For this issue, we had a chance to catch up with the creative force behind the lens of South Bay Visions, Steven Martinez Jr. –a photographer, community member, and member of the United Lowrider Council of San José. Born and raised in the east side, he traces his work to his experiences of having grown up along King and Tully Roads.
Q1: How did you get into photography?
Honestly, growing up in the east side, it was rough. You see a lot of stuff growing up. There was definitely poverty. Along with poverty came a lot of diverse cultures. You see a lot of ethnicities, primarily Vietnamese and Mexicans, but I think that’s pretty much what helped me shape into who I am today. I’m a very giving person, ‘cause I came from nothing and when you come from nothing, you kind of appreciate everything around you; so that’s kinda why I feel the hood has shaped me as a person. Growing up here too; primarily the east side is known for lowriding, so growing up you just see a lot of classic cars, and I think that’s why I developed such a deep passion for it.
When I was younger, I did have cameras, but I wasn’t really active until I was older with the photography thing. I was actually more into graphic design when I was in high school. In freshman year, it caught my eye. . . . I got into just wanting to capture what I see.
Q2: What motivated you to photograph the lowrider community in your work and what continues to drive that passion?
Pretty much, I would go visit L.A., sometimes in the summertime, and you would always see that the culture was very similar to San José. . . . I would see a lot of lowriders. With time, you start to notice that it’s not very prevalent anymore . . . almost like the culture was dying in a sense. I just felt this need of wanting to capture whatever little bit of culture was still here and hopefully influence others to get a lowrider or maybe become a photographer.
Another thing that kinda influenced me, was that I would go on Instagram and wouldn’t really see any other people in the South Bay or San José capturing what I was seeing growing up. You know, like paleteros, murals, all the stuff you see on the east side. . . . No one was really out here doing it, like capturing the culture, at least not Chicano culture.
Q3: Is there a particular moment or memory that stands out to you, that made you say, “wow, I want to become a part of this community?”
I’ve always been around that culture because my mom used to cruise back when I was a kid. But something that really caught my eye was community activism within the lowrider community. How they always wanna give back. The lowrider community has always been portrayed as gangsters or drug dealers, which isn’t really true.
In reality, we’re just a bunch of gente that have a passion for our beautiful cars and our culture. And I realize that it’s not just about that. It’s about preserving the culture. They love their cars, and we do a lot of community activism stuff, like toy drives. . . . It’s all about giving back to the community.
Q4: Were you aware that Lowrider magazine began in East San José
Definitely, I knew it originated in East San José because L.A. tends to take all the fame for lowriding. I’m not here to discredit them at all because they have Whittier Boulevard and all the cruise spots; but we also had the mecca of lowriding up here in Northern California, which is Sunny Madrid and Lowrider Magazine. Knowing that he was from up here and it started up here, I think a lot of people appreciate it.
Personally, when I found out the [print] magazine was going away, I guess it didn’t affect me a whole bunch because a lot of stuff is digital now anyway and you can go on Instagram and multiple websites where you can view all that art.
