In the Spotlight with Cathy Breslow

Published on January 01, 2008 by Danny Strange

The woman who finds herself in The Spotlight this winter holds the Grounded record for having her photo printed in our Magazine the largest number of times.  Do you recognize her?  If not, don’t worry, for her face rarely finds itself on these pages.  Instead, Cathy Breslow prefers to exist on the other side of the lens.  Cathy is the unofficial photographer for Neighborhood’s Youth Ministries.

Although Cathy has always been fascinated with the art of photography, her hobby truly took off when the digital medium became popular.  The ability to instantly see results, tweak settings, and shoot more “film” made digital photography an instant passion in Cathy’s life.  These days, Cathy is rarely seen without her digital camera, bag, and lenses in tow.

To Cathy, photography is more than a hobby. She sees her art as a true ministry of encouragement to the people of our church.  She loves watching people’s faces light up when they see themselves on film.  Cathy’s joy comes from using photography as a tool to grow the community of Neighborhood church, especially in our Youth Department. 

Thus, Cathy is always welcome at our youth Events.  Herr ministry creates a fun, lively atmosphere on the ministry nights, and the students rise to the occasion.  They dress up for theme nights, knowing that their wacky pictures will find their way onto her website.  They go crazy during games, ready to have their passion caught on film.  And they come back each week, knowing that Neighborhood Church is a place that values laughter, art, and creativity. 

Throughout the years, Cathy has taken come amazing photographs.  I asked her to pass along her favorites to me, and frankly, I was surprised at what she sent me.  While the pictures I received were great photos, I have seen Cathy take shots that were framed more strongly, that had better lighting, and whose colors were more vibrant.  So, I asked Cathy to explain why she chose the shots she did.  Her answers showed me that her favorite photographs were the ones that captured great moments and told amazing stories.  After hearing her speak about these shots, I had to agree that these were rightfully her favorites.



Cathy loves how she captured the exact moment in time, when this poor bird was completely wrapped around Spencer’s bat.  This shot reminds Cathy of the fun we have at Youth Group, the crazy things we do, and the fact that no matter how hard our lives ever get, we’re still better off than this chicken. 



This picture finds itself in Cathy’s “favorite” stack because of the story behind the hand.  Cathy loves the fact that you can never not capture a moment, as she feels that a hand in front of a camera tells just as large a story as the face behind the hand.  Cathy’s suspicions are always confirmed when she hears kids yell out in excitement, “That’s my hand in front of the camera!”



This picture contains the whole story of our ministry to students. In it, we see the banner for “Fall Explosion,” our evangelistic outreach to lost students.  These girls’ excitement for Youth Ministry is evident in their wholehearted support of the “Red Team” and their mid-air pose.  Finally, seeing students and counselors enjoying ministry together reminds us of the legacy of Youth Ministry at Neighborhood Church. 

Cathy, thank you so much for your ministry to our students!  Although your face is rarely seen in our magazine, your heart of encouragement is evident in every frame that you capture.

For more of Cathy's favorite pictures, check out this Blog's Photo Gallery.