Hunter Martin – Team photographer for the Philadelphia Eagles and seasoned sports lensman

A lifelong Philly sports fanatic and photography enthusiast, Hunter Martin ’85 (East Stroudsburg and Penn State) turned his passions into a highly successful career as a professional sports photographer for over 30 years. 

Think you have good seats for games? Hunter is on the field snapping shots so close to the action that he has to dodge linebackers like runaway freight trains on the sidelines. 

He’s currently team photographer for the Philadelphia Eagles as well as a freelancer covering the Phillies, PGA, and athletics at Penn State, U Penn, as well as some other Division 3 colleges. Over the years he’s built an impressive portfolio.

Images provided by Hunter Martin Photography.

The thrill of victory… and the agony of staying professional

As the Eagles team photographer, Hunter was on the field and behind the scenes shooting the Birds’ 2025 Super Bowl victory and spirited celebrations back in Philly. He said, “I’m finally coming down from the whirlwind, thanks to the other work I have to focus on.” 

Hunter had the good fortune of covering four Super Bowl appearances since he started with the Eagles. He said, “The first one I shot was amazing even though we lost. The second time was in Minnesota, when we won. That was really special, because as an Eagles fan, I’ve been waiting all my life for a Lombardi trophy.”

He continued. “I was in the locker room after the win and everyone was celebrating. The players were passing the trophy around, and I thought about how lucky I was. Here I am, a kid from from the Philly suburbs and a lifelong Eagles fan, standing in the locker room and being a part of the first Super Bowl celebration in team history. But I was also in work mode, and had to turn off my emotions and fandom.”

Photography and career building

Hunter’s passion for photography was passed down by his dad. He said, “My father was always into photography. We had a dark room in our house growing up. After he taught me how to shoot and develop my shots, I kind of got into photography.”

Majoring in film and photography, Hunter decided to try to make it a full-time profession. After graduating, he started freelancing as a photographer, but initially had to bartend and work as a short-order cook to stay afloat.

Hunter played football, baseball, and wrestled in high school. He said, “I wanted to be a freelance photographer and focus on sports, but at the beginning I was shooting weddings, parties, events, ribbon cuttings — anything that I could get hired to shoot. That helped me become more well-rounded with the skills that you need to do different types of photography.”

He took his shot at the pro game, sending a letter to the to Eagles public relations director. He said, “I told him who I was and what I wanted to do and he credentialed me for a couple games at the end of the 1988 season. He liked what he saw, and gave me a season credential the next year as an unpaid volunteer. Slowly but surely, I started working myself into a position with the Eagles.”

While he was struggling to get by, Hunter invested in tools of the trade saying, “I went to an East Stroudsburg brother who was a banker and got a small business loan to buy one of those big sports lenses.” His career started to take off from there.

Memorable freelance assignments

Hunter enjoys working freelance for other sporting events such as Phillies games, college sports, and even concerts at Lincoln Financial Field for Getty Images. He earns a day rate or royalties from photos he shoots. 

A few of his favorite sports experiences include:

• Tiger Woods’ epic comeback win in the 2019 Masters
• Bryce Harper’s 8th inning home run to send the Phillies to the World Series
• He was one of only two photographers to take pictures at Arnold Palmer’s funeral.

Hunter also got to travel to Washington, DC with the Eagles to visit Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and attend a ceremony at the White House honoring the Super Bowl win with the president.

The Pilam transfer portal

Hunter went to East Stroudsburg in 1982 with a couple buddies from high school. They liked the brotherhood and what the chapter stood for, so they decided to pledge together. He said, “I think the guys in the East Stroudsburg chapter were like-minded. They came from similar backgrounds.”

He transferred to Penn State in 1983 and moved into the Pilam chapter house with another ESU brother. Hunter formed friendships at both chapters and still keeps in touch with many of his brothers.