Meet Adrian Martin, the Filipino Photographer Behind Your Favorite Celebrity Portraits

From the province of Cavite to the state of California, Filipino photographer Adrian Martin is making a name in Hollywood.

Adrian Martin has always been drawn to Hollywood. As he was growing up in the Philippines, the Filipino photographer followed the lives of celebrities closely: Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Beyoncé, to name a few. From following celebrity culture during the 2000s, Martin has gone on to become a celebrity and fashion photographer.

If you feel like you’ve never seen his works before, you don’t have to look too far. Just last April, Olivia Rodrigo released “drop dead,” the lead single from her third studio album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. The cover image, which features Rodrigo blowing a bubble gum bubble, was shot by Martin. “It’s cool because I’m Filipino too, and it’s an honor to shoot her because I obviously love her music,” he says. “She’s a great role model for girls and guys and for the young generation.”

The opportunity, like much of his work, came through word of mouth. Rodrigo’s team had initially tapped a different photographer for a specific photography style, and the photographer recommended Martin for the job. “She’s such a pro,” he says. “She’s so gorgeous and so easy to work with, and so soft and nice. And she loved that I was Filipino, too.”

Before Rodrigo, there was the 2021 Met Gala with Kendall Jenner, where he shot her getting ready in her custom, crystal-embellished sheer Givenchy Haute Couture gown. There’s also Hailey Bieber, whom he shot at Chateau Marmont. And there’s the one that put him on the map: his first shoot with model and actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Before Hollywood, his home was in the Cavite province, and a few years before moving, he was studying at San Beda University in Alabang. His first interest wasn’t in photography but in fashion, initially working towards becoming a stylist. While in the Philippines, he interned for a local magazine and worked in retail at Bershka. Soon after graduating from college, he decided to move overseas in search of better opportunities and a better life.

Arriving on Western shores, Martin was still set on working in fashion. “My first love is fashion, and photography was just a hobby. I just wanted to take cut pics,” he says. For two years, Martin worked in retail at Zara and eventually went on to become a creative director for an independent magazine, where he honed his photography skills.

“I was the one producing the shoots, doing the mood boards, and styling; then I collaborated with photographers,” he says. While collaborating with photographers, Martin would watch how they shot their subjects, picking up techniques as he did so. “In a way, I had to do everything, but I also learned a lot by being able to do all of those things,” he says. 

He recalls his early experiences as a Filipino photographer on set. “I’m like, why is everyone white?” he remembers. Now, when it comes to his shoots, he shares that he makes sure that people of color are included, as well as younger people who want to learn about the job, opportunities which were few for him at the beginning.

Throughout his career, there’s one lesson that he’s still learning: not to take things personally. “Because I think sometimes I’m like, ‘Oh, I didn’t get this job.’ I would take that really badly and personally, but then I realized it’s just not for me and that there’s always something better that’s going to come in,” he says. “Sometimes, rejections are good for you because they’d be a redirection.”

While his photography career is flourishing, Martin still has his eyes on fashion. This time, he’s launching a clothing brand. “It’s inspired by what I wear on set, like the uniform that behind-the-scenes people wear on set,” he shares. He remains tight-lipped about the rest of the details, but there’s one thing for sure: he’ll get the job done.