Cathy Firmbach was born and raised on Long Island, New York. Her Dad put a camera
in her hands when she was quite young. As Cathy said, “I can’t remember
a time in my life when I didn’t love photography! It allows me the opportunity
to capture the warmth of time with family, the serenity of the lakes and
hillsides, the glory of sunrises, the power of the ocean, the gentleness in every flower, and
the magical beauty of hummingbirds as they dart through my garden. Photography
has become my passion. It’s my favorite avenue for creativity and self-expression. And it's a blessing to be able to continue to make images and share them.”
Being the only girl in the family led her to racing iceboats with her Uncle and brothers. In January 2001, she came to Bay City, Michigan, for the 2001 DN Worlds and North American Championships. It was at these Championships she met Paul. They were married 5 years later and she moved to Michigan soon after.
While Cathy misses Long Island and living on the ocean, living by Lake St. Clair fulfills her need to be close to water and provides many opportunities to photograph nature and nautical scenes. Michigan, and all her beautiful nooks and crannies, continues to be a wonderful State to discover, savor and photograph. Cathy devotes her spare time to improving her photographic skills through seminars, online courses, workshops and practice. She hopes to publish a book of her photographs some day – something her mother, Sue, always wanted her to do. “My Mom was my best friend and certainly my biggest fan! She always inspired me to do my best, and then some. Mom felt dreams were never impossible as long as you had the determination. After a 10-year battle with breast cancer, she left to dance with the angels. I miss her terribly but I still feel the drive to make her proud and publish my best work. The hummingbird photo you see in my note cards (numbers 03 and 04) will be the very first photo in my future book. Its title is “Hi Mom”. She loved hummingbirds and whenever I see one I like to think she’s visiting so I say “Hi Mom” and then I make some photos.”
Cathy has been published in International, National and Regional magazines, newsletters and online publications. Look for Cathy’s work in local shops, including Detroit Artists Market and Anton Art Center, and various publications. You can
contact her for more information at cathy@cefirmbach.com
“Thank you for taking the time to experience my photographs. I truly hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I did making them!” - Cathy
Photograph courtesy of Sharon M. Schwarz