christian lawrence | stand up genius

What can I say about Christian that hasn't already been said by Andrew Dice Clay? Mr. Lawrence is a serious class act and hillarious individual. A full time Genius and problem solver at the West County Apple store, he's one hell of a talented individual that can deliver one helluva karaoke performance. Outside of Apple, he runs a comedy venue that varies in location. Just search Punch Drunk comedy or click here for the facebook page.

Just a few days away from the second night of AGEPP (search #AGEPP on Instagram). Click here for directions to the studio. We will begin at 7:30 and finish at 10ish.

Gary Winchester Martin

St. Louis Music and Portrait Photographer

sean kirkland | creative

One of my favorite photos of Sean Kirkland taken a few months back with a speedlight. Sean is a wealth of knowledge and awesomeness. A Creative (AKA teacher) at Apple, Sean is an expert at connecting the dots and making sense of how a computer's software works. He is a wonderful resource and great friend. In addition, Sean is a very talented video editor (but terrible kisser) and motion graphics guru. Be on the lookout for stuff from him. I look forward to our actual photo date for this book.

Next Apple AGEPP day is this Sunday, 5/20. Give me a heads up if you are coming. Click on Studio above for directions.

Gary Winchester Martin

St. Louis Music and Portrait Photographer

ryan daniel | bad ass mo fo

Ryan Daniel is one of the coolest chicks out there. She twirls fire, speaks Romanian, always throws the best parties, and is known as Mamma Mango in some circles. Originally from KC, this Midwest girl has been all over the world. She spent 2006-2008 in Moldova with the Peace Corps, then taught little Buddhist monks English in Northern India. Ryan leads an awesomely crazy life and continues to set the bar higher and higher. She definitely knows her shit. She is currently working as an event planner in Chicago.

This shot was done on a roof in Ukrainian Village in Chicago right at sunset. I used a beauty dish as my keylight and a stripbox from behind to accent her arm and lower chin. Really turned out great.

Cheers

Gary Winchester Martin

St. Louis Music and Portrait Photographer

josh walker | expert

Josh Walker has more shoes than your girlfriend, guaranteed. Josh Walker can put away more hard tacos than your boyfriend, guaranteed. Josh Walker can answer any question in 2 words or less, guaranteed. Mr Walker is a recent grad of Webster University and basketball phenom. Josh recently left the Galleria team and transferred back home to some place called Cleveland (coming soon to Google maps). Transfers and weekend shifts in other stores is one of the perks in working for Apple and an awesome career experience. Josh was a tremendous asset to our team on and off the field. As an Expert, Josh was responsible for answering just about any question anyone threw at him, and he could in 2 words or less. Please don't forget your Experts Josh. We look forward to your Christmas card this holiday season with your new Expert throng. 

If you are just tuning into this blog, I will be doing a Apple Galleria Employee Portrait Project (#AGEPP on Instagram) here in St. Louis on select Sundays this summer. I will be creating a hard-back printed version as well as a e-book with 60 second video portraits of those willing to stare into a lens for a minute. If you ever worked for the Galleria Apple store, please stay tuned for dates at my studio in the West End/Loop area. The next date will be this Sunday 5/20 from 7:30-10:30ish. BYOB and BYOChipsndip.

-Gary Winchester Martin

St. Louis Music and Portrait Photographer

amanda haefner | apple specialist

Guess what? Amanda knows more than you do. About what? About everything. To say Amanda knows her stuff is an understatement. She is an incredible resource to Apple and one of the most reliable people I know. Amanda was born in San Francisco and has spent the better part of 2 1/2 decades living, working, and travelling all across the US of A. Later this summer she plans on transferring with Apple to North Carolina, she will be missed.

meet a mentor | tucker grote

Say hello to Mr Tucker, a man of many trades and abilities. A multitasking expert with a knack for customer service. Tucker may be one of the most dynamic individuals I have ever worked with. A musician, a software teacher, knowledge bank, slag, and extraordinary problem solver. Tucker is an integral part of the gears and levers at the Galleria and is in charge of spreading the wealth of knowledge on to new hires. The next installment of Apple Galleria Employee Portrait Project will be next Sunday 5/20 at DMG. Hope to see you there.

meet a genius- quinn milner

Meet Quinn, a Genius at the West County Apple store and former STL Galleria Family Room Specialist. He's a man of many talents and aspirations. One of those talents happens to be self defense. He's a black belt in martial arts and a certified Apple Mac Genius. The man can take both verbal and physical beatings like with the best of them. Quinn stopped by DMG with a few other Apple employees last week at the first installment of AGEPP, which was a huge success If you were ever an employee at the Apple store Galleria, mini or flagship, stay posted this summer for announcements to hang out, drink some beer, and get your photo did. I'll be publishing an e-book and printed book of all the characters that ever worked at Apple. No idea is too crazy for these portraits and I encourage costumes. The next night of photos is Sunday 5/20 at studio DMG.

Ca La Moldova

Ca La Moldova from Gary W. Martin on Vimeo.

With the documentary Ca La Moldova, Chris and I tried to create a snapshot of life in the Republic of Moldova. Through candid photography and compelling interviews, Ca La Moldova explores the present day challenges the country faces set against the backdrop of the rich cultural history of the land formerly known as Bessarabia. Ca La Moldova tracks Moldova’s transition from a Soviet Republic to an independent state, through the economic turmoil and uncertainty of the 1990s, to the election of a Communist government in 2001, to the present day issues of emigration, corruption, language, and the tensions that exist between ethnic Romanians and Russians.

The film’s narrative begets the questions: was life better during the Soviet Union or now? Perspectives from all segments of society capture the soul of a nation as it comes to terms with its past. Will the country move forward toward a liberal democracy or try to retain the security and stability of Communism? As Moldovans try to chart a course for the future of their country a new challenge emerges. Many Moldovan youths desire to leave the country. Spurred on by a lack of opportunities, small salaries, corruption and patronage the majority of young Moldovans believe their future lies outside of Moldova’s borders. Will they remain abroad or return home? Can Moldova’s economy be sustained on remittances? What will Moldova’s future hold if an entire generation emigrates with no plans to return?

Ca La Moldova hopes to inspire the youth of Moldova to embrace the challenges their nation faces. Ca La Moldova is a call to Moldovans abroad to return home. Ca La Moldova illustrates the beauty of a nation with an all too unfortunate past as it looks for a brighter future.

St. Louis Apple Employee Portrait Project

Last Sunday I kicked off a massive art project with some colleagues at Apple. It's an open invite on Sunday nigths if you rock the blue shirt. The goal is to create an e-book in the e-pub format and a printed book of all the crazy ones I work with. The e-book will contain a special feature of a 60 second video portrait of everyone willing to stare into the lens for that long. So far it's been a huge success and a hilarious way to capture  a slice of their character. Plain and simple, this is a tribute of the men and women who sell, teach, and fix Apple swag in the St. Louis Galleria. Keep a look out for some choice picks of certain individuals who work at the galleria. Featured above is Mr Andy Phipps, a member of the Apple family and scholar. 

tower classic tattoo | dmg

Meet SeanBaltzell, the proprietor of Tower Classic Tattoo, AKA the sickest tattoo parlor I've ever stepped foot into. Best part is, I didn't get thrown out of the back door into the alley. It's the kind of place that you wanna hang out in, hear stories, watch people work, and drink. The guys at Tower Classic did a stellar job putting this establishment together. They even found antique barber chairs for each artist's nook. Sean traveled the world for years piecing together the idea behind tower classic, and it shows. Every decoration appears to be an original from a far corner of the US with hand crafted signs on every wall. Every inch of the shop has been well thought out and the artwork on the walls speaks for itself, original. Tower Classic has quickly established themselves as a genuine tattoo destination in the US, not to mention a fantastic addition to the developing Grove area in St. Louis. Our hats are off to you Tower Classic. Looking forward to your awesomeness. 

Gary

mastermind einstein | dmg

This is a follow up post to a previous shoot with Mastermind Einstein, a former STL resident and current citizen of Atlanta, GA. Keep a look out for this kid and check out his work.

Gary

steve | DMG

Tim Cook sent us this message yesterday:

"Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com

No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much."

Everyone that currently works for DMG also works for, or has worked, for Apple. Gary is an Expert, Ryan is a Creative, Kraemer is a Business Specialist, Franco is a Family Room Specialist, Stew is a Creative, and Tim was a lead Creative. We all use Apple products to create, to work, to learn, and to inspire. Without it, we wouldn't produce the art we do. We are thankful to work for such an innovative company, and are even more thankful for what Steve did for our creative sides. He was a true Creative Genius.

You will be missed, Steve.

DMG

behind the scenes | dmg

We've been doing what we do for awhile now, and almost every time we shoot we snap lots of behind the scenes shots. Our trusty iPhones are usually the camera of choice for these shots, so they stay trapped in our pockets for months. Today I had some extra time, so several of them have been freed.  Enjoy.

Ryan

welcome to the dark side | dmg

Meet Muhammad "Mo" Austin, a very talented music producer and musician out of St. Louis. Mo has been on the scene promoting and producing for a few years now and is preparing to move to Atlanta to build his momentum and make his footprint on the scene. We ran into Mo at the G-Eazy concert last weekend at the Gramaphone and set up a last minute shoot Tuesday night before his departure. It was a pleasure working with this young talented mastermind and we hope to hear more of his music. Check out his stuff at his website. We will be publishing more from this shoot in the coming weeks.

Gary Winchester

motivation | dmg

This is such an interesting idea behind changing the way we work and our approach to the 9-5 grind. The book is defintely worth reading.

Gary

jack white | dmg

Ridiculous Talent

Gary

bleached | dmg

I stopped this guy on the street and agreed to buy him some food in exchange for letting me take his picture. When I asked what he wanted, he responded with "something delicious." I went around the corner afterwards and bought him cold milk and oreos. He was pretty excited to get down on some double stuffed cookies midday afternoon. But then again, who wouldn't like that?

-Gary

whatever | DMG

I asked this guy if I could take his picture and he said "whatever." I like your style man. Whatever.

-Gary

San Francisco | DMG

During my time here in San Francisco, I observed quite a bit of characters trolling the streets 24/7. This town is seriously ripe with photogenic people. Last Sunday I had the opportunity to set up some gear on the corner of Haight & Ashbury and snap some photos of the local street folk as they passed, which I found to be very rewarding.  Above is just one shot of the people that were kind enough to stop and oblige me. The above photo was the first and sparks the begining of my street photography character album. More to come and big thanks to everyone I met here in SF. 

Gary

dmg | songsforjoplin.com

DMG recently partnered with Zach Becker and his songsforjoplin.com campaign that promotes awareness and raises funds through music for the people of Joplin, MO. We were thrilled at the opportunity to work on this campaign and are half way complete with the video & stills of many of the artists on the Songs for Joplin CD. We are looking forward to posting some more live performances filmed on-location in St. Louis, Nashville, and Los Angeles. Stay tuned for more blog work.

Gary