Basic Information

• About me

  Where some people see destruction and devastation, I find beauty. Whether it's man-made neglect or an act of nature, everything is stunning in it's own way. View your surroundings with more than just your eyes… look at things with your soul. That's the aspect I try to capture with my photography. I've been photographing on and off since I was 16, but only seriously for the last year, (after incessant pushing and encouragement from my family and friends). Bela Morte' means beautiful death. I don't pay lip service to the concept of Bela Morte. It is a vital part of my existence. After Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast and New Orleans, the media became flooded with images of destruction. But that's not what I saw. I saw citizens, rich and poor, varied races and religions, coming together to help one another and rebuild a city that they all love equally. There is faith in the destruction of the ornate. And that's what I photograph. Monuments, places which were once ornate, now crumbling and forgotten by both people and time. I want the ornate remembered and revered for what it once was, and respected for what it is now. This means my art isn't cookie cutter. I want to make you think, make you see things with more than just the naked eye. Ted Grant has said " When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls." I photograph in black and white and color. I focus on the form, blemishes and structure. I don't heavily Photoshop to change the integrity of my work. I am not even functionally proficient in Photoshop, as it is not a necessity for my product. I currently shoot with a Nikon D3100 and my go-to lens is the Nikkor 55-200. It allows me to get up close and personal without having to encroach upon or disturb the beauty before me. I don't stage or change anything in my work, everything is as it truly is, down to the last pebble. Some of the shots I take are completely accidental. I am a completely self taught photographer. There are many more places and things I want to bring attention to and showcase their unseen beauty, and I have just begun.

• Resume

  The first thing you notice about New Orleans are the burying grounds - the cemeteries - and they're a cold proposition, one of the best things there are here. Going by, you try to be as quiet as possible, better to let them sleep. Greek, Roman, sepulchres- palatial mausoleums made to order, phantomesque, signs and symbols of hidden decay - ghosts of women and men who have sinned and who've died and are now living in tombs. The past doesn't pass away so quickly here. Bob Dylan Louisiana is considered one of the most haunted states in America. This doesn't surprise Christy Martin. The first time she went to New Orleans as a child of 4, she fell under its' spell… the charm that makes so many souls stay. Many people lose themselves in New Orleans. But Christy found herself here.
  Christy Martin realized that New Orleans was more than just a cemetery, more than just a swamp or that place that was flooded by Katrina. It isn't just a spot on a map, it is a living, breathing entity that embodies the best and worst characteristics of humanity. Spirituality, kindness, madness, chivalry, danger and mystique, there is a little bit of La in every individual. It was her dream to capture that moment of realization on film, giving the world tangible evidence of their catharsis. Behind her camera, a daughter of the Bayou captures the very soul of her surroundings.