Sunshine Photography

Floyd L. Brandt
Posted 6/15/18

The love of capturing the first breaths of life with tender moments has made Corrie Gamel an award winning photographer featuring the artful look in new born portrait photography.

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Sunshine Photography

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TORRINGTON – The love of capturing the first breaths of life with tender moments has made Corrie Gamel an award winning photographer featuring the artful look in new born portrait photography.

Corrie Gamel has been doing photography since she was 15 years old, wanting to do photography for National Geographic. 

Growing up in Scottsbluff, Neb., Gamel moved back to Torrington in her senior year where she met her husband. 

Gamel said, “This is my 11th year in business. I have had to move a few times. My last studio flooded really bad, it was going to be too much to clean up so I moved home for two years and just got this place (1940 Main St). It has a lot of room.”   

Capturing landscapes and storms are one of Gamel’s passions, but when she had children that passion changed to new born baby portrait photography. Capturing her children’s every moment growing up then realizing this was the direction she wanted to focus on.

Her father was a photographer for more than 30 years. When he retired she decided to follow in his footsteps, becoming a portrait photographer.

 She is mainly self-taught, learning everything by attending workshops, online classes and joining the Wyoming Professional Photographer Association. Entering contests sponsored by the WPPA is a learning experience on its own Gamel said. Learning what to do and not to do by being judged for competition. 

“My first competition I did not do well at all, I did not know a lot of the things that they would look for,” Gamel said. “Those competitions actually made me work harder and learn to achieve better portraits. Plus, I want my clients to have the best.”

Continuing her education in portrait photography to bring the best to her clients and giving them that exceptional portrait. An artist in the true sense, she is very critical about her work. 

“I like to tear it apart, to find out why it did not do well,” she said.

Gamel has won many competitions. She is entering a few of those pieces in the Professional Photographers of America competition this year. There are levels that must first be completed for this competition. Photographers must enter the state level first, getting the “seal of approval,” to be able to enter, Gamel said. PPA is for all photographer in America it is a very tough and highly-competitive competition.

Gamel takes entering competitions as the way to grade her ideas and creativity. There are the two subjects she loves to photograph – new born babies and high school seniors. 

“Wedding, you have to have heart for them and I don’t have the heart for them,” Gamel said.

The wedding photographer is one of the higher paid careers in photography. For Gamel it’s not always about the money, but creating a memory for families. It is more than just pushing a button.

 “There is so much more that goes into it,” she said. “The money to buy equipment, insurance, paying for classes online, props and backgrounds – it is all an investment.”

Taking that first step into portrait photography, “I’m really big into education,” Gamel said. “If you want to go into a profession like this, you need to continue your education. Because of how this profession changes.” 

To stay up to date on the latest techniques and trends, Gamel tries to attend one to two workshops a year. She’s also starting to teach her own workshops. She loves to teach and share her experience with others. 

Editing is a major part of portrait photography, knowing how to layer, correcting skin color and texture, she said. But with all children, safety is a primary main concern. 

“Baby is number one, my assistant is standing right there at all times, with hands on the baby,” Gamel said. “High school seniors I try to keep the editing minimal. I do some fun stuff with editing. I like to add certain things but you should make the image a clean shot.”

Using film, you could do some affects in the darkroom. But with the new digital platform, there are so many things that can be done in the computer, she said. If there are unwanted things in the background or foreground, they can be removed or added. 

“You have a beautiful scenery and there are some wires in the way,” Gamel said. “You can (edit) that out, making a nicer and cleaner image. 

“I do clean skin,” she said. “I get seniors in who have acne and we try to fix it. I want them to feel great and look great, I want them to love their images.”

Gamel never puts limits on locations, clothing if they want to include a car or truck or their best friend, she will not care. They can bring pets, dogs, a horse and even a rabbit, Gamel said,

“I want it to be about them,” she said

Of all the photos that Gamel has taken, she has no one favorite photo, but many favorites. The love of capturing the moment to produce a memory is her favorite.