Caroline Martin Photography

By the Book | I Heart Faces Challenge

CMPhoto — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:55:16 +0000

love these two cuties reading to each other…or pretending, as the case may be. They were cracking me up during this shoot, as they said, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, turn!” on each page.

This photo was submitted to the I Heart Faces photo challenge – check out the other awesome entries at www.iheartfaces.com

until next time,
Caroline

Be Nice.

CMPhoto — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:59:27 +0000

I have always been fascinated watching information spread across the Facebook world. When a celebrity dies, I feel like I am always one of the first to know. When a sports team snags an important win, I find out, whether I want to or not. When someone changes their status to say something that ends with, “Repost this in support of those with {insert ailment or disease here}”, I often find myself wondering what the point of all this social networking is. Why do I feel the need to spend so much of my time checking in on Facebook, when it seems that so much of what I read there is unimportant to me? Sure, a lot of the time I spend online is spent checking out my favorite photographers and finding inspiration in their work, but it’s more than that. The power of the social network has always amazed me.

Then yesterday, an incredible thing happened. Julie Paisley Photography, after being the victim of a photographer who felt the need to be NOT nice, decided to do something about it. She did not “out” the photographer, and publicly humiliate them. Though, with more than 15,000 fans, she easily could have. She, along with her friend Spanki Mills Photography, decided to use their fan base for good. And, WOW! Their new campaign for “niceness” spread like wildfire! In a matter of a couple of hours (at most), my feed was over run with one image. This one.

It had been reposted by so many photographers whose work I admire. Well, now I admire so much more than just their photography. I admire their acknowledgement that this simple image, which represents a very simple idea, is VERY important. It is one of the very first things we are taught as children. BE NICE. It is one of the most important things I have taught my own children. BE NICE. It is so basic, yet oftentimes, so easily overlooked. In all the hustle and bustle of everyday life, I think we sometimes forget just how important it is to BE NICE. It makes you feel good, and it makes others feel good. There is really no reason not to. So I am taking a stand, beside many others in this sometimes cut throat industry, and reminding everyone to BE NICE. BE NICE to your neighbors. BE NICE to your “competition”. BE NICE to your friends, and even to your enemies. BE NICE to the guy who cuts you off on the freeway. BE NICE to your family. BE NICE, even when you don’t want to. You never know, you might make someone’s day. Heck, it might even be your own!

until next time,
Caroline

{Bed on the Beach} Mini Sessions, round one | Carlsbad Beach Photography

CMPhoto — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:31:16 +0000

I just finished editing all the sessions from my first round of {bed on the beach} mini sessions to benefit breast cancer awareness, and i must say, i am in love! these sessions were so much fun, and despite the fact that the weather refused to cooperate, i am just loving the moments i captured. the day started off with more wind than i was prepared for, which left my “assistant” (aka “husband”) standing guard to keep the bed from blowing over. and then, as we crept closer to what i was hoping would be a gorgeous sunset, that awesome san diego marine layer got thicker and thicker. oh well! i was determined to get to everyone, and i am glad i did. those 4 adorable little girls were the last of my fog-induced sessions. :)

these sessions succeeded in raising $375 for my friend sarah’s a wave a day project, to benefit Keep a Breast! On behalf of sarah, keep a breast, and myself, a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who came out to support our efforts!!!

i am so excited to share this sneak peek, but don’t want to give too much away, as many of my clients are planning on using these images for their holiday cards…don’t want to be a spoiler!

so, without further rambling on my part, here they are!

can’t wait for 8 more sessions on november 13th…this time to benefit my awesome friend Michelle’s fundraising efforts for the 2011 san diego breast cancer 3 day walk!

until next time,
Caroline

Nicol Family | Julian Family Photography

CMPhoto — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 02:38:22 +0000

i have to say, i just love it when a family has fun during their session! granted, these guys are some of my closest friends, so it was easy, but still. they have such a wonderful relationship, and it is truly a pleasure to capture a bond like theirs.

until next time,
Caroline

Let Them Be Little | I Heart Faces Challenge

CMPhoto — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:50:34 +0000

When I saw this week’s challenge over at I Heart Faces, I immediately thought of this photo of my little monkey, swinging on a rope swing we found while hiking. I absolutely adore this image of him, as it seems to capture the true joy of childhood.

until next time,
Caroline

Bed on the Beach | San Diego Holiday Photo Mini Sessions

CMPhoto — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:21:46 +0000

the kids are settled back into school. autumn is attempting to show its face. you know what that means? it’s time to start thinking about the holidays again! what better way to share the love this year than by cuddling up with your family on a bed on the beach? and, what’s more, it’s for a good cause! so, amidst all the hustle and bustle of the season, you can feel good knowing that the {beautiful} photo on your cards helped raise money for a fabulous cause. 2 fabulous causes, actually! Keep A Breast and Susan G. Komen…two well known names in the fight against breast cancer.

this year, i invite you to join me on the beach in Carlsbad for a fun session with your loves…made so much more fun knowing that $75 from each session will be donated to a cause that is so important to me. my fight against breast cancer began 3 1/2 years ago, when I was diagnosed, and will continue until we find a cure.

for more information about Sarah and her pink board project, visit A Wave A Day. Her commitment to raise money for Keep A Breast is a noble one!

as for Michelle, this year marks her 3rd year walking the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk, benefitting Susan G. Komen.

until next time,
Caroline

Baby Weston | Dana Point Newborn Photography

CMPhoto — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:16:58 +0000

i have known this precious little guy’s parents for years…too many to count! i was so excited to get my hands on him for his newborn session. at 4 weeks old, he was wide awake for a majority of his session, and he gave me quite a bit of “stink eye”. but, i still managed to finagle quite a few moments of calm out of him. ultimately, i got my way. as it should be. ;-)

welcome to the world, little weston!

until next time,
Caroline

McCarthy Family | Encinitas Family Photography for Breast Cancer Awareness

CMPhoto — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 20:46:48 +0000

This session is about so much more than just the photos. It’s about how this awesome family found me. The story starts with my friend sarah, who is dedicating a year of her life to raising awareness for the fight against breast cancer. she felt that every time she turned around, someone else she knew was finding themselves fighting this battle (including myself). and, more importantly, she felt like she needed to get out there and do something about it. so, she did what any (incredibly amazing!) so cal surfer girl would do…she got herself a pink surfboard, and committed to surf every day for a year to raise awareness for the cause and $$$ for Keep a Breast!

As my way of saying “thank you” for the commitment she has made, i donated a photo session for her 100 day celebration. The McCarthy family was generous enough to bid on it, and I am so happy they did! i had so much fun with these guys, and i hope they love their photos as much as i do!

if you are interested in finding out more about the pink board project and the amazing girl behind it, or if you want to donate to the cause, visit a wave a day.

until next time,
Caroline

Lazy Days of Summer… | My Life…Exposed

CMPhoto — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:33:38 +0000

When Evoking You posted this week’s “LAZY” photography challenge, I knew I had the perfect picture! Here is a little glimpse into our lazy days of summer, shot during a recent camping trip. parker loved this hammock!

until next time,
Caroline

My Life…Exposed | Road Trip 2011 (Part Three…Craters of the Moon}

CMPhoto — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 05:01:52 +0000

“Craters of the Moon National Monument”…Sounds like a good place to stop for a family with an outer-space-obsessed 6 year old, right? I pretty much looked at the map to see what was halfway between Boise and Yellowstone, and there it was. Looked it up, and it sounded interesting enough, so we figured we’d check it out. Saw that it has a first-come, first-served campground, so we thought, if it turned out to be a cool place, maybe we’d stay the night. As it turns out, it was a cool place, and we did stay the night…after we went on a cave walk!

WOW!!!!! That’s all I have to say. Well, I suppose I should also apologize for the immense number of photos I am about to post. For being the place we stopped for the least amount of time, I sure did snap a lot of pics. It was THAT cool! Enjoy!

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until next time,
Caroline