South Florida teen hoping to inspire with photos, videos of everglades beauty
Emmy Award winning WPLG story
Luca Martinez has racked up millions of likes and views on social media
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a businesMIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Slogging through the slough on what was a very chilly Saturday morning, Luca Martinez is in his element.
“Sometimes I just try and find the beauty right off the road,” he said. “For me this is probably the most special spot in the Everglades.”
It was there, deep in the wild of Big Cypress National Park, that Local 10 News’ Louis Aguirre meet up with the 18-year-old Palmer Trinity High School senior inside the perfect awesomeness of a cypress dome.
“My first location off trail,” Martinez said, referring to what he calls a natural church that he visits. “It has that cathedral entrance.”
It is in fact hallowed ground for Martinez, an emerging wildlife photographer, who’s become an overnight champion of the Everglades.
“I’m connected to it and completely in love with this place,” he said.
The subtropical wilderness called out to Martinez during the pandemic. He’s now spent the last two years exploring and documenting one of most unique and complex ecosystems on the planet, and then posting his work on social media.
His Tiktok and Instagram videos have made Martinez a viral sensation, with millions of likes and hundreds of thousands of followers who flock to his platforms to experience the magical wonders of a place that remains so misunderstood by so many.
“I posted a video here of this underwater world, the clear water, all these aquatic plants, and now I hit 12,000,000 views. And people couldn’t believe that this was the Everglades. People were saying that it wasn’t the Everglades, that I’m lying,” he said.s. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
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