Stretched Canvas

Modern Lines

Contemporary White

Natural Clear Maple

Unframed print




Martin Mondia
Member Since July 2015
Artist Statement I'm a latecomer to photography because of my love for cinema. As a young boy, movies allowed me to see places my parents couldn't take my siblings and I to. It was my entertainment when I wasn't playing outside. I was that kid who held the video camera at every family gathering and truly enjoyed it!

Like many young American boys, I wanted to be a professional football player! Unfortunately, high school was the last place I would play but I was okay with that because I found ways to exert my physicality competing in collegiate intramural sports and in weightlifting while employed at a local gym. I tinkered with technical and mathematical college courses to please my parents and also because I was indecisive on a choice from the many things that interested me. Deep down inside I wanted to be a filmmaker and eventually changed my major!

I eventually moved from central California to Los Angeles to continue my study and built my personal training career to pay bills while I dug the trenches of the film industry! In 2002, I accidentally embarked on a journey that was to give me my own "dream come true" indie film! I found myself playing a sport, full contact without pads, called Australian Rules football with a bunch of Australian and experienced American men who wanted to break me in half! It was nothing like the football I grew up with. It didn't matter that I wasn't tall and big as long as I was eager to learn, in shape to run, hit and take hits... I became a football player! It was a second chance at a boyhood dream and an opportunity to film my experience!

As the years rolled, so did the camera! The unpredictability of life changed the completion date of the project and the story I intended to tell! I took on something that had a split personality: it was the biggest joy and the worst nightmare! The line between reality and art disappeared; I wanted to abort a mission that no longer had a destination, but I didn't know how!

After thirteen years of financial, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aches, I'm still here today with my dream because of photography! Still images were not just windows to my challenges, defeats and victories, but they were of others too! My eyes opened to something new and pushed me to explore within the journey… it gave me clarity to why it has taken me so long to wrap this movie! Photographing people in their special moments made me look at myself. I learned to work on my weaknesses as a person and to embrace the grind so that my story would still be meaningful beyond Australian rules football! Also, my exploration of the outdoors slowed time down for me to see the simple things in life, guided me to respect and appreciate the spot my feet were touching! As I come closer to completing my movie, my photos have become significant pieces that ultimately define my purpose! I want to show that one's spirit can persevere and succeed but also celebrate the beauty along the way!

Not only am I happy to have some of my photographs represent scenes in my documentary, but also grateful to have the opportunity to express my style of work. I want to witness the true essence of the experience without disturbing the flow and so majority of my photos were shot handheld and on the fly... focusing on that instant visual moment that grabbed my attention! So no matter what gear you have, get out there and see your beautiful world!

Thank you for your time in discovering my work and I hope you find it as an encouragement to discover your dream and to be fearless in making it come true!

If you're interested in purchasing any of my work please let me know if you prefer my name ON or OFF the image(s).

Thank You,
Martin

Comments

Product No 5894850
Subjects Fields & Meadows, Landscape, Mountains, Nature & Outdoors
Style Landscape
Medium
Tags California hikes, Dollar Lake, John Muir, Kings Canyon National Park, Martin, Mondia, Sierra Nevada, backpacking, california, clouds, dollar, fin dome, flora, fresh, hiking, john muir trail, lake, mountains, nature, outdoors, pct, plants, reflection, sierra, sky, thru-hike, trail, wilderness