Christy Martin Photography » My Life... clients, family & specials!

When asked when I became a photographer, my mind drifts back to 'Show & Tell' in Kindergarden. Out of all my toys and dolls, I brought my little point-and-shoot camera to class. (I still have the photo I took that day of my kindergarden class!)

Photography is my passion. It inspires me. It relaxes me. It excites me. It is also the reason I don't get nearly enough sleep at night. Aside from client's sessions, you'll also find images of food or recent trips. More than anything, you'll see a lot of my family. Afterall, it's the new freckle on Ross' nose or Rayna's curls that make me so thankful I get to document life's wonderful memories.

Author Archives: Christy

Jason, Hannah & Parker

Monday, August 30, 2010 Posted in Babies, CLIENTS, Children, Families, My Family: Pictures & Stories

When it comes to photographing my family (more specifically, my sister), shoots are a little different than with most clients.
Last time I took pictures for Hannah, I had to bring my kids. Towards the end, Ross started bossing us all around and Rayna came pretty close to a pretty intense melt-down. This time, we brought along a different assistant- my dad! Although Parker was already in a good mood, having his PaPa there to make funny noises and carry his toys was a huge help.

Another big difference is the communication-difference I experience after taking pictures for Hannah. Even though I know most clients are eager to see a few Sneak Peeks (…like… minutes after their session), they patiently wait until I let them know their images have been posted. With Hannah… not so much. I had barely gotten home and gotten my kids in bed when I started getting text messages and emails about when I could post some pictures.

Well, it worked! Here are a few our session last night…
I am SO glad we finally updated their family pictures! It was so much fun, I could sent Parker and my dad to the car, had Hannah and Jason change in the middle of a field and just photographed them alone for another 30 minutes. Oh wait… that actually happened (More pictures to come later…)

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Lucas

Thursday, August 26, 2010 Posted in CLIENTS, Children, Families

I could write a lot about Lucas and how cute and sweet he is, but I think Joie and Tyrus would prefer me to zip-it and just post a few extra pictures of their incredible little boy.

Here we go…

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12Stone Village

Monday, August 23, 2010 Posted in CLIENTS, Families, My Family: Pictures & Stories, PERSONAL, Seniors & Headshots, Things I LOVE

Eight years ago, Matthew and I found ourselves quietly slipping into the seats of a new and somewhat intimidating church. Coming from a Baptist background, I looked around at the greeters and ushers and wondered why these people were dressed so casual at church. Most people’s attire consisted of shorts, overalls or leather motorcycle jackets. (Weird, right?)
When the music started, the familiar “Nothing But the Blood” made me feel a little more at home with my church-hymnal roots… UNTIL the lead-singer broke into the chorus with a rendition that would make Mick Jagger seem like a mellow performer.
Just a few minutes later, instead of a well-dressed pastor gracefully approaching a stand, the entire staff was introduced as they ran up on stage… all to the theme music of Monday Night Football.

As we were leaving the parking lot, it took us both a few minutes to express our thoughts. However, when we finally found the words to describe our experience at 12Stone, we agreed, without a doubt, we had found our church home! We love this church for so many reasons. One of my favorite things is the incredible music. It’s loud. It’s powerful. It’s moving. (To me, it’s a great sign when there are free earplugs by the doors of the worship center!) We also love the way Pastor Kevin’s teachings are so honest and transparent in his own life and struggles. And, just like the church believes and the greeters demonstrate, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV)

With 10 services each weekend, it’s no wonder 12Stone was listed as the sixth fastest growing church in America. And with a church this large, it is SO important to find an area where you can serve. There are a million reasons to serve, but one of my favorites is the feeling that you are not just ‘showing-up’ each week. It feels great to feel like you are giving your love, time and hugs to ensure the parents can focus on the service, while the kids can learn and have fun. Another great thing about serving is the wonderful people (and, in my case, kids) you will get to know. I have been serving in some type of children’s ministry at 12Stone for six years. It’s one of the highlights of my week, so when I was asked to photograph some of the staff and volunteers for 12Stone’s website, I was so excited!

Here are just a few of the crazy and wonderful people who teach, guide, help and entertain the kids each week…

Here are a few of the kids…

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Hayden & Harper

Sunday, August 22, 2010 Posted in Babies, CLIENTS, Children, Families

Talk about adorable children…

Harper is not only beautiful, she is also a true girly-girl. I could do an entire session with JUST her and her purse, newly manicured nails and super-trendy outfits! (Seriously… I have SO many ideas in my head that would be perfect for her!) Just look at those eyes…
Hayden looking pretty cute in his boots…

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Today is DAY 27. (We are in serious trouble.)

Wednesday, August 18, 2010 Posted in My Family: Pictures & Stories, PERSONAL

Meet MURPHY.
I don’t like to label him a ‘bad‘ dog, but he certainly has some characteristics that have made me NOT want another pet.

He loves to go outside and bark in the middle of the night for no reason.
When he sees me heading out the door juggling at least one child, purse, backpack, a drink and anything else heavy or bulky, he decides it’s time to escape. After I chase him from one neighbor’s yard to another, he ignores me as I drive around and beg him to jump in the car.
My personal favorite… He humps IS VERY AFFECTIONATE TOWARDS anyone who comes over. This includes, but is not limited to, friends, family and the great folks in our weekly Small Group from church.

Meet ROSS.
Ross loves dogs. For months, Ross asked us for another dog. For months, we said no.
Finally, in an attempt to stop the questions, Matthew casually replied to Ross’ continued requests by saying, “If you feed Murphy for 30 days straight, you can have a dog.”

Imagine how surprised I was when he woke-up the first morning and ran downstairs to feed Murphy!

Days turned into weeks…

As a matter-of-fact, the days and weeks added up so quickly, we had to create a numbering system to make sure we could keep up with it. After we realized Ross was going to win, Matthew started his search for a dog that would hopefully be smart and would not shed. He found an adorable Aussiedoodle (cross between Australian Shepherd and Poodle) in Missouri. We showed Ross his picture and he LOVED him!
With only a few days left, Ross’ walls are covered in dog pictures and his book shelves are filled with dog books! We all have so much faith in Ross, Matthew’s parents drove 8 hours to pick-up the dog last week! They tell us every day how awesome he is. We can’t WAIT to surprise Ross with his new puppy!

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Summer trip to Arkansas

Tuesday, August 17, 2010 Posted in Food, My Family: Pictures & Stories, PERSONAL, Story Boards, Things I LOVE, Trips

Each summer, I really look forward to a week at my in-law’s house in NW Arkansas.

We eat around the clock.
We spend hours riding the 4-wheeler, Ranger and horses.
We explore new caves, waterfalls and creeks.
We try to see how many small children we can scrub down in the big bathtub each night.
We stay up way too late each night watching movies and eating the hot cupcakes my niece makes.

With over 13 people there at any given time, we all stay very busy!

To answer your question about the pictures above:
Yes, Ross fell asleep in his Nana’s arms while riding the 4-wheeler.
Yes, the children played poker any chance they got!

I thought this heart-shaped flower was so unique and interesting. This wasn’t the only one. There were hundreds more just like it!

A typical day includes us riding the Ranger and Matthew trying to perform a dental examination on each horse.This was one of our adventures. The waterfall was so beautiful.

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A BIG family shoot!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010 Posted in CLIENTS, Children, Families

I really love big, family sessions. Not only is it important to have your own family photographed regularly, it’s equally as important to get those priceless pictures of grandparents with their grandchildren, cousins and every shot in between. I was especially looking forward to this particular session because I knew I was dealing with a lot of ‘big’ GREAT personalities! I had been ‘warned’ this was a fun group. And it was true. We had a great time!

Starting with the wonderful Donald and Shirley…Some of the family shots…
The adults were great, but I really LOVED these little kiddies…We’re finished! Time to swim!If you are interested in an extended family session, email for more details! After the first family session is booked, I am offering a discounted session to others within the family.

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Andrew

Tuesday, August 10, 2010 Posted in CLIENTS, Children, Story Boards

After my long phone conversation with Carey last year, I couldn’t wait to photograph her son Andrew in the upcoming weeks. She shared with me some really moving stories about how Andrew came into her life. Throughout an hour-conversation, she mentioned again and again how thankful she was for her family.

Months later, I couldn’t figure out why she had not returned my emails or phone calls. I allowed a few more weeks to pass and decided to email her one last time. To my surprise, I received a phone call a few weeks later from Carey. Right away, I could tell something was wrong.

Carey told me she had suffered from an extremely serious brain aneurysm. She explained how she had almost died and lost most of her memory. Her life had been completely turned-around since the last time we spoke on the phone. The doctors told her, statistically, she should not be alive… much less living at home. Through all of this, Carey, once again, continued to talk about her family and how thankful she was for all of the blessings in her life. She told me that instead of focusing on the many problems she faced each waking moment, she choose to be thankful to get to be Peter’s wife and Andrew’s mom one more day.

I am so grateful Peter happen to find my last email to Carey. He remembered our phone conversation from last year and urged her to call me. This was their first family session together. After we ended our session, Carey hugged me and said she probably wouldn’t be able to remember this day, but she wanted me to know how grateful she was for it. After seeing her over-come so many obstacles and continue to look at all the positive things in her life, I was the one who was grateful to have met such a special person.

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Katie & Alex

Saturday, August 7, 2010 Posted in CLIENTS, Families, Story Boards

Katie and Alex looked super-cute as they ran towards me from their car. They were ready for pictures!
Clay and Leah looked… well, super-comfortable as they got out of their car in cotton shorts and t-shirts. They explained it was just going to be the kids being photographed during this session.

Clay and Leah found a shady spot under a tree while the kids and I went on a little adventure. We really missed not having them in our pictures, but with the grown-ups not around, the kids and I were able to talk about LOTS of gross, sticky and smelly things that only kids seem to appreciate it! And just to squeeze in a little more fun and laughs, we hit the playground at the end of our session!

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Zachary’s Baptism

Tuesday, August 3, 2010 Posted in CLIENTS, Families, Story Boards

I still remember the first day I met Melissa. I can still see her beautiful fingernails and hear her contagious laugh.

Six years later, Melissa and I have shared some home-cooked meals and many Taco Bell lunches. Although I still love her fingernails and laugh, I’ve grown to admire her as a Christian and a mother. I’ve told her this before, but the more I’ve gotten to know her, the more like her I want to be. Not only does she teach her children how to obey God, she also teaches them how to hear His voice and understand His love.

At a time in my own life when I felt over-whelmed with ‘stuff’ that was keeping me too busy, she shared her views on being a mother of young children. She talked about all of the hobbies and things she really enjoys doing. Then, with only peace in her voice, she told me how she had decided there would be plenty of time for her to enjoy those things in a few short years. She knew her boys would only be ‘little’ for a short time. She made a decision to put some of her interests aside and enjoy her children while they were still young.

Sunday was a very special day for Melissa and her family. Zachary, her oldest son, was baptized in Lake Lanier by his dad. It was a beautiful moment. I couldn’t have been happier to be a part of it!

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Jay, Rachel, Halle & Emma

Monday, August 2, 2010 Posted in CLIENTS, Children, Families, Story Boards

If you’ve been a blog-reader of mine for a while, you may have already noticed a little trick I like to use. When I have a lot of images I want to post from a session, I often use a Story Board design to include a few extras. In the case of Jay, Rachel, Halle and Emma’s session, I used THREE Story Boards! Not only were Halle and Emma sweet, beautiful and very funny, they were so much fun to photograph! Although it was starting to get hot, we still had a GREAT time playing together!Jay & Rachel- Thank you again! I feel so blessed to be able to photograph such wonderful families and children!

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Ryan, Amber & Lillie

Monday, July 26, 2010 Posted in CLIENTS, Children, Families, Story Boards

I received an email a few years ago from a really sweet girl in North Carolina. She wrote about how much she loved photography and asked a lot of questions about starting her own photography business. Over the next three years, we exchanged a lot of emails. She clearly had an eye for photography and, more than anything else, worked extremely hard to make her goals happen. (Most people don’t know how much work goes into having a photography business. The real works starts AFTER the photo shoot!) Unlike most places now, she was in a great area that didn’t already have plenty of established photographers. I knew she could do it! Flash forward a few years. Now, she is a very successful photographer and her clients love her.

I was excited when she asked me to photograph her family. We arranged a time when she would be passing through my area with her family. After years of emails and phone conversations, it was great to FINALLY meet her in person!