MARTIN DELGADO

A new face time shooting, captured by Martin Delgado, feat. José.

About Martin: My name is Martin Delgado but I like to go by Cripple Bird as well. I’m a 21 year old gay multidisciplinary artist based in San Antonio, Texas and I work with many mediums but my main focus is fashion photography. Im originally from a small pueblo in Jalisco, Mexico but I moved here at a young age with my family for better living conditions and opportunities. I was diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia as soon as I learned how to walk which is a condition that affects the development of the hip and legs. In my case, my right leg wasn’t properly connected to my hip bone which caused limping and severe pain after doing any physical activity for a short period of time. My disability affected the way I did things on a daily basis and prevented me from participating in many physical activities which included sports. Growing up gay and disabled was tough on me physically but it also affected me mentally because I was often teased and mocked by those around me for my limp and also shamed for my sexuality. At the age of 14, I had a life changing surgery to correct my hip displacement which was followed by a year of recovery and rehab. I was wheelchair bound while I learned how to walk again and during that period of my life I was treated very differently by those around me. People often jumped to conclusions and made assumptions about my abilities and potential. I was bullied in school and often called a “cripple” which is a ableist slur commonly used to describe someone who can’t walk or is limited in ability. With the intention to take power away from these ableist minded people, I took on the name “Cripple Bird” to reclaim the slur and turn it into a badge of pride. Art became the perfect outlet for me to show my potential and to show what I could contribute to this world without the help of my legs and hip.

About Martin’s work: I work with many mediums such as painting, illustration, jewelry design and mixed media but my main passion is fashion photography. My goals for my art is to work with other individuals who I find inspiring and create safe spaces and cool opportunities for those who don’t have access to them within their communities. I wish to use my platform as an artist to shine light on important topics and spark conversations that need to be had and hopefully create positive changes for the world we all share. My work is all about accessibility and working with limited resources. I don’t own any fancy/ expensive equipment. My imagination and my mind is my number one tool. With them there’s no limit to what I can do even with limited resources. I mostly shoot digitally with my canon camera and edit with my iPhone. My phone is truly my best friend. I think smartphones are one of the most underestimated and under appreciated tools that we have when it comes to art and photography. There’s so much pressure to use the most expensive and fancy and equipment but while doing so we’re sending a negative message to underprivileged individuals and beginning artists that our industry and art form is unattainable and inaccessible. I aim to show people that you can do a lot with very little. Styling, set design, and lighting are key elements in my work. I love creating new worlds and narratives with the power of these elements.

Martin’s recent projects/work: When the Covid-19 pandemic hit our world, I knew that I needed to change the way that I created my work until it was safe to shoot in person again. Like many other photographers and artists, I had to adapt to my new environment and evolve my art work to the new virtual and digital based world that we were entering. That’s when I decided to switch from shooting with my digital camera to shooting through FaceTime. This new medium was challenging to learn at first but I soon found myself really enjoying all the perks that this process had. By shooting via FaceTime, I’ve been able to work with many inspiring individuals from all over the world and take on cool opportunities that I wouldn’t have been offered before. I’ve found myself to have less control with this medium but everyone that I’ve had the pleasure to work with has brought something unique and new to the table so it’s been really exciting to create work this way. It’s overall a very rewarding process because I’ve been able to learn a lot and let loose with the editing process. I don’t limit myself when I edit. I love using textures, graphics, collages, borders, and anything else my mind desires with these shoots. My goal to is create beautiful photos that make people look twice and ask “Wait this was shot through FaceTime?”. I want my FaceTime shoots to look like magazine worthy editorial shoots and I want to prove that creating quality work is possible even with limited resources.