Gail VanMatre Photography

Home
United States
Raleigh, NC
Gail VanMatre Photography

Raleigh, Cary, Durham area photographer specializing in children, families, and small events.

Professional portrait photographer specializing in heirloom art pieces.

09/01/2026

It is no secret that photo albums are my favorite. Over the years technology can change and things can get lost in the shuffle. Digital images have their place, but an album is forever. Most of my event clients choose to have me create an album for them and I’m always so glad when they do. The excitement of seeing their faces light up when they look at their album for the first time will never get old. Plus, as Kaity said, it smells like a new car.
if you’ve been thinking about adding an album to your portrait session or event photography coverage, this is your sign!

08/26/2026

It’s which means it’s a perfect day to share some highlights from the recent dog photography class I took!

Class was taught by Joan of THE PAWTOGRAPHERS® | Florida Dog Photographers at the East Coast School of Photography, hosted by Professional Photographers NC, back in June.

If you know me, you know that I love dogs. I have been a regular volunteer at Saving Grace NC, a dog rescue organization, for years and have photographed well over 1000 rescue dogs at this point. However, photographing someone’s pet dog in a classroom environment is totally different. Many beautiful dogs came in to model for us. These pet dogs were more comfortable and confident than my typical rescue dogs. This meant that we had more creativity to practice studio lights and studio backgrounds, and even worked on photographing dogs running at high speeds. My favorite day was photographing dogs outdoors in nature, even though it was HOT!

One of my favorite things to do is to participate in continuing education. No matter how long I’ve been doing photography, I will always push myself to improve and learn new skills. There’s always more to learn, and it’s fun!

Thanks to Joan, my classmates, and the dogs and pet parents for making this a memorable, fun, and educational week. I can’t wait to take what I learned and put it into practice with the rescue dogs and client dogs that I photograph.

Dog photographer, Raleigh dog photographer

08/20/2026

Congratulations to the Class of 2026!

I was privileged to photograph so many AMAZING seniors last year, including the incredible Tova Feldman shown here. We had the best time at her spring and fall sessions, where we showcased her incredible talent in ballet. I don’t often voluntarily get up for sunrise, but for Tova and her family, I’d do it again and again. It’s extra special to take senior portraits for families like Tova’s who I have photographed before over the years. Thank you for trusting me to tell your story. ❤️

Many of my Class of 2026 grads are off to new adventures this month - some just down the road, and some across the country and beyond. I am wishing all of my recent grads the very best – and thinking of their parents, too, hoping it’s an easy transition 😭😭😭

Class of 2027, now it’s your turn! Whether you’d like to keep your senior portraits short and sweet, or if you want to savor the experience with lots of variety, I’ve got you. I’m taking just a few more senior portrait clients for this fall - so reach out to start the ball rolling.

And I’m right here along with you, senior parents - I’m the mom of a Class of 2027 senior! I can tell it’s going to be an incredible year that will go all too quickly - let’s buckle up!

Leah Friedman
Raleigh senior portrait photographer

08/16/2026

Mazel Tov to Kaity and her family on her recent Bat Mitzvah! What an incredibly great time celebrating this fun, talented, outgoing and all around awesome teen. Well done Kaity!

When you work with me, you aren’t just hiring somebody to take pictures. You are choosing a true collaborator, somebody on your team to make sure that your day is amazing and well documented and FUN.

Planning a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, portraits, or another special occasion? Let’s connect and see if we’re a great fit.

Venue: Renaissance Raleigh
DJ: Stylus Events | Wedding & Corporate DJs

08/05/2026

Helping Margot with author portraits, and photographing significant artifacts for her book, was truly a highlight of my spring.

Margot’s book “Not For Your Eyes”, based on her parents’ Holocaust era love story in letters, is available for pre order on Amazon! I can’t wait to read it.

Helping with author photos means thinking about:

📕what will look great on the book cover and beyond
📘what to wear
📗other uses like website, social media, banners, etc
📙variety of expressions
📓setting / background (my Raleigh studio was perfect!)

When you want to work with a photographer who is genuinely excited about you and your project - who is a true partner and collaborator - I’m your person! Reach out so we can start brainstorming YOUR next project.

Raleigh photographer, author photos, headshot photos

08/02/2026

Mazel Tov to Mila on her beautiful Bat Mitzvah!

Friends, family, great food and decor, and a dance floor that wouldn’t quit were the ingredients for an incredible celebration at Jewish for Good

Helping families like Mila’s celebrate their most important days, like this one, is what I do best.

Planning a celebration or special portrait session? Need a photographer who will be a true partner, problem solver, and collaborator? Reach out - let’s talk!

Durham photographer, Raleigh photographer, bat mitzvah photographer, bar mitzvah photographer, event photographer

07/15/2026

Mazel Tov to O and his family. Loved being his photographer for his recent Bar Mitzvah at Beth Meyer. It was so great getting to know him and his family, and documenting this milestone in photos!

Every Mitzvah with me is personalized and planned with care, so that we get those classic portraits, your unique family groupings that, and leave space to be yourself and have some fun.

Planning an upcoming Mitzvah in Raleigh, Cary, Durham or Chapel Hill? I’d love to connect!

Sidebar: Aren’t the sailboat kippahs the coolest? My kids are sailors too and O’s family sent some home for us - so sweet.

Raleigh bar mitzvah, bar mitzvah photography, event photography

Beth Meyer Synagogue

07/07/2026

Excited to deliver some prints to Kendall from her maternity session… and meet her sweet little one!

Digital images are nice to share, but nothing compares having your images printed and able to enjoy off the screen. Do you ever scroll back to digital photos from years ago? I rarely do. But I am quick to pull down a photo album or favorite prints from my shelf and enjoy them regularly.

Congrats again to K&M and your whole family. xoxo

Raleigh photographer, maternity photos, printed photos

06/30/2026

Wow, what a day for Alexei and his family! He celebrated a spectacular Bar Mitzvah with friends and family from near and far. We took these portraits just before his service at Temple Beth Or and also celebrated big at evening party to be shared separately. Mazel Tov to Alexei and family!!

Helping clients celebrate, document, and remember their biggest milestones is what I do best. The experience of being photographed should add to the good memories of the big day. With thoughtful collaboration and coordination, together we make that happen.

Planning an upcoming Mitzvah or another milestone? Reach out so we can chat!

Devin Shulman

06/23/2026

Megan is, quite frankly, amazing.

Working. Raising great kids. Going back to school for her masters degree. All at once. She made it look easy when we know it definitely was not!

I was thrilled to help Megan with headshots for her next career chapter. We had a great time visiting some of my favorite spots at the art museum and finding some new ones.

Megan, I can’t wait to hear about your next chapter. I know you will be amazing. Glad to have been along for a small part of the journey.

People often contact me about headshots or branding images to mark a career transition or an achievement. Reach out we can get started planning yours!
Megan Davis Hans

Address

Raleigh, NC

Website

http://gailvanmatrephotography.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Gail VanMatre Photography posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Gail VanMatre Photography:

Want your business to be the top-listed Photography Service in Raleigh?