We recently connected with Cade Martin and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Cade thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I didn’t pick up a camera until I was 20, late by most standards. But growing up in artist-rich Richmond, Virginia, as the only child of an art professor and a freethinking mother, creativity was everywhere. My parents dragged me to every film imaginable, and somewhere between those flickering frames, I realized the camera could be my passport to anywhere.

From the moment I looked through the viewfinder, I was hooked. Photography became my way of chasing characters and finding beauty in the unfamiliar. But if I’m honest, maybe it’s not photography itself I love so much as the crawling around, the hunt, the act of making an image. Maybe it’s always been the adventure behind it all.

Looking back, I think I was simply pursuing a path that would make me happy, one grounded in curiosity, creativity, and connection.

What began as curiosity evolved into a lifelong mission: to embrace the unknown, follow your instincts, and stay wide open to wherever the path leads. Whether I’m working close to home or far afield, that same commitment guides me. Stay open. Stay curious.

I want to go where I don’t know I want to go yet.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Cade Martin, a photographer, storyteller, and visual collaborator working worldwide with a diverse client roster and zero interest in being boxed in. Lifestyle, portrait, conceptual, product? Yes, I’m game.

Whether it’s a quiet photoshoot or a full-scale production, I bring the same mindset: listen closely, collaborate fully, and craft images that captivate and resonate. My work is driven by curiosity and refined by experience.

My process is built on trust, adaptability, and the belief that imagery is shaped by how you move through the world, what inspires you, and how you choose to see. Every movie I’ve seen, every comic book I’ve read, they’re all part of the mix and the way I see the world.

About Cade Martin: Photographer and visual storyteller. Curious collaborator who chases characters and finds beauty in the unfamiliar.

www.cademartin.com | @cademartinphoto

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

After more than 30 years in business for myself (say it ain’t so, Joe!), I’m still curious and still evolving. I’m proud of my longevity and the fact that I’ve stayed relevant. I didn’t set out to build resilience, but passion and perseverance have carried me through. This kind of work requires fortitude, and it demands flexibility too. We are always changing. The environment changes. And if the way we pursue our passion doesn’t change with it, things fall out of sync. To keep passion alive, we have to be open to reinventing what we’re passionate about.

As Bob Dylan said, “He not busy being born is busy dying.”

That mindset has carried me through the unpredictable nature of this career, and it was especially clear during a recent project in Chonburi, Thailand. I worked on a campaign for The Man That Rescues Dogs Foundation, which cares for more than 800 stray dogs. Forty-five of them are outfitted with custom wheelchairs and race down dusty roads with a kind of joy that stops you in your tracks. The Wheelchair Mafia, as they’re affectionately known, are full of motion, spirit, and life. Capturing that kind of energy was both a creative challenge and a joy, and a reminder of what it takes to adapt, stay present, and meet the moment, no matter the circumstances.

This was a family project. My wife and two sons, 18 and 21, were part of the team. It was hot, fast-moving, and full of logistical hurdles. My sons are well traveled, but watching them navigate a completely new culture and environment with interest and hustle reminded me that grit isn’t just something you carry. It’s something you can pass on. They’re light years ahead of where I was at their age, and I couldn’t be prouder of them and who they’re becoming.

Watch the Wheelchair Mafia here: https://www.cademartin.com/exploration-wheelchair-mafia

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Access, connection, and life experience.

The privilege of being invited into someone’s world, even briefly, as a guest and an image-maker, is something I never take for granted. I’m there to connect, sometimes to capture something real, sometimes to create a world that didn’t exist before. It is the human exchange and the adventure that stay with me.

Over the years, I’ve come to see this work as one long, evolving thread. Every project, every collaboration is a small chapter in something larger and a continuation of all of my work. The camera has taken me all over the world, but the real journey has always been in the relationships, the laughter, the shared effort, and the unexpected.

What stays with me are the moments of trust and spontaneity, when people or animals or places let you in, even for just a breath. That’s the part I carry forward, and that’s the part I try to reflect back in life lived – so far.

And after all this time, I’m still that kid who got lost in the viewfinder. Still chasing the next character. Still listening for the story I haven’t met yet.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cademartin.com
• Instagram: @cademartinphoto
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/cademartin
• Other: https://www.cademartin.com/exploration-wheelchair-mafiaTikTok: cademartinphoto

Image Credits

Cade Martin Photography