Congratulations Martin! - November
We at MyBrum say a big congrats to local photographer Martin Brent - who has just received the Travel Image Of The Year Award...

Martin won not just one but three accolades in the presitgious Photographer of The Year awards 2003. He was presented with ’Image of The Year’ (for Camel train in the Sahara - see photogallery), as well as a 5th and top 20 in two folio categories.

Martin said he was ’well chuffed’, as you can imagine! There will be exhibitions from the competition, one will be at the Focus on Imaging show at the NEC, which we will gets dates for as soon as they release them!

INTERVIEW
Martin Brent is a local photographer who has recently been asked to see Birmingham in a new light - you may have seen his amazing images (above) gracing the sides of buildings, bus shelters and taxi’s all around the city. Although he is very busy dashing overseas on various shoots (yes, we are quite envious!), we caught up with him for a bit of a chat.

How did you get interested in photography?
It was my hobby from an early age, got first ’proper’ camera for my 12th birthday but the first picture I ever took was when I was 5! it was of Big Ben and it wasn’t bad!

How did you turn it into a career?
Never had anything other in mind, my parents were very supportive, my careers master wasn’t! I managed to get onto an OND course after school from which I went into various studios as an assistant.

You buy kit along the way and eventually build enough contacts to get your first few jobs, it takes a long time though so you really have to want it.

What was your first job?
My first job was as a portrait photographer in Derby, I hated it sooo much, the company just were not interested in creativity and I only stuck it for 6 months and went back into assisting!

My first photography job for myself was shooting property in Greece for a long gone holiday company.

What do you think makes a good photograph?
A tough one, it could be anything that engages the viewer, everyone is so different and what turns one person on offends another, for me a good photograph would be a really well crafted advertising shot, something that would make me stop and stare for a while, the subject could be irrelevant really but I do like the photography for the new Audi A3.

Any tips for budding photographers out there?
Just to stick at it! its never been an easy career to break into and its getting harder, learn all you can from your peers, work for good and bad photographers so you will know the difference and dont give up the day job till youre getting in at least one job a month.

What has been your favourite work to date?
I’m very fortunate to have built a career that takes me all over the world so in a way all my work has been my favourite but jobs that stand out are a shoot I did in the Sahara (see photogallery) it was sooo amazing, so completely different to how I imagined.

Another was a shoot in Death Valley, it was an amazing experience and the shots were cool. This work for Birmingham is also right up there, its the first time ever that images of the actual place have been used to sell it- having the opportunity to turn my creativity to promoting my City for a change was just fantastic.

How long have you been based in Brum?
For about 7 years now, time flies!

If you had to describe the area in one sentence what would be?
Rejuvinated and regenerated , nothing like the grotty hole that everyone hated!