “no shoot January” which rolled into “no shoot February,” because I was so burnt out. It hasn’t happened again. I have had differences, and misunderstandings on expectations with influential creatives and overwhelmed relatives of my brides and grooms, where I was and continue to be challenged to adjust accordingly. I have spent sleepless nights planning out lighting directives and set designs on projects that may have been too big for my britches.

I have photographed things I had no business photographing – I’m a people person, and I have no idea how I landed a food styling gig early in my career. But, I did. It flopped, and hard – that was a solid lesson in humility and limitations. Learning to code for my website, work up invoices, and figure out my own taxes year after year has been a necessary evil. I cannot stand the paperwork. All of this, and more – the end-of-the-day hand cramps, the sometimes awkward interactions over payment and delivery times, the lean months, and the stress of the unknown – has been a journey of self-discovery, as any entrepreneur with no formal education in the area of their business, will tell you!

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I find Nashville to be a big city where relationships matter. It feels very much like we’re a city of creatives and entrepreneurs who want family ties, and so we turn friends into family and enjoy the richness (and chaos!) that comes from that.

I’m not a huge fan of our city turning into Bachelorette Central. I mean, I get it – Nashville has so much to offer re: food, entertainment, outdoor activities, etc I see and understand the draw!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @c.k.martel

Image Credits
Crystal K. Martel Photography