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.

Monthly Archives: July 2009

Carley & Griffin

Thursday, July 30, 2009 Posted in CLIENTS, Children

MEET JILL:
Jill saw a session I did for one of her friends last year. Like a lot of people, it had been a while since she had professional photographs taken of her two children. She was eager to schedule, excited about the session AND willing to drive an hour for the shoot. Needless to say, I was really looking forward to meeting her and her kids.

Now, MEET GRIFFIN:
Although this picture doesn’t show it, Griffin eventually came to love me. (I’ll prove it later.) At this point, however, he only loved his mom. bdsc_0135bw
Carley was a different story. We were BFF from the beginning. (Doesn’t she look a little like a young and prettier version of Jennifer Aniston?) bdsc_00021
Jill only had one request. She wanted a photograph of Griffin on his dad’s old John Deer tractor. I love photographing kids with items that have been in the family for generations. bdsc_0067n

One of the kids together… bdsc_03421

The kids alone… bdsc_0085n1

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I really love this picture of the kids together. bdsc_0478
I knew I could win Griffin’s heart. It just took some work! bdsc_0383n

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My heart naturally gravitates towards images of a mom and her kids. Although Jill said she just wanted photographs of the kids, I had to get a few of her too! bdsc_0511
One last picture of Carley… bdsc_0216

Thank you, Jill! I hope you guys had as much fun as I did!

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Ross’ 1st Baseball Game

Monday, July 27, 2009 Posted in PERSONAL

Matthew and I were REALLY excited about taking Ross to his FIRST baseball game…
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We were so excited, in fact, we arrived over an hour early.

NOTE TO SELF: If you’re taking a 3-year old to a baseball game (OUTDOORS) (IN JULY), don’t arrive over an hour early if you want to stay for more than one inning.

The first 20 minutes were great. Ross jumped on the giant Spiderman…. bdsc_0037n

I handed the camera to Matthew where Ross and I could get some pictures together… sb24

We were there for just enough time to get on the big screen! bdsc_0092n

We had been in our seats about 20 minutes when Ross told Matthew, “I’m ready to go. I’m tired. See…” (as he opens his mouth as much as possible and attempts to make a yawning-sound)

Oh well.
We went (kind-of).
We ate peanuts and ice cream.
I officially marked ‘Take Ross to a baseball game’ off my list.
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More than anything, Matthew and I got to spend some much-needed one-on-one time with Ross. That in itself was worth a $3.50 Coke!

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Chad, Farrah and the boys

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 Posted in CLIENTS, Children, Families

Somewhere between my week in Arkansas and spending the following week alone with Matthew in Florida, I managed to make it home in just enough time to repack my bags, sleep in my own bed and, oh, a SESSION!

To give the boys a little more sleeping time, we decided to do the session at their home. Between the wrap-around porch, huge yard and gorgeous shade tree and swing, I couldn’t imagine doing it anywhere else!

I’m not even going to lie… I LOVE walking into a client’s house and seeing tons of framed prints from our previous sessions together. It makes me feel great to know they loved the images as much as I did! bdsc_0003n

Speaking of not enough sleeping time… It DID take the boys a little time to warm up to the idea of their photograph being taken so early in the morning.
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Another early-morning shot… These boys have some great expressions. I think their eyes speak a thousand words.
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This family is always easy and fun to photograph…
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NOW the boys are starting to enjoy themselves…
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Back to the baby… bdsc_0489bw bdsc_0260bw
Hudson and Hayden are very excited about their new brother… bdsc_0105
HUDSON! Why are you so cute?!?!?!? (Sorry for that outburst. I just want to eat him up sometimes.)
I like how he’s curling his toe. It’s all about the details!
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We waited until the ‘end’ to let the boys do some finger-painting on Farrah’s belly. Now…

Painted shirts off…
Session is officially over… (yeah right)

Only 2 Goals:
1. Play Hard
2. Find, chase and capture the kitty cat. (Can you see every hair on this kitty’s body is standing straight up? I LOVE IT!)

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I adore this swing. I must have talked about it a lot because Farrah and Chad invited me to come back and photograph Ross and Rayna on it. (I plan to take them there in the fall. Can you imagine how beautiful it will be with all the changing leaves?)
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What a great way to end a session:
Adorable brothers… shirtless… on an old swing at their house… just having fun. bdsc_0378n

I realize I’m partial to shirtless little boys in the country, but, this shot was a great way to end our awesome session together!

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My Cute Cousin

Monday, July 13, 2009 Posted in CLIENTS, PERSONAL, Seniors & Headshots, Story Boards

Am I allowed to say my cousin is cute?

Part of the reason Ryan is so cute to me is because, most importantly, he is also very nice, smart and sweet. The other reason I think it’s okay to blog about his cuteness is because he reminds me so much of Matthew. They did, afterall, spend most of their childhood together.

Not only is Ryan cute, he also has a really big heart. He loves animals- specifically his dog, Windsor. Ryan has taken care of Windsor since he was a puppy. Windor has had a great life; however, his health has recently declined. So much, in fact, Ryan’s mom and girlfriend thought it would be nice to capture a few images of Ryan and Windsor together.

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Libby, Ryan’s girlfriend, came along for the shoot. Speaking of cute…
Libby is WAY too photogentic to not get some camera time!
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Heads-Up

Sunday, July 5, 2009 Posted in PERSONAL

It’s possible these last posts and images will make you want to quit your job, move to the country and spend every day enjoying the world through a child’s eyes. At least, that’s what happens to me every year after I’ve spent time here on the farm.

This is of Ross and Rayna coming out of the cave together at Crystal Lake. I could over-analyize how symbolic this image is to me in terms of Ross and Rayna facing the outside-world together. I could go on, but I will spare you and just say I love this picture of them together. bdsc_01001
There are four things that are abundant here: 1. horses 2. chickens 3 & 4: cows & flies (see below)
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Another trip to my favorite location. Rayna loves her Granddaddy! bdsc_168 bdsc_0146 Rayna in her Nana’s hat at the pool… bdsc_0137

Here’s is a secret about how my strange brain works:
No matter WHERE I am or WHAT I’m doing, I see everything in terms of photography.
Confused? Here are a few examples just from today:

I see a watermelon on the counter and instantly say to Michelle, ”We need to take a picture of Kenslee eating a slice on the front porch with just a diaper on.”
We’re riding the 4-wheeler and pass a gorgeous open field with an over-aboundance of wildflowers. It’s midnight and I’m STILL kicking myself that I didn’t take Rayna there for a few quick pictures.

Okay, you get my point. Well, last month when I was here photographing a wedding, I barely caught a glance of these old mailboxes on an old dirt road. I didn’t have my camera with me, so this trip, Matthew and I drove all around until I found those old mailboxes I fell in love with.

Which brings me to my next image. It’s old, which I love. It’s country, which I love. It paints a picture of simple times. bdsc_0144

I have one more post, so check back soon!

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Good Times.

Friday, July 3, 2009 Posted in PERSONAL

As we all sat around the kitchen table eating our vanilla ice cream and enjoying the quietness of the kids being outside, Michelle looks up with raised eyebrows and asks, “Is it just me or was today really weird?”

Yes, I think it’s safe to say we’ve undergone a series of unusual events.

The kids and I found a crying baby deer with 3 broken legs. Matthew’s dad had to ‘take care of him’ (don’t ask!) while I tried to explain to the kids that Grandaddy was actually ‘helping’ the deer. Tough concept for a 3-year old.
Austen and I decided to explore the rocks and caves at Crystal Lake. I was about to take a short cut up a rock when I approached some type of medium sized animal who hissed at me behind a rock. We quickly got back, but decided to send Matthew back for another look. (I think we decided it was a very large and angry bird.)
Michelle found a baby bird during a horse ride. He’s safe with his bird-family now, but the kids did get to enjoy him for a few minutes. (See pictures below.)
We ‘broke-in’ the newest addition to Martin Farms. Their newest horse, Cowgirl, did awesome as we put a saddle on her, led her into the horse trailer and put lots of weight on her back (ME!) for the first time.
Rayna decided she was tired of me and Matthew wasting time looking around Crystal Lake. She moved over to the driver’s seat of the Ranger, jumped down to where she could touch the gas pedal… and away she went without us. Luckily we caught-up with the Ranger and explained, “Although your dad and I drove early, 20 months is just too young to operate a moving vehical. Maybe next summer.”
Oh, lastly, Michelle wrecked the 4-wheeler. (And boy does she have the bruises to prove it!)

Okay, so it’s established: We had a really wierd day. Wouldn’t you agree?

Since I can’t break my blog rule (‘Gotta post pictures!’), I’ll leave you with some from today…

Austen (my nephew and cave-exploring pal) and the tiny bird… bdsc_03761
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One of my favorite places… Crystal Lake. I’d really love to book some sessions here for next year. It’s got some great backdrops, but most importantly, I’d love for my clients to be able to either jump in or wade through the creek like my kids always do. (How pretty would that be?!?!?)
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Gotta’ throw-in a picture of Rayna with her cousin’s John Deer cowboy boots on…
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This place HAS to be my favorite hidden spot. The first time I came here years ago, we were riding horses through the creek. I was blown away by the beauty of the rocks, clear water and large rock walls. The kids love catching fish and crawdads with the net. Oh, we also spend a lot of time finding rocks and trees to jump off of. I really like this picture of Matthew. He’s the coolest guy I know.
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Rayna’s happy just about anywhere there are snacks.
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I take it back about Rayna being happy as long as she has snacks. She was pretty happy out of the freezing-cold water and in her Granddaddy’s arms. I LOVE that little girl!
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Please excuse the wetsuits all of us (excluding the maverick Matthew) were wearing. Actually, we all really love freezing-cold water. (Honestly, it doesn’t bother us at all.) We just randomly decided to try these wetsuits on right before getting in. I guess we all forgot to take them off before easing into ice-cold stream.
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This moment happens all day long here. Just last night as we finished dinner, we glance out the big windows and see Ross petting one of the horse in the pasture. I LOVE life in the country!
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I hear the 4-wheeler and Ranger outside. That means it’s time to fill up the big bath with four kids under 4 years old. Can’t beat a week in the country with all of the family together!

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Where am I?

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 Posted in PERSONAL

Make-up is not required. (Some days, it’s actually frowned upon.)
There are lots of kids running around. (Most of which are usually semi-naked.)
Swimming holes keep the kids happy for hours.

We are at Matthew’s parent’s house! b1dsc_0006
Each year, ours and Michelle’s (Matthew’s sister) family spend a week in NW Arkansas. The week is filled with adventures, good food and lots of little dirty hands and feet at the end of each day.

Ross and his cousin Joseph were happy to help us out by getting some of the horses back into the pasture.
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As you can see, some horses are a little more stubborn than others. bdsc_0206
Later that day, we took the kids to this incredible spot just down the road. It’s filled with rocks, caves, rock walls, water holes, creeks and big bugs. The PERFECT spot for 3-year old boys! b2dsc_0304

…PERFECT spot for little girls too. There’s only one problem, the water is calling Rayna’s name and she’s not wearing a bathing suit. Never fear! Our kids are very happy in the buff. bdsc_0414

bdsc_0418 Rayna is the best lil’ kisser in the world. Matthew and I ask for them from the minute she wakes up until she lays down each night. bdsc_0431
The boys found these hats in one of the bedrooms…
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Matthew’s dad got his hat when he saw the boys having so much fun with theirs. (Another good reason to always have your camera handy. I really like this picture of them together.)
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As our day started to wrap-up, Kenslee and I hung-out while everyone else rode the Ranger and 4-wheeler. As you all know, I can’t hang-out with a happy baby, sitting on a beautiful wooden floor, without grabbing my camera and pulling her diaper off for a quick photo.
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