Ben Martin achieved renown as an acclaimed American photographer, most notably recognized for his role as TIME Magazine's inaugural staff photographer at the New York Bureau. Over a remarkable thirty-three-year career, he delved into a wide spectrum of subjects, encompassing wars, fashion, politics, arts, business, and sports, contributing to renowned publications such as TIME, Life, Fortune, People, and Sports Illustrated. Martin's indelible impact on the 1960s is evidenced through his iconic imagery, immortalizing some of the era's most pivotal moments, including the haunting 5 o'clock shadow of Richard M. Nixon, the historic march of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Montgomery, Alabama, and the poignant scenes of John F. Kennedy's grieving widow and children.
Martin became fascinated by photography at the age of eight when his father, a newspaperman, gave him a bakelite “Univex 00” miniature box camera. At age fifteen he founded the first High School News Bureau in the nation, and became a staff photographer at the local newspaper, The Salisbury Post. At age seventeen he became the youngest member of the National Press Photographers Association.
Martin was known for his ability to capture candid and intimate moments in his photography. He was skilled at creating a sense of connection and empathy between his subjects and his viewers, which helped to make his images particularly impactful. In addition to his work as a photographer, Martin was also an active member of the photographic community, serving as president of the American Society of Magazine Photographers from 1965 to 1967 and receiving numerous awards and honors throughout his career.
Martin was born Benjamin Rush Martin III on September 16, 1930, in Salisbury, North Carolina. He attended Ohio University, where he majored in journalism and photography, working his way through college by cooking nights as a short-order “White Castle” hamburger chef and working as a stringer-photographer for UPI Newspictures.
Martin's passion for photography continued throughout his life, and he co-founded Pomegranate Press, a book publishing company, with his wife, actress Kathryn Leigh Scott, whom he was married to from 1971 to 1990. The two remained close friends and business partners until Martin's death on February 10, 2017, at the age of 86.
