Category Archives: PERSONAL

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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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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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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Second Favorite Compliment

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 Posted in CLIENTS, Children, Families, Things I LOVE

My favorite compliment is when a child isn’t ready for our session to end.  Over the years, I’ve even seen a few kids cry because they wanted to stay and play.  (The parents hated it, but I loved it!) 

My second favorite compliment, hands-down, is when men, especially dads, have a totally different experience than what they expected.   Men don’t typically think about, schedule or necessarily look forward to a photo session.  But, my goal is to make each session 100% FUN, RELAXED and LAID-BACK.    

Mark Twain was right when he said, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.”  It’s awesome when I get an email after a session telling me the kids wanted to play with me again.  It’s even better when it says the guy enjoyed it too! 

If you’ve been wanting to schedule a session, but you’re getting some ‘guy-resistance’ due to his thoughts of pictures in the past being too stuffy or posed, take a look at some of my FAVORITE dad-shots below…


I love when a dad brings something that has meaning between he and his child.  This daddy sings and plays the guitar to his little girl each night.        Father’s Day is this Sunday.  A session would be a great gift to document this stage in your life and family!   For more information, email (info@christymartinphotography.com) or call (770-639-0598).

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Family Beach Trip: Part II

Tuesday, June 8, 2010 Posted in Families, My Family: Pictures & Stories, PERSONAL, Photography, Trips

Just a few more from the beach…
We spent one day at Busch Gardens.  Since Rayna couldn’t ride most things, she and I walked around together where Ross and Matthew could enjoy the bigger rides.  (As-only-a-mom-would-note:  Ross rode his first upside-down rollercoaster!  Yeah!) 

CORRECTION:  I said Rayna and I ‘walked’ around together; however, there was NO walking on Rayna’s part!  Even though I carried her (and my camera and backpack) six straight hours, I honestly enjoyed it.  Each time my back started aching and neck started popping, I just thought, “This might be the last year she will let me carry her.”   While Ross & Matthew were riding water rides and roller coasters, Rayna and I had frozen lemonaids and a lot of deep conversations about kitty-cats, lip gloss and Dora.      

 Just a few of my favorite snapshots…

  • Ross & Rayna just a few minutes after waking up from their naps…
  • Matthew taking the kids to the same ice-cream shop his parents took him to when he was little
  • …HOURS at the pool

 

Matthew spotted a beautiful tree that would be perfect for a picnic.  Aside from getting over 15 mosquito bites in ten minutes, it was a great spot!  As always, Rayna started picking flowers.  I wasn’t quick enough to get it in focus, but I thought it was still a cute picture.

Counting down the days for another beach trip…

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Family Beach Trip: Part I

Sunday, June 6, 2010 Posted in Children, My Family: Pictures & Stories, PERSONAL, Story Boards, Trips

We were able to get away to the beach for a few days over Memorial Day weekend.  Aside from a quick trip to San Diego when she was just a baby, this was Rayna’s first time to truly experience the sand and water. 

Our schedule was something like this: 
Jumping into the pool over and over…

Then, heading back to the beach…
Although dinner ran late and it was waaay past the kid’s bedtime, we used our last night to go back to the beach one last time.  Needless to say, we didn’t waste time by going to the room to get bathing suits! 

Rayna didn’t seem to mind.
The warm wind was blowing.
The golden sun was setting.
I wish I could have frozen that moment in time. 

As Matthew and Rayna got out of the ocean one evening, I stayed behind for a second to shoot this picture.  I love it because of the glow and the rainbow coming down on Ross…  There are a few more pictures I want to share from our trip!  Check back in a few days for the rest!

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Family Pictures

Saturday, May 29, 2010 Posted in Decorating with Photos, My Family: Pictures & Stories, News, Products & Specials, PERSONAL, Photography, Tips & Projects

Like a lot of you, I don’t necessarily enjoy being photographed.  However, I can’t even begin to tell you how passionate I am about the importance of documenting your life through pictures.  Although I’m always taking pictures of my kids throughout our day, our last professional family picture was taken when we lived in Arizona.  (Stay tuned!  I plan to post a few “Decorating with Photos” features using pictures from that session!) 

So when I told Matthew a family session was the only thing I wanted for Valentine’s Day + Mother’s Day + our anniversary + my birthday and Christmas this year, I think he could tell how important it was to me!

Brandy (friend/wonderful photographer) photographed my family last week.  Here are a few of my favorites…

Even though Brandy made us all look happy and stress-free in the pictures above, you’re not alone if you feel like nothing goes smoothly on the day of your session.  I was so happy she included an image that was pretty-much symbolic of Rayna 99% of our entire session… 

Although I tried not to, being a photographer has put so many ideas and images in my head that I wanted for my own family’s shoot.  However, after seeing how Rayna acted, I just assumed there wouldn’t be any decent pictures of our family.  Needless to say, when I saw the picture below, I was so grateful!  It was exactly what I wanted…  

If your family needs updated photographs like mine did, I want to encourage you to find a photographer you love and feel comfortable with in your area.  (Or, if you’re like all of my incredible clients in Arizona, find a photographer that is all the way across the U.S.!)  As I mentioned in another post, you’ll be so happy you’ve documented all the laughs, hugs, kisses and even frowny-faces!

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Weekend Renovation

Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Posted in My Family: Pictures & Stories, PERSONAL, Things I LOVE

Have you ever seen the yards on the Do-It-Yourself shows where a person’s backyard looks so bad, they bring a film crew and a bunch of workers in to do a total make-over?  Yep- that was our backyard.  Although we loved our house from the moment we saw it, we knew the backyard needed a lot of work.   

When Matthew recently told me his big plans for our yard, I just assumed he found a landscaper to do the projects.  However, after he started walking me around the backyard and saying words like  ’us’ and ‘we’, I realized WE had a lot of work in front of us! 
 
Here’s what we Matthew did in a little over a weekend:

  • Built firepit
  • Laid flagstone patio
  • Laid 2 pallets of sod
  • Moved my garden & the kid’s swingset
  • Planted bushes

 Here are a few more BEFORE & AFTER shots of our backyard…

    Although we had every intention of grading the backyard, laying 11 pallets of sod and planting seven trees ourselves, we found a deal too good to refuse.  (Thank you, Blake @ Green South!)

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Parker

Saturday, May 22, 2010 Posted in Babies, CLIENTS, My Family: Pictures & Stories, PERSONAL

Is it just me or has it been way too long since I’ve taken pictures of my nephew Parker?  As much as I love Parker, my kids love him even more!  

Ross tries to carry him. 
Rayna won’t stop kissing him.
But, with his incredibly cute faces, do you blame her?


If you are a client, I promise not to show-up with my two kids for your session.
If you are my sister and Matthew’s working from home, you’d better go ahead and count on two distractions ‘helpers’.   All of Parker’s snacks were gone by the end of our session!  Here are my two kiddies relaxing while I photographed Parker…

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‘Granny’ and our BIG family session…

Saturday, May 22, 2010 Posted in Families, My Family: Pictures & Stories, PERSONAL, Tips & Projects

How can I describe my great-grandmother?

  • Everyone calls her ‘Granny.’  (Even her cousin who is the same age!)
  • She is 94 years old.  Yet, you are likely to find her raking her yard several times a week.
  • Just a few years ago on a senior-citizen trip, she decided to show-off by climbing the kid’s playset and sliding down a super-steep slide. 
  • She’s an INCREDIBLE cook!  Personal favorites include dressing, pecan pie & vegetable soup (using only fresh vegetables, of course).
  • And, as told by my sister, “Every time I’ve ever been to the Chick-fil-A Dwarf House with her, she goes through the tiny kid’s door.”
  • One more reason?  Her humor and wisdom landed her on the cover of Neighborhood News, and featured in a monthly column called, “Ask Granny.”

Although I had wanted a big family picture for a while, it took one of my clients losing her dad unexpectedly to make me realize how important family pictures really are.  I knew then how great it would be to have a BIG family picture taken with Granny.  A few weeks and emails later, our family met up at my grandparent’s house for pictures.  Here’s a few of my favorites….

 
Granny + Ross:  5 generations…

As you can see, Granny was pretty popular that day…  Although I love this picture of my grandparents with my kids and nephew…
…I love the one that came before it even more! 
We were waiting for Sissy-Lu-Lu (aka: Rayna) to get her doll out of the car and this is what was happening behind the scenes..
I will probably always treasure this picture which includes my parents, grandparents, sister, brother-in-law and nephew…  Here’s one (of many) of our family group shots.  Grant Norwood was nice enough to come by with his camera to take our group shot…  
I read a great article today about the reasons people don’t schedule family pictures.   (Take a second to read it!)  Bottom line, everyone has their own excuses why now is not a good time for family pictures.  However, family pictures are sooo important!  Don’t wait until it’s too late.  If you’re anything like me, you’ll be so thankful you did!

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New Logo!

Friday, May 21, 2010 Posted in News, Products & Specials, PERSONAL, Photography, Things I LOVE

It was almost five years ago, but I remember the night like it was yesterday…

It was in the wee hours of the morning.  Ross, just a few weeks old, was up for the second time to eat.  My eyes started to get heavy until I noticed a pen laying on the desk in front of me.  As I fed him with one arm, I started a sketch on a scrap piece of paper that would, in a lot of ways, change my life.

Let me back-up a little…
I have always loved photography.  And since most people ‘love’ photography, let me be more specific.  Out of all the ‘Show & Tell’ toys I could have brought to kindergarten, I showed-up with a camera. 

And although I had been photographing people, places and events for years leading-up to this late night moment, I had always questioned whether or not I could transform photography from a hobby to a profession.  The reality of having a baby made me really focus on what I wanted for my life.  I knew without question, my dream was to be a mother and a photographer.  This decision would not only take a lot of work, but also a website and logo. 

And that’s where my late-night sketch came in.  After that feeding, that scrap piece of paper now held, not only the design and layout of my first website, but the logo that would serve me well for my first five years in business.

This year has brought a lot of great changes in my business.  With these changes, I knew it was time for a NEW LOGO that would better represent my style and the direction of my business.  I contacted the best graphic designer I knew, Jason Sims, and was thrilled when I saw what he created.  It was exactly what I wanted!  If you haven’t already seen it on my Facebook Fan Page, take a look…  

  You’ve probably seen his work if you live in this area.  He has worked with many businesses, churches (including our church, 12Stone) and other photographers.  Check out his site below and, if you’re in need of any graphic design work, CALL HIM!  Not only is he super-talented, he is an incredibly nice person. 

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