Spirit of Place

Jim Martin works at the intersection where technical photography collides with spontaneous moments in time. In his images, new life emerges from familiar corners, places many of us know yet rarely explore. He devotes most of his photographic energy to his hometown of Ventura and its environs, revealing fantastic worlds hidden in plain sight. The local angle is his forte. And in his new book, “Inspirations,” Martin points, aims, and shoots—capturing the spirit of place that characterizes our county.

Self-portrait.

You own an architectural design company but just released a book of photography. Which profession would you rather pursue?

Photography would be a great occupation, but it’s a difficult business. This is something that’s more of a passion, which I would like to share with everybody else—for example, doing the book. I didn’t do the book to make money; I did the book to share the passion. … For now, design pays the bills. I would love to go the photography route, and I’m going to continue that way. We’ll just see where it goes.

The moon, Venus, and Two Trees.

Which is the deeper passion, the making of the photo or the moment itself?

I would say the moment itself. But there are a lot of moments when I wish I had a camera to capture it. … When I capture it, I can go back and reflect on that moment. Almost every image, I know just what I was thinking at that time.

What is the most satisfying photo you’ve made?

An image (above) that was not in the book. I really wish it could have been, but the book had already been printed by the time I got the shot. I had envisioned it, and had been looking for those conditions, that angle and everything, for a long time. Even though there were dark clouds where the sun was going to rise, there was a small opening just above the horizon. So I decided to go swim with the camera just in case, and sure enough… The sun was there for only about four minutes, and then it disappeared above the clouds. Twenty minutes later it was pouring rain. I was at the right place at the right time.

Looking west from Taylor Ranch.

What’s the most unique local vantage point you’ve found?

The top of Taylor Ranch (at the western edge of Ventura), the highest peak on the mountain. I was given access to hike up there, and it was pretty brutal: a three-and-a-half hour hike, which I wasn’t expecting. The sun was getting ready to set and I had to hurry, so I was exhausted by the time I got there. But it was a vantage point I really wanted to capture because nobody ever sees this view of Ventura. So it’s kind of a special image to me. … The photo on page 50 (above), that’s just me spinning the tripod around.

Sunrise fire.

What’s your favorite Ventura County moment?

For sure, the sunrises and sunsets we have. Especially surfing, you get to see a lot of that. When you’re in the water on a mirror glass day, you’re just wishing you had a camera. You know, you’re wishing you could somehow document that—because it just seems too good to be true.