MICHAELA MARTELL

1. Hi Michaela, welcome to All the Cores and More! Would you please introduce yourself for readers, such as where you’re from, a little bit about your backstory, and what you do in broad strokes?

My name is Michaela, I also go by Kayla or Rogue.

I am a County girl. For those who don’t know, that means I was born and raised in Aroostook, the largest county in the state of Maine. I currently reside in the Portland area. By day I work as an engineer, providing tech assistance and designing CNC tools. I also am a Mom who somehow finds time to put into her passions and hobbies in the evenings and on the weekends. I became a published author in 2015, had my first photo published in the Bangor Daily News in 2021, and have recently had a review and photos published in Metal Edge Magazine.

2. How has being a former roller derby athlete prepared you for photographing hardcore shows?

I think my favorite thing that I am told at a hardcore show is “look out!” and “you should be careful!” which, YEAH, someone might be moshing pretty hard, as they usually do. The thing that those people don’t know is that I was a jammer for roller derby, and as a jammer you have to be aware of your surroundings, you’re always looking ahead and over your shoulder at the same time. You never know when someone is going to fly into you. After ten years of being knocked off the track, sometimes flying in the air, I have learned how to squeeze between people, while also protecting myself from getting hit.

I do a lot of dodging at shows. You may see me run in the front of the band, take a few shots, then hop on the stage to get out of the way. These days I get a barricade, but at local shows, not always the case.

3. Who are some of the major artists you’ve photographed?

Coheed and Cambria, Dave Gutter, John McCuen, Jill Sobule, Sparks the Rescue, Converge, Full of Hell, Touché Amoré, Better Lovers, Johnny Booth, Hong Kong Fucked You, Poison the Well, Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer, Acid Bath, Primitive Man, The Red Chord, Deadguy, Kaonashi, Knoll, Pallbearer, Ingrown, State Champs, The Number 12 Looks Like You, See You Next Tuesday and more.

4. When did your love for music start and who were some of your foundational influences?

Man is this a loaded question, my love for music goes back as far as I can remember. I grew up in a house of music. VH1 or MTV was always on the tele. My parents would blast KC and the Sunshine band every Sunday morning while making breakfast, it was their way of waking up the entire house. CDs repeatedly played in the car were AC/DC and Metallica. My entry level bands in middle school were Limp Bizkit, Korn, Slipknot and Green Jello (Jelly). In high school my favorites were Tool, Deftones, Kittie, Between the Buried and Me, Norma Jean, NIN, Meshuggah, Dream Theater, Rush, some pop-punk and emo bands. I listened to EVERYTHING and I still have all of my CDs. It wasn’t until the last few years that I started really branching away from my number one love, Tool. Tool was the band that I related to the most, their lyrics just made sense and I didn’t have to “spiral out” to feel it. I started playing guitar, first learning songs from the Spit album by Kittie, and then growing to play like Adam Jones. Over the last few years I have grown to love more hardcore/grindcore/metalcore. Converge being the biggest favorite, atm.

5. What made you want to get into photography and immerse yourself in the world of live music?

Growing up I wanted to be a part of something in the music scene but was too shy to play an instrument in front of others. I showed up to a show with my little Kodak and became obsessed with the idea of documenting my friends’ bands after I saw the cool and creative shots I could get. Getting a photo of your friend jumping in the air with their bass at the age of 16 is probably the most epic thing I did as a teenager. It’s not something that I talk about enough, but if I pointed you in the direction of my friends, whom are still playing music, they would talk about how much we have grown together and individually in the music scene and how much they appreciated me showing up for them at nearly every gig. My friend Opie is in NH, but I have millions of pictures of him through the years. He has invited me to take pictures of him at The Station, Jewel Music Venue, and Aura.

6. What does your kit look like?

I have been on quite the gear adventure over the years.

Last year I upgraded my Olympus EM5KII to an Olympus OM1MKII and got myself a telephoto lens with a crop factor that goes up to 300mm. That lens is essential for shows that I need to stay far back from. For instance, if I don’t want to get kicked by someone that’s trying to crowd kill.

I also currently use an 8mm fisheye for my more creative wide-angle shots.

My second camera is a Sony A7V, full frame, with a 24-70mm lens. That camera is a BEAST. I get a lot of questions about if I use a flash. Generally, I do not, but that comes with the territory of working behind a barricade where flash is not allowed. I have learned to push my camera past its ISO limits and work with crazy lighting situations, but have also invested a lot of money to have f1.8/f1.2 lenses where needed.

7. What would you say have been some of your major career highlights beyond question number three or experiences that stand out in particular?

I would say, photographing national acts, but I really think the networking I have done are the major career highlights. While building up my portfolio I have also been networking a lot, introducing myself to some touring photographers. I have learned a lot from them. Some have even brought me into shows to photograph. Poison the Well w/ Converge, specifically, was a huge deal to me.

Poison the Well

To my surprise, I was the only photographer there. I’m used to fighting for “the shot” against at least 9 other people. The barricade was so empty that when Jacob Bannon from Converge came out, his microphone chord grazed my ear during the shot of him below.

Jacob Bannon

My friend working video on tour with PTW came down and gave me a big old hug behind the barricade during their set. And that’s what networking with other people working media will bring to you. I think a second highlight for me was when I was taking pictures of Johnny Booth and their bassist said hi to me. We found out we were cousins. Third career highlight, taking pictures at the first ever Saddest Day event and getting this epic shot from Full of Hell.

Full of Hell

There wasn’t a barricade, I had to deal with people stage diving over my head to get this shot.

8. Tell us more about your work for Metal Edge!

This year I have been reaching out to more legitimate press. With Napalm Death touring in the US for the first time since 2022 and Acid Bath having been broken up and having not toured for many, many years, I was honored with the chance to cover their show that happened at Roadrunner on May 30th, 2026.

Napalm Death

I submitted photos and a written review of the evening and received a publication with them. Currently Metal Edge is an online only zine, but I think they’re moving towards printing again. It’s been cool to see their Editor in Chief revive the magazine. Metal Edge works hand in hand with Revolver Magazine and Alt Press, they’re all a part of Project M Group.

I’ll be writing a review for them again when I go see Kittie at the Palladium and hoping more future opps align with the magazine so that I can continue building professional relationships in the Music industry.

9. What can you tell us about Echoes of Oddities?

Echoes of Oddities is a few things. First, it was a website I started for a short horror story series I began writing, and maybe someday I will finish and publish it when I have the time. Then it became a place for artist interviews. I interviewed Ryan Graham from State Champs, some friends that make art that I support, a few podcasts, and some of my favorite tarot deck creators, Claire Goodchild and Benjamin Mackey (known for his highly sought after OOP Twin Peaks Tarot Deck).

10. Last question: You’ve been granted magical powers to bring five bands or artists past or present, living or deceased, together, at their peak, for a one-night show only. What’s the lineup?

Dillinger Escape Plan (I need to see them again). Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, The Chariot, Tower of Rome, Meshuggah (also need to see them again). This is in no particular order; I do think Meshuggah would be the headliner, though.

The Red Chord

The “Red Jericho”