Labradar Retrievers are the best!! So loyal, fun and always happy.

Bonnie was no exception. She showered me with kisses and even rested her head on my shoulder as I was kneeling trying to take a picture of her.

After having chatted with Bonnie’s owner I went out and scouted a few places that I thought Bonnie would do well in – a place that was best for a 9 year old lab, and that she was familiar with. Whenever I work with a new client I always ask about the dog (or, cat) and where they would be most comfortable as well, as having an ideal backdrop that would make sense for the breed. Knowing that Bonnie was a bit older and her mobility was limited we ended up shooting in one of her favourite parks filled with creeks, tall cedars, Douglas Firs and lush, green ferns. The perfect place for Bonnie. She will look great surrounded by nature, the colours and down by the creek.

We began mid-morning and in the first half-hour we didn’t get many photos as Bonnie was too busy sniffing flowers, and eating grass. She also got the zoomies. Haha!! Eventually, she settled down and I was able to capture quite a few photos of her. The real surprise though came when I began to edit the photos that I saw the myriad of facial expressions that Bonnie had. What a cheeky girl!!

I always tell my client that I do not rush a photo session and I take my cues from the dog. If the dog wants to play, we play. If the dog wants to pose or take a rest, we take photos or we rest ourselves. For this reason a photo session can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2+ hours. I book one client a day because of this.

Here are a few of my favourite smiles, and expressions from Miss Bonnie. Thanks for letting me take your photos. I had a great day with you and your owner and hope to see you in the park again!!

Pun intended but this Shiba Inu’s is indeed one cool dog!!

Meet August, she’s a 5 month old pup with loads of energy and cuddles. My thought was to showcase August in fresh snow because it suits her breed and because of her gorgeous coat. I knew she would stand out in a white powder room as opposed to the dark green of our BC forests. Unfortunately on our schedule photo day we had everything but powder.

Living in North Vancouver you get used to all sorts of micro-climates and temperature/weather changes on a whim. On the day of the photo session we mostly had fog, and some sun and high clouds. We also had old snow – lots of it that had been trampled on. Bleh. So I decided to concentrate on portrait style photos and photos with the owner and her pup. I really wanted to have this Shibu Inu in some clean fresh white snow so we decided to meet again in the future for part two of the photo session. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait long and the following week 10 cm of the goods fell overnight which allowed me to concentrate on action shots as August happily leaped and bounded through waist high snow.

The temps were sitting close to -8C and despite some cold fingers it was worth it seeing this young pup (with some pretty serious zoomies) play, snif, and leap. She reminds me of a red panda or a red fox with her red coat and thick, small ears. Such a cutie!

If you’d like to book a photo session I’d love to hear from you. Let’s talk about your dog and how you can have relevant photos that make sense for the breed.

On a side note doesn’t she look like a red panda or a fox?

This is Wednesday and she’s full of energy, feist and is super loveable!

This past spring I had the opportunity to take images of a Sphynx cat. Although I have friends that own a few I never had the opportunity to photography one let alone pet. I was surprised how warm her skin was and how much it felt like suede…well, warm suede!

Wednesday’s owner, Shanelle Matthews, has smartly set up an Instagram account for Wednesday. Check out their page here and watch her walk the cat-walk, explore the big outdoors, and doing the spa thing. Get a feel for what it’s like taking care of a Sphynx because they aren’t regular cats!! These cats require lots of care and stimulation and Wednesday has no shortage of that. Her mommies are the BEST as they take amazing care of her both physically and mentally. I thought my own two cats were active but this seven year old lady kicks their butts!!

I set up my mobile studio in there apartment as that’s where Wednesday is the most comfortable. And, we spent the next hour or so capturing all her different angles, moods, expressions and a wardrobe change. We took a mental break and went back at it. What a trooper! She was a real joy to photograph and I am honoured to have met Wednesday and her human family!

WOW! I cannot believe an entire year went by and not one post by me. Let’s just say 2021 flew by…at least it did for me.

First, and foremost, COVID-19 threw a wrench in my photography business. Like many, I have a mortgage, and a family. Common sense told me that I needed to take a step back from photography as it wasn’t making financial sense. In 2020 I ‘lost’ my job as a ‘Teacher on Call’ (a substitute) when schools closed down and an online model became available. This was also the time where my husband began working from home due to COVID and my studio now became his office. At the end of 2020 and into 2021, I had the oportunity to be regularly employed. Today I am an elementary school teacher-librarian and I absolutely LOVE the position. It offers me a creative outlet, I see kids learning and I get to read books to them!!! Well, it’s a little bit more detailed than that but, the point is, I’m happy where I am today.

So, why did my year fly by?

In April, I went for a ride with my husband and youngest on a mountain bike trail I’ve ridden many times. However, I messed up bad. Real bad. We had to call Emergency Services to haul me off the mountain. I ended up with a broken tibia-plateau, and messed up ligaments and cartilage to my right knee. I was bed-ridden for a month as I could not move. The first two weeks my leg was straight out as I was in a full-cast. After that, I was able to move around a bit using crutches. I took the time off work to heal. I had LOTS of time on my hand and lots of time to think about things. One such thought was towards my photography business and equipment. My gear sat in my camera bag and it sat unused for over a year. I contemplated selling it. But, I could not bear to do it. I love my camera too much and I am not ready to let go of photography.

Fast forward a few months. I am back at school as the Teacher-Librarian and still loving it. I have also accepted that photography has been put on the sideburner for a while. I am not stopping as I will always be a photographer. But, I just don’t have the time, or money to actively market myself to re-start my business. I will pursue it again in the future. But, right now COVID makes everything uncertain.

In short, Cecile Gambin Photography and Cool Cat Photography are NOT closed. But, I am not marketing myself. If you would like a photography session please let me know and I will be there for you. I love photography and it’s creative process too much to just drop it.

Thank you to all my past and current clients for helping me become the photographer I am today!!

Time stood still as everything around me, and the world, changed. Both my photography businesses pretty much tanked with the onset of Covid-19 and rather than worry about it I decided to go with the flow and chill.

So, what have I done with my time? I spent it with my family, rode my bikes, skied and went for hikes. I went back to teaching and not once did I pick up my camera. I was in limbo for a while and I did a lot of reflecting. I even contemplated selling some of my camera gear as my energy and motivation wavered. Instead, I took a break. A break from the hectiness of trying to find customers, and post on Instagram in an effort to gain those elusive ‘likes’. A break from social media even my favourite platform – Facebook.

I took a break. Simple as that. And, you know what? I feel much better now.

Life is good!