Preserving the Wild & Intimate
About CBelme Photography
Through photography we aim to preserve moments, things, places, feelings, all of it.
I started CBelme Photography right out of college. I’d been an amateur photographer for years, using photographs as a way to keep memories. My childhood bedroom walls were a collage of my friends, snowboarding, all our pets, beautiful places, and good times. I fell in love with photography because it really is a way to preserve those special moments, and it does it in a way that a journal or a video doesn’t quite do. I started CBelme Photography to be able to share that beauty with others.
Through my photography business, I aim to capture memories for my clients as they’re being created, no matter how big or small of a moment it may be. I love being able to deliver galleries to my clients, reliving the joy and heartfelt moments from our day together. It’s amazing being able to give people these keepsakes, this evidence of memories that can be passed on like stories through generations.
I also have a deep connection to nature, to the outdoors. I spend a great deal of my time outside, exploring, and living like a wild child. Photographing landscapes, nature, and wildlife has always and will always have a special part of my heart. I’m currently working on a photo project on public lands, outdoor recreation, and conservation. I think documenting the wild is incredibly important, as is educating each other about the land, its inhabitants, and conservation.
I use my passion for nature in all of my work. I shoot only with natural light and the majority of my client sessions take place outdoors, actually IN the great wide world. There’s nothing more beautiful than blue hour and golden hour light, so I take advantage of it as often as possible to give people that incredible glow. My clients generally have a similar connection with adventure and the outdoors, and I typically share as much knowledge about a place and its ecosystem with them as I can. I strongly feel that taking your family portraits, engagement photos, or even being married in a natural setting makes for the most wonderful look, but also gives people the opportunity to connect with nature and create a memory. You aren’t likely to remember the studio you posed in, but I’d wager you would remember the mountainside or beach you went to for a session with me. Once you have photos of you or your loved ones in such an incredible place, you’ve experienced its tranquility and innate wild beauty, and I am going to bet you feel a tie to it.
If you’re looking to preserve the wild and intimate moments of your life, then I’m your girl.
Photo by The Hearnes
About Catherine
Hey there! I’m Catherine.
I live for days spent outside, generally with Shaw & our pups Sierra and Russel (that’s Russ over there to the right, isn’t he the cutest old man you’ve ever seen??). I have a real knack for adventuring and trying new things - I’ve been getting into fly fishing and cross country skiing up here in Idaho - and always could use an adventure buddy if you ever want to join! I love getting lost on back roads and then hopping out and wandering about until the light fades.
I’m a total nerd, incredibly dorky and even awkward, and incapable of staying put. I’m interested in learning everything, but super super passionate about conservation and natural resources. I lived in a van for about a year before we moved to Idaho, and worked on my passion project Van For Public Land. Since then I’ve been working with local organizations to do conservation work throughout eastern Washington & the Palouse. Through my photography I aim to preserve the most intimate and wild moments of life, and maintain a deep representation of the world’s natural beauty.
Some random facts about me:
I speak a bit of Mandarin Chinese, studied it for 8 years in high school and college, and studied abroad in Beijing for a summer
My favorite food ever is lasagna, and I think I just perfected a gluten-free lasagna recipe
I might love winter more than other seasons. Snow is just so amazing for a million reasons I’ll explain when I’m photographing your winter elopement.
Despite the above fact, I believe I am solar-powered. I’m known to curl up in sunny spots and fall into a state of bliss while I recharge.
My favorite movies are Wall-E, Up, and Meet The Robinsons.
Photo by Tayler Carlisle Photography
About Shaw - Assistant Photographer
Shaw was born and raised in southern California, where he and I met working at a mom & pop restaurant down by the beach. We instantly became inseparable, as Shaw showed me around his favorite local spots to camp and hike and we explored new places together. I don’t joke about always having a camera in hand when exploring and I think my obsession just kind of poured over to Shaw, because, before I knew it, he was out there snapping photos right along side me. Turns out he’s got a real knack for it, if I may say so myself. Huge plus - he’s got one of those friendly and funny personalities that makes you feel at ease.
When he’s not out exploring or photographing with me, Shaw is a student at University of Idaho in the Professional Golf Management program. He’s a solid golfer and has been working hard to get me to share that passion, we’ll see if it takes. We’re both pretty stoked to see where the combo of photography and golf will take us in the coming years!
Some random facts about Shaw:
He used to be an EMT and in the fire academy.
Shaw makes the best pancake breakfast, my all-time favorite being triple-decker peanut butter, honey & banana pancakes. Drooling just thinking about it…
Even though he spent the first 29 years of his life living by the beach, the dude doesn’t surf.
If you want to get on his good side, show up with a pack of Pamela’s Figgies & Jammies. He’ll devour them like a hungry bear and then love you forever and ever.