Mike Martin amassed 29,913 photographs on his Flickr page, Newtown Grafitti and over 1.5 million followers. He spent years walking the inner west and surrounding Sydney suburbs taking photographs of Sydney life; people, animals, architecture, festivals, protests and graffiti in Newtown.

Mike visited many art exhibitions and we talked about getting his photographs exhibited someday. It took him a couple of years to warm to the idea, but when he finally approved he became excited at the prospect of his work, framed and on gallery walls., where people could enjoy them, as the millions of viewers did on his Flickr page. He was a respected member of the Creative Arts Alliance Sydney and The Sydney Photography Meet Up.

Upon looking at Mike's Flickr site, i became intrigued with his work and his motivation, especially for someone of his age, 73. I found him to be an inspiration and I wanted others in our immediate community to be exposed to his work, so they too could appreciate and be inspired by his documentation of Sydney life, his eye for the little things. What he captured made me personally see Sydney in a totally different way, a small community, a growing city, a prosperous city, a developing arts scene expanding over suburbs and an appreciation of street artists and street art. So, I asked him if I could follow him around with my camera and film him. Slightly reluctant in the beginning, he did agree but as time went on and I showed him the footage in edit, he opened up to being the storyteller of what was his story. 

I completed the documentary of his story as a street photographer. It was done without fanfare or funding, so things like sound were compromised. I discussed with him creating a crowd funding campaign to get his photography printed, not all 29,013 but 50, and a maybe a coffee table photobook, picture frames for each photo and a celebratory community event at his beloved home suburb of Newton. He was very excited about it all, but in January of 2014 he told me that he was lying in a hospital bed and then he disclosed to me the nature of his illness. He said he just wanted to get out and about and take more photos. We talked about him getting well and us resuming the plans for the big event of his gallery debut and the cinema screening of his doco, but in February of 2014 I was alerted by his lovely wife Wanda that he had sadly passed away. 

My aim is to complete what Mike and I started. I would like to see Mike Martin publicly acknowledged for his significant contribution to the documentation of Sydney inner city life. I know his family are excited and welcome this celebration of their loved one and Mike's friends in the Creative Arts Alliance Sydney and The Sydney Photography Meet Up certainly want to see these events come to fruition as well. He left a legacy; images that document so much, now only exist online, and on his hard drive at home. So if you would like to be a part of making this happen, please fund this campaign and share it. Let's together promote the story of Mike Martin, a man who started his creative passion later in life. Let's give back to a member of our community, a community he loved and found inspiration from, that was his muse. He left a legacy that promotes our city, in the beautiful and complicated world we live in and he captured it, with the discerning and humour with which he saw our city life.

The finance raised will be use to fund the following;

Photography Exhibition at The Archetype Gallery, Lvl 2, Chauvel Cinema, Paddington
Date: 1st December 2014 (Bump in exhibition 30th Nov.)
Duration: 3 months
Gallery fee: $900 for 3 months (includes transportation, curation, installation, catalogue and opening night finger food)
Photographs: Printing of 50 photographs- Kodak quality archival paper A3 (420 x 297) Print price each A3 = $345 A3- Print price each A2 x (2only) = $33.80 
Picture frames for 50 photographs- Ikea frames 30 x 40cm $14.99 = $749.50
http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/4019265...-Ikea frames A2 30 x 40cm $14.99 x 2 = $29.98 
Costs: $2,058.28

Documentary Cinema screening for 1 night at Chauvel Cinema, Paddington: $550 in conjunction with the photography exhibition.
Entry will be free entry to public.
Chauvel Bar: $300 Bar Tab
Costs: $850

Newtown Neighborhood Centre celebration for in Mike's community. Family event with music and speeches.
Includes: Film screening, photography exhibition of Mike's work, music from local musicians.
Date: February 2015 
Duration: 1 day 
Hall hire: $50 per hour approx (incl. bond & other fees) = 8 hours. $400
Finger food: $200 
Costs: $600

Total costs: $3508.28

Note: 
Photo King has agreed to reduce the printing price for this project.
Momento publishing has agreed to reduce it's publishing fee when we get photo books printed in the future.
Free entry to general public to all film screenings. 
Free drinks and food at both launches. 
No alcohol at Newtwon Neighborhood Centre. 
Family fun night at Newtown Neighborhood Centre. 
Mikes framed prints sold proceeds, will go to his wife Wanda.

Obstacles may be reaching the target goal in the time needed. It's a short deadline because of the need to get the photographs printed and framed for the gallery exhibition in December, so I just hope the goal can be met, so that we can authorize for the printers to go ahead and commence printing.

Printing the photos is the main priority and getting them into frames and installing the exhibition before the 1st December, could be the challenge. If we don't meet the deadline, I'm not quite sure what steps to take, except to create a second crowd funding campaign we meet our funding goal.

The reason for an exhibition deadline for the 1st photo exhibition at The Archetype Gallery, is because  I have committed to exhibiting Mike's work during the Walkley Awards, which will be held at the Chauvel Cinema complex in Paddington, during the same time. We have discussed with the Walkleys' representative, that Mike's work will be the feautured exhibition at The Archetype Gallery and they are very thrilled his work will be up during their events. He is not officially a part of the Walkleys but the exhibition of his work at the gallery, where the Walkleys will be holding their event, will be a nice touch.

The Archetype Gallery exhibition on the 1st December 2014, will consist of an opening night open on the 13th December. There will be refreshments, speeches, music, food and  the intended film screening in Cinema 2 of The Chauvel Cinema of Mike's documentary.

The Newtown Neighborhood Family day is designed to be held in February 2015 during the anniversary of Mike's passing, where he can be celebrated fondly by his community in his community with a second photo exhibition, film screening and music etc.