Gail VanMatre Photography

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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.

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

06/21/2026

Maddie and her friends brought 🔥🔥🔥 dance moves at her recent Bat Mitzvah party at The Durham Exchange. This celebration was incredibly personalized, and incredibly fun.

My approach to events is all about storytelling - which means documenting the main things happening, of course, and seeking out the other interesting or unexpected stuff, too. Here, I was sure to capture Maddie’s young cousin, who joined the big kids on the dance floor and didn’t miss a beat.

You might wonder how I kept the dance floor looking bright and the action crisp after the sun went down (except the fun intentional motion blur!) The answer is lighting. Natural light is fantastic – but it doesn’t always provide enough light, especially indoors or at night. After the sun goes down, the ambient lighting in a venue usually isn’t sufficient to capture the action without major trade-offs. Sometimes using a light on my camera is sufficient, and often, like here, adding some off camera lighting lets me be more versatile and intentional with how I captured the action. When I was newer to photography, I found off camera flash really intimidating, so I spent a lot of time in classes and training to learn it. The result is that now I have options, and I am intentional with my lighting - whether that’s using the ambient light and/or with lights that I add. As a professional, it’s important to know how to use ALL the tools so I can choose the best ones for the scene at hand. Now I think lighting is fun!

Thanks to Maddie and family for including me in an incredibly fun event. You’re the best!

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

06/18/2026

What a beautiful Bat Mitzvah event for Dori! One of my favorite traditions at Chabad is the candle lighting ceremony. I especially love the tradition of passing the candle through the generations of Jewish women.

Over the past few years, I’ve been so fortunate to specialize in Bar/Bat/B-Mitzvah photographer here in the NC triangle.

In doing so, I have learned the traditions at each of our areas, synagogues and congregations.

As an active member of the Jewish community and who has planned two Bar Mitzvahs myself, I am so happy to help families document and celebrate this milestone.

Knowing what to expect, knowing the traditions, knowing the Rabbi(s)and professional staff, and knowing the nuances of each synagogue lets me be an even better resource to my clients. Sometimes I can answer questions outside the scope of what a typical photographer could. And always while I am serving as your photographer, with all this experience I can be sure to get those key moments without you having to tell me… and I can confidently leave space to be creative while making sure to capture what’s most important.

If you are planning a Mitzvah in 2026 or beyond, let’s connect!

Bar Mitzvah photographer, Bat Mitzvah photographer, Raleigh photographer, Durham photographer, Cary photographer

06/12/2026

Margot’s new headshots will serve her beautifully on her website, as her professional photos for various speaking and leadership engagements, and as her author photo for her soon to be published book (!!!). I am so glad that also asked me if it would be possible to print an 8 x 10 so that her photo can also be enjoyed in printed form, on her husband’s desk.

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed working with Margot over several sessions this spring. I’m so excited to read her book and will share details when it’s available!

Need a headshot for LinkedIn or similar? Or do you have something more creative in mind? Either way, I am here to help!

Raleigh photographer, headshot photographer, author photos, professional portraits

06/08/2026

Catching up posting some of the wonderful events I have photographed recently. Mazel Tov to beautiful, sweet Orly on her recent Bat Mitzvah!! The day was extra special for me because I was work friends with one of her moms wayyy back in the day and it was so lovely to reconnect. Orly lead the congregation with poise, confidence, and kindness, and it was a real pleasure to be her photographer.

Planning a Bat mitzvah, Bar mitzvah, B-mitzvah, or any kind of special celebration and want to talk photography? Let’s connect!

Raleigh photographer, Cary photographer, Durham photographer

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Raleigh, NC

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http://gailvanmatrephotography.com/

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