© 2021 by Gayle Martin. All Rights Reserved.
Sometimes good things happen when you’re doing something else. Such was the case with my downtown Phoenix series. For those who do not know, I’m a book author as well as an art photographer. I write contemporary romance novels under the pen name, Marina Martindale.
There is more to writing fiction than just making things up. The story has to be believable. This means doing research. My second novel, The Deception, is set in Phoenix, with a pivotal scene taking place downtown. I was living in Tucson at the time, so I grabbed my camera and drove up to downtown Phoenix. It wasn’t a typical photoshoot. I was shooting quick and dirty reference photos meant for my eyes only. The photos suited my needs. I had what I needed to accurately describe my scene, so I completed my novel and archived the photos.
Fast forward a few years. I’m going through old photos, determining which ones to keep, and which ones to delete. To my delight, I come across two remarkable photos from my quick and dirty Deception stack. Both are of the old Maricopa County Courthouse, built in 1929. It’s a beautiful example of twentieth century architecture, and the photos were nicely shot. They’re now a part of my portfolio.
They say great art is sometimes the result of happy accidents. I think good photos can happen when you’re not trying to create good photography.
Gayle Martin
