FRIENDS ON FILM
"friends on film" is a dedication to my friends being shot on film. Having shot with a digital camera for over 5 years, I have recently found an interest in shooting memories and capturing the beautiful moments in my life with film. Something about film has drawn my attention to it; perhaps it's the grainy quality or the idea of nostalgia that is attached to film. I feel more connected with the photos when they are snapped on a roll of film.
BELONG
Belong is a clothing brand founded by Joe Emmanuel, an entrepreneurial teenager who began the brand back in 2020. Since then Belong has gotten more popular throughout the young skate community. A fellow friend of mine named Ivan is a fan and follower of the company; he is also friends with the Joe. I was able to shoot Ivan within the streets of Little Tokyo in DTLA wearing Belong clothing, and I had the opportunity to show these amazing photos to the company as well. Belong reached out to me telling me how impressed and happy they were that I got to shoot photos of their clothes. Making this work allowed me to expand my experience within fashion photography.
PUNK IN 2022
Punk culture and music has always been something I knew about growing up with a rockstar of a mom. Although she wasn't an actual rockstar, she always talked about how big of a fan she was of the Sex Pistols. She even named one of my cats after Sid Viscous. The punk culture has recently been an interest to me as I have grown to love their sense of fashion and how expressive they are of themselves. One of my favorite designers, Vivienne Westwood, was very inspired by the punk rock culture which she showcased a lot of in her work.
ALL DOLLED UP
This semester I got to work with the makeup brand "Tresluce". This makeup company is founded by Becky G, who is an American singer and actress. She gained her popularity in the year of 2011 for covering lots of popular songs and publishing them online. I really enjoyed working with this company especially because they support and celebrate the Latinx culture. It was very warming to work with a company that uses lots of ingredients and art from Latin American cultures across their products. In my photos I tried my best to show case what makes me unique and express the beauty marks on my face that I never noticed.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Xitlali Martinez is an 18-year-old photographer based in Los Angeles. She is currently a freshman at Rio Hondo College, with plans to transfer to Cal State Fullerton in the fall semester of 2022. Her love for photography began 5 years ago when she was first introduced to it by her uncle. Her uncle would always capture every important moment in her and her family's lives, which made her want to do the same for other people as well. Moments don’t last forever but photos do.
Soon after she joined Las Fotos Project and has been a committed student in the organization for almost four years. She is passionate about documenting the lives and living situations of her family and friends. Since the start of the pandemic, Xitlali has been photographing youth within the skateboarding community, capturing their experiences, emotions, and stories throughout these difficult and unprecedented times.
With a fashion editorial approach, she creates distinctive photographs that define a community in her perspective. She hopes to further her experience within the creative photo world to one day pursue the career of a fashion stylist or an editor for magazines.