Rising Stars: Meet Craig Martin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Martin.

Hi Craig, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Hello! I am Craig Martin. I am an outdoor enthusiast! I particularly love mountain biking, hiking, and landscape photography. This is more or less where my photography brand, Martin’s Migration, really got started! I spent a very long time living my life in a fashion to please how other people wanted me to live my life. I thought that was what I was supposed to do in order to make people proud of me. What I thought I needed to do to be successful. After a mountain biking trip to Moab, Utah during my spring break junior year at Purdue University, it changed my life. I went on the trip with my best friend with the focus of riding as many trails as we could for the week we were there. This was my first “adventurous” trip out west. It opened my eyes to what is actually out there and how much fun exploring new areas, in a less touristy way, can be. It lit a fire in my belly for traveling and exploring. It sealed the deal for my passion for the outdoors and adventure and made me want to help others have their own epiphany like this. After this experience it made me want to share how much more to life there can be, how many adventures are out there, and that you don’t have to live the cookie-cutter life but instead you can make your life whatever you want it to be!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not always been a smooth road for me. Like most, I’ve had my fair share of flat tires, car repairs, and even car wrecks. Doing the unordinary isn’t easy, or else more people would do it. It’s something you have to want down to your core and you can’t let those bumps in the road stop you.

Flat tires suck but are easily repaired right in the moment. A “flat tire” struggle I have faced is being in the Army. Don’t get me wrong, it has taught me so much about myself and brought so many opportunities to me, but it isn’t very conducive to starting a photography and travel page that is, well, very dependent on traveling to new places. Starting in the middle of college while earning an engineering degree and being involved in ROTC and “Ranger Section” within that, meant I had to learn significant time management skills. Now being an Active Duty Officer in the Army, I have had to continue to really work on time managing to make strides in making my dreams come true. Of course, there are days I just want to lay and watch tv, but I edit photos, research and learn new skills, business plan, and generally work towards my dream because it’s my passion. I love doing it and want to do whatever it takes to make it my job.

Car repairs. These are things that may take a few days or even weeks but eventually, you get your car back in better shape. A “car repair” struggle could be the learning curve I faced. I didn’t take photography classes. In fact, I am an industrial engineer, what I know about photography is self-taught. Finding the time and brain power to learn was a challenge and still can be when I am trying new things to improve my photography. There is always room for improvement. I am a firm believer in never being able to make something perfect, but perfecting the ability to try. Taking your photos, experiences, knowledge, and skills to the next level requires constant work. But it’s the adventure of learning and growing and seeing how far you have come that makes the struggle and grind worth it. It’s what gives it meaning and makes it special. It’s what brings you back for more.

Car wrecks. These are some of the bigger battles in my time. The kind that leaves dents or scratches but makes you stronger in the end. A “car wreck” struggle would be my anxiety. Alongside my photography, I wanted to stay real and true to what happens behind the scenes. I didn’t want to paint the perfect landscape of “all is perfect,” like many others do on social media. Sharing the flat tires, car repairs, and car wrecks is very important to me because it’s real, it’s raw, and most importantly RELATABLE. Many people struggle with anxiety, yet feel so alone. I know this, because I was there not that long ago. I want to be an advocate to show it is okay to be honest and struggle. That you aren’t alone despite what your thoughts tell you. By being real though my photography and my story, I feel like people are able to connect with it. When I started my photography, I understood it wasn’t the normal desired career path. It was different, it wasn’t what the world or people around me thought I should be. It was for me and the life I wanted. It took some time to build the courage to share my content from the fear of rejection. I wanted to share my content but with my style and not fit into the saturated world of photographers. Finding my voice, my niche, and what makes Martins Migration different was a bigger challenge. I don’t believe I am the best photographer by any means. But I do believe in myself. I believe in my ability to learn, evolve, improve, and repeat. It was a lesson and skill I learned through some painful experiences, but a lesson I believe all need. That lesson is to believe in yourself. I’m not sure who said it, but I once heard the quote “You have to believe in yourself first because nobody else will. Their belief comes after you have already succeeded. You must first believe you are capable of success.” There will be plenty more flat tires, car repairs, and even a car wreck, but it will only make the journey worthwhile.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a 2nd lieutenant in the US Army. I am trained as a Field Artillery Officer and am currently a Platoon Leader and Public Affairs Officers for a basic training unit. Effectively, I work with the Drill Sergeants to help train the future Army. It is a rewarding experience being able to help, mostly young adults, transform their lives from a civilian to a Soldier and become part of something larger than themselves. As a Public Affairs Officer, I get to showcase the trainees for their achievements throughout Basic Training while having the opportunity to combine my photography passion with my current work. I recently became the Public Affairs Officer for my Battalion as well and get to showcase Cadre and Drill Sergeants for their accomplishments. I commissioned through Army ROTC at Purdue University where I studied Industrial Engineering Technology. The military has taught me so much. It has taught me how to face problems and learn how to overcome them. Some prime examples are graduating Field Artillery BOLC (basic officer leadership course) as a Distinguished Military Graduate (top 10% of the class). Field Artillery BOLC is one of the hardest BOLCs in the Army due to a condensed timeline to learn a ton of material and full of mathematics and tactics alike. Most recently, competing to earn the ESB (expert soldier badge) and successfully earning it on my first attempt, being one of the 20 out of 200 to earn it. Where it is something I do not want to do for very long, or even particularly enjoy that much, it is something I am proud to have done and most certainly wouldn’t be the man I am today without it.

I think what sets me apart is not trying to sell myself as perfect. I know I have so much more learning and developing to do to get to where I want to be. I am proud of the work I have done so far and share my latest works because of that, but also like to take a deeper look and be honest with myself on where I need improvement. I think it can particularly be seen well on my martins_migration Instagram. Where my posts and reels are the edits I have worked on, I almost always share a story with the photo and/ or a non edited photo or video associated with the image. It is always something that I found funny or helps better explain the conditions at the time of the photo. My stories on Instagram are also very “non professional” . I post the most random stuff to my story, almost all from my Iphone. I think it keeps it more fun and important for the viewer when you see the raw experience rather than trying to sell a version of the experience.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
My best friend Cole Kinser for certain receives credit. It was on my first trip to Moab Utah with him, that I mentioned earlier, that I learned about landscape photography and what it actually was. For a long time, I had an “eh photography is neat but it’s not for me” attitude for it. This was simply from just being naïve to be completely honest, I think. I had no idea what photography really consisted of. But after watching him go through the process of planning the shot, taking the shot, and editing the shot, I began developing the urge to try it myself. The process seemed fun, challenging, and technical while also incorporating hiking and the outdoors. A recipe for a great time.

My now fiancé, Claire, also definitely deserves credit. She is so incredibly supportive in my dream to make photography my career. She has seen my development of the passion and fully supports the idea to try to build something out of it to help people discover their own passions. She is my biggest hype man when it comes to my photos, and she initially is the reason why I started posting photos to Instagram on a semi-regular basis. She is a large reason why I started to be able to believe in myself and take the reins in my mind over anxiety. She also was the creator of my Martin’s Migration logo and has helped me design a couple different sweatshirts that I plan to start selling soon!

My childhood friends Cole Willoughby and Nolan Tighe also deserve a mention. Growing up, The 3 of us would always be exploring the woods, going to different State Parks to hike and camp, road tripping to places like the Louisville Mega Caverns, Painted Rocks National Lakeshore, or Red River Gorge. We learned how to backpack, climb, and mountain bike together. They helped me understand myself and understand that I want to make exploring the outdoors a career. Just at the time, I wasn’t sure what that would look like.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.martinsmigration.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martins_migration/

Image Credits
Martin’s Migration
Claire Overpeck