Who is M.Martinez?

The long & short of it, Mika is a visual storyteller. Based in Portland, Oregon Mika is a photographer with over 20 years of experience. She started out as the picture lady in schools, before moving on to photograph families at the mall for both Sears & JC Penny portrait studios around the Pacific Northwest. In 2009 she became a guest on the Multnomah and Chinook first nation territories and began developing her own collaborative style, two years later she opened M.Martinez Photo. An artist with many interests, Mika is an award-winning documentary photographer, an international RAW artist, and a member of Photographers without borders. Her work has been nationally published and she has participated in showcases in Chicago Illinois, New Haven Michigan and all along the west coast.

She takes a collaborative approach to photography and strives to create a relationship with those she's work with, believing that the experience is just as important as the finished images. When Mika isn't creating moments, or facilitating memories, she's likely teaching young minds about the power of storytelling or working on one of her personal photography projects. Her projects are rooted in a desire to create change and stem from an urge to see a broader representation of people in media. Mika is most passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience with the next generation of creators as a teaching artist in the Portland metro area.