Martinho Fernando was born in 1956 in Malehice, Chibuto district, in Gaza province, southern Mozambique. He never knew his father. At thirteen he moved to LM to stay with his extended family and continue his studies up to the second year in chemistry in the Industrial School. In 1973 he started work in the photographic section of the 'Golo Produções' advertising agency. From 1974 to 1984 he worked at the 'Direcção Nacional de Propaganda e Publicidade', part of Mozambique's then Ministry of Information. In 1985 he was admitted as a student at CFF, and in 1987 he won a scholarship to study photography in Italy. He is assistant director, photographer and Cibachrome printer at CDFF. He lives and works in Maputo.