Hector Martinez’s early work has a strong documentary style. Simple and direct, his images reflect the way he looks at the world. Powerful and audacious, his photos express all the beauty — and sometimes bluntly the ugliness — of the world.

From Cuba to Peru via the United States, his passion for photography has taken him to many countries. Using his work as a teaching tool, Hector Martinez composes his images with great care and accuracy. Courting his subjects, the photographer prefers to talk with them before shooting their pictures. Raw yet sophisticated, his photo portraits convey the immense respect he has for his subjects.

When facing both the simplest and the most complex experiences, Martinez aims to capture the most authentic images possible. “When I take a picture, I always have the impression that I am standing on a railroad track in front of an oncoming train from which I escape at the last possible moment” — to obtain the perfect image.

Hector Martinez currently lives in the Queens borough of New York City.

Hector Martinez and DxO Optics Pro

Hector Martinez appreciates DxO Optics Pro’s powerful settings, its simple workflow, and its intuitive interface. In particular, its exclusive DxO Smart Lighting feature gives him finer control over highlights and lets him restore the details in shadows better than any other application. Finally, the continual update of the DxO Optics Modules library is a big plus for him!