Feature Bloomie Spotlight: Cama Cathrae

It’s that time for the Bloom Spotlight and we are so excited to spotlight Cama Cathrae with Cama Cathrae Photography. But BEWARE….once you see her incredible photos below, you will instantly become a fan like we are! Her use of light is amazing and her images are full of wonder and beauty with breath-taking emotion! So without further ado, read all about Cama below:

Tell us something about yourself.
First of all, thank you so much for asking be to be apart of the spotlight group. I am in amazing company and I feel honored! I am from Idaho…born and raised. I lived in Washington state for a couple of years after college but ended up back in Boise. I am married with two great kids, Kiana 10 and Connor 8. I got a degree in Communication but really wanted to be an airline pilot. Instead, I became a mother and photographer. Life happens while you are making other plans….right! Seriously though….I couldn’t have planned it any better!

How long have you been in business?
I started fumbling around with my first camera when my daughter was two but didn’t take it serious until about 4 years ago. I say all the time that I wasn’t really a photographer until after I took the Bloom Workshop two years ago. I am not the most technically inclined person and honestly it just put all the pieces together for me. When I have new photographers come to me and ask advice, I always tell them, “take the Bloom Workshop and save yourself a lot of time and misery trying to figure it all out yourself.”

What equipment do you use?
Canon 5d..yep the old one.. desperately wanting to upgrade this year though. 85mm 1.2, 50mm 1.2 and the 70-200 2.8. I would love a wide angle lens.

What make you fall in love with photography?
It had been at the back of my mind since I was a child and our family had professional portraits done once. I remember being in awe of that lady that took our pictures and then her beautiful studio. I even still remember her name. I was also very inspired by our wedding Wedding Photographer Lisa Lamping. Then like so many other photographers…my children really brought out my passion for photography.

Who or what inspires you?
I have to say now days lighting inspires me more than anything else. This makes me giggle a little because when I first just started out I was so afraid of the sun. I would always run to the shade and never come out. LOL! There is so much amazing talent in our industry it is hard to just name a few of the photogs that inspire me. However, Deb Schwedhelm who was the guest photography speaker during my Bloom Worshop is one of my all time favorites. Her work is so organic, brave and rich with emotion….I could go on and on about her. Another favorite is Stephanie Williams, I am always blown away
by every image of hers.

What is your favorite subject to shoot?
I love them all…newborns, toddlers, kids, seniors, couples, and yes I can now even love families. I use to dread family sessions because I just didn’t feel like I was very good at them. I had a very buys fall with tons of family sessions and it gave me the experience I needed to finally feel comfortable and actually enjoy them.

LOVE your use of the sun? Do you have any tips to share with our readers about achieving sunflare?
First of all, thank you! That is a huge compliment for someone who use to only shoot in the shade. LOL I took Detra’s The Light Workshop in conjunction with the Bloom Workshop and it also changed my photography world. It got me out of the darkness…literally and into the light. Then it is just practice. I shoot a lot of images when shooting into the sun because I know there will be a lot that I can not use. I don’t beat myself up over those shots, I just relish in the images that turn out magical. So my advice would be to take a workshop from someone who excels in that area and then just be brave.

When did you take the workshop and when was your “aha moment?”
I took the bloom workshop spring of 2009 and had the time of my life interacting with all the amazing photographers that took it at that time. My ‘aha aha moment’….I didn’t have an aha moment. The entire workshop was an ‘aha moment’ for me!! I have to tell you I had signed up to take a different workshop from another photographer in which I was going to have to travel a very long distance to get to and I had been having really bad feelings about the workshop for some reason. I decided to trust my feelings and sell my seat to that workshop and choose two online workshops to spend the funds on instead. I knew about the lighting workshop by Detra and I found Bloom through her site. When I read about the Bloom workshop I though….”hmm this may be a little basic for me,” but i really loved Brenda and Kristy’s work so I decided to take it. I am seriously smiling as I write this because I was so delusional. I needed that workshop as much if not more than anyone who signed up for it. I am so thankful I made that decision and it was the best money I have ever spent on myself.

If you weren’t a photographer, what would you be doing?
I would love to own a funky coffee shop that had live music all the time and had an art area for kids.

Favorite color: White
Favorite food: Like Jules…I would have to switch that one to my favorite drink which is also coffee. It is a shame Jules and I don’t live in the same town so we could have coffee every week together!!
Favorite song: Way to hard of a question for me to answer. We LOVE music in our house and have so many favorites it is crazy. We took the kids to a Josh Radin concert last night. We were in the front row and Josh smiled at us and Laura Jensen who opened for him leaned over and told Kiana that she was cute. That was the highlight of her year!
Favorite place to shop: Anthropology for sure. I don’t actually spend a lot of money there I just love to get inspiration from their art displays. It is like eye candy and I am always blown away.
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be: Again…just like Jules. On the beach in a simple house with my family.
What is your all-time favorite quote or saying: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can…begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” by Goethe
If you could have dinner with any two people, who would they be and why: My parents. They are amazing individuals, who have done great things with their lives and who always have my back.

Thanks so much Cama for peek inside your world! I do have one request if I may…..can you start a blog so we can bookmark you and see all your recent work? I have a feeling that after reading this interview, you’ve just gained more fans!

All you Bloomie readers can check out more work from Cama at her WEBSITE! And please make sure you show your love to Cama by commenting!