Martin Boyle: The Portrait Session by Ton Gomes

The Portrait Session / Issue 003

Martin
Boyle

Some shoots are planned for weeks. This one happened almost by accident.

From: Ayr, Scotland
Between: New York & Milan
In one sentence: An eccentric Scottish patriot

Martin Boyle and I had already crossed paths through Soul Artist Management in New York. We followed each other, met briefly at one of the agency’s events, and then one day he messaged me to say he was coming to New York and wanted to shoot.

I reached out to the agency, we aligned everything, and about two days later he was in my studio.

There was no elaborate styling plan, no complicated concept, no production built around the session. It was the kind of shoot I tend to enjoy the most: a model, a camera, a few clothes, and enough time to talk.

We shot for around two hours. By the end, I had something like 160 photographs I didn’t want to delete.

He is one of those models who never really stops performing.

The conversation

When we shot together, one of the things that struck me most was that you never really seemed to stop posing, even between frames. Has that always been instinctive for you, or is it something you developed over time?

It’s actually a little habit I developed when I first started modelling. I was too intimidated to do strange poses, so when the team or photographer paused, I’d go into a pose, almost pretending I was just standing like this, and I’d often hear a model’s favourite words: “hold that.”

You can move very quickly between humor, softness, sensuality and something much more classic or elegant in front of the camera. Do you think about those different sides of yourself when you’re working, or does it just happen?

It’s something that comes very naturally to me, especially when I’m in the mood.

You’ve been modeling for a long time now. What do you think experience changes most in the way a model understands the camera?

Modelling for an extended period of time has shown me that my best work is done when I’m in a playful, cheeky and experimental mood. I feel I perform my best then, which in return makes me happy, and then it’s an enjoyable perpetual loop.

Between frames

He never really
stops performing.

Even while waiting, even when technically nothing is happening, there is always some shift in posture, expression or attitude. The contact sheet catches the performance continuing after the obvious photograph has already happened.

Black and white film-strip collage of Martin Boyle by Ton Gomes — Contact sheet / Martin in motion

Martin Boyle in motion, photographed by Ton Gomes

Martin’s energy in front of the camera is playful before it is calculated. The constant movement does not feel like someone searching for the right pose. It feels closer to someone playing until the right image appears.

Getting to play for work.

That might be the best way to describe him in front of a camera.

You told me a little about your journey and your move to the United States. What did coming here represent for you, personally and professionally?

I want to be held in high esteem in the fashion industry, and I don’t believe a model can achieve that without consistent years of working well in the States, so it was always a big milestone to get to the land of milk and honey. I don’t differentiate between my personal and professional life; I am one.

You’ve worked with major brands and built an international career. At this point, what still makes a shoot exciting for you?

The industry always has you on your toes; it’s random, spontaneous, and wild. Every shoot is different: different location, brand, team, energy.

Do you remember a moment early in your career when you realized, ‘Okay, this might actually become my life’?

Not really. I’ve always been hell-bent on being a full-time model. I was so focused on achieving that goal that I didn’t want to stop and fantasise about the possibility of a future in the industry; I wanted to do everything in the present moment to give myself the best chance of becoming full-time.

Modeling is such a visual profession that people often know the image before they know the person. What’s something about you that photographs rarely reveal?

My Scottish accent.

Orange film contact-sheet montage of Martin Boyle by Ton Gomes — The session on film / Martin Boyle

A note from the studio

James Boyle.
James Bond?

At some point during the shoot, he changed into a look that felt unmistakably Bond. The tailoring, the posture, the confidence of it.

I told him he should be the next James Bond. It helped that his full name is Martin James Boyle.

Close enough.

Martin Boyle in a tailored portrait by Ton Gomes

The extended cut

One session.
Sixteen frames.

From Bond tailoring to the quieter frames. Swipe the photographs or use the arrows.

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 1 of 16 — 01 / 16

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 2 of 16 — 02 / 16

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 3 of 16 — 03 / 16

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 4 of 16 — 04 / 16

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 5 of 16 — 05 / 16

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 6 of 16 — 06 / 16

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 7 of 16 — 07 / 16

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 8 of 16 — 08 / 16

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 9 of 16 — 09 / 16

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 10 of 16 — 10 / 16

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 11 of 16 — 11 / 16

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 12 of 16 — 12 / 16

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 13 of 16 — 13 / 16

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 14 of 16 — 14 / 16

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 15 of 16 — 15 / 16

Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes, Bond sequence 16 of 16 — 16 / 16

You’ve been in the industry long enough to watch it change. What feels most different about being a model today compared with when you started?

If I’m being totally honest, I’m not too concerned about how the industry is changing. I’m focused on improving as a model, developing stronger relationships with clients and my agents, getting better, trying new poses, movements, and striving to deliver for the clients who trust me enough to keep rebooking me.

When you’re working with a photographer for the first time, what makes you trust them enough to really experiment?

It’s hard for me not to trust a photographer because we are in pursuit of the same thing: authentic, beautiful pictures.

After everything you’ve already done, what are you still curious to explore, either in modeling or outside of it?

Acting has always interested me; I loved drama class in school and love going to the cinema. I think it’s the concept of learning a script and a character and adding my own twist on it that makes it exciting for me; maybe in the years to come I’ll pursue it more aggressively.

Do you ever get tired of being photographed?

No way, I adore getting my picture taken, especially when I’m feeling good.

Close portrait of Martin Boyle photographed by Ton Gomes

“Acting has always interested me.”
Martin Boyle

Martin Boyle for The Portrait Session by Ton Gomes