I BELIEVE
The World Cup wraps up in just a few more days, and it's been a crazy ride. Watching Team USA this year has been particularly stressful, with close wins, last minute draws, and a final push from our Portuguese friends to get us out of the Group of Death and into the round of 16. This is my favorite time of the year (every four years), so I was excited to make the trip out to Governor's Island last week to watch the USA take on Belgium at the official FIFA viewing zone.
The energy was amazing, and it was awesome to see wave after wave of rowdy fans get off the ferry with flags, painted faces, USA jerseys, and a steady chorus of "I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN" chants.
With an incredible performance by keeper Tim Howard, the U.S. stuck around and finally broke through in extra time thanks to a GOLAZO by Julian Green and got back in the game 2-1. But even with some great (gut wrenching) chances at the end, we still came up short and were eliminated.
I've been playing soccer my whole life, and it's great to see the enthusiasm that's slowly building around the sport, especially during these last two World Cups. There's a lot of progress to make, and of course team adjustments to be made, but if fans stay this passionate and invested, I'd say soccer in the U.S. could be something really special in the next 5-10 years.
See you in 2018, Team USA!
Fourth of July from Brooklyn!
Another year another 4th of July in the books. The last couple of years I've had to venture into Manhattan to watch fireworks on the Hudson, but this year I watched from the comfort of my roof as the fireworks made their triumphant return to the East River!
Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! Back to the grind on Monday :)
The Springs pt. II
in Travel
A visit to Colorado Springs isn't complete without a visit to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the only mountainside zoo in the U.S. At 6,800 feet above sea level, it's bit of a hike but definitely worth it. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is also home to the largest giraffe herd in the country (18)! Pay a couple bucks for a handful of lettuce and watch about 3-4 giraffes get suddenly very interested in what you have to say :)
The trip ended with a hike near Helen Hunt Falls with some more crazy, fast changing weather, and some great late-afternoon views of downtown Colorado Springs.
(Thanks to Madison for the photos of yours truly!)
The Springs pt. I
Normally when I'm in Colorado Springs I'm shooting for the Navy Wounded Warrior Project and spending a lot of my time at the US Olympic Training Center. It's rare that I get a chance to explore the city, let alone some of the beautiful places surrounding it. This visit to the Springs, though, was just that-a visit, and it was great to finally see some of the places I usually only get to hear about. The weather changes quickly in this part of Colorado, so these are some images from our rainy drive through the Garden of the Gods.
Blog news...
The blog has suffered some neglect over the last few months, and that simply won't do. I'll be updating a lot more often with photos from my travels, client work, and general snaps from around NYC. Let's kick things off some images from this past Memorial Day in Williamsburg:
Bushwick Block Party
I spent Saturday at the Bushwick Block party with friends. We weren't sure what to expect after waiting in line for about an hour, but we had a great day. Good food, good drinks, and good people? This Summer is shaping up to be pretty great. Click through to see photos from the day!
Welcome to the new home of Joe Martinez Photography
Welcome! JMP has a new home with some new work! Have a look around, feel free to follow me on twitter, instagram and tumblr, and drop me a line in the contact section.
New Home?
Giving SquareSpace a spin for the next 2 weeks to see if it might be a better place to display my work. Decisions, decisions...
