Chamber welcomes Gina Lemay

Tyler Davis Tdavis@hendersondispatch.Com 252-436-2839, Henderson (N.C.) Daily Dispatch
·2 min read

May 3—HENDERSON — What looked like everybody in town came out to the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce's office on Thursday around noon to welcome a new member in the form of Gina Lemay.

A traveling photographer operating under the business name Gia L Photography, she doesn't have a brick-and-mortar location — though Tracy Madigan with Downtown Development said that could be changed in the future, if Lemay so desires.

For now, "I come to you," she said, "or we go outside, since it's starting to be beautiful again."

"It started with me picking up a Kodak camera," Lemay said. From then, she carried it with her wherever she went, and became a full-time photographer around a decade ago.

Initially, she was interested in becoming a veterinarian — so much so that her family was expecting it. After having her first son — and after thinking about all the fleas and hair associated with animal medical care — she decided on photography.

Lemay still loves animals, she said.

Her son was her first model, she said and her first official step was a maternity shoot. The rest is history, as they say. Her specialty, she said, are personal photos — headshots for business folks, professional photos for graduates, that sort of thing.

Photography is "capturing a frozen moment in time," Lemay said. She likes comparing her photos then against her photos now.

HVCC President Sandra Wilkerson recalled meeting her at the Flex Desk 360 ribbon cutting and "loving her instantly." They were fast friends. HVCC Chair Margier White met her at the same time and congratulated Lemay on her joining the HVCC.

Vance County Commissioner Yolanda Feimster did the same, praising her for "helping Vance County grow."

White described her as having a bubbly personality. That's the word — she's got a lot of energy, as Carolyn Perry, Vance-Granville Community College's Small Business Center director said.

"I met her at the [HVCC] banquet — she just walked up and hugged me," she recounted. "You can see her smile is infectious. She just has the best personality."

That was the consensus among those present.

Lemay has photographed a number of events around town — the aforementioned banquet and most, if not all, of the ribbon cuttings in the past few months.