Katrina is a Sunshine Coast photographer who is producing beautiful work for clients based around the beaches and rural landscapes that make the Sunshine Coast, in Queensland Australia, such a stunning place to live. Her natural light lifestyle portraits are dreamy and evocative.
Katrina, owner and photographer of Katrina Elizabeth Photography, is making a name for herself on the Sunshine Coast scene with her unique style of photography. She works with couples and families of all ages and specialises in natural light and capturing the beauty of the setting for her portrait shoots. I spoke to her about her photos and process.
How did you get into photography?
I first picked up a camera when I was 16 years old and started by capturing macro photography. I fell in love how I was able to see the world differently though the lens of a camera. When I looked through a camera, I look for the smaller details that I wouldn’t normally notice.
This image was created by simply setting up my vintage tricycle, propped up with some wood due to the missing wheel and handing my son some old tools for him to simply play and explore. He spent the next 45 minutes pretending to fix his tricycle while I just sat back and observed him explore his imagination.
You take beautiful evocative images of families, couples, and people on their own. What drew you to photographing people?
I love being able to make people feel comfortable enough to forget about the camera and simply be in the moment, interacting and playing together. I then get to capturing the true emotions that shine through during the candid moments between loved ones.
This is a self-portrait of my son and myself. I wanted to capture us with our true emotions in the moment just enjoying our time together. Ma camera was on a timer to take continuous photos and we forgot about the camera and spent our time playing, cuddling and simply being together. I aim to always create a fun and relaxed atmosphere at every photoshoot, where my clients can just enjoy being one another, while I capture those in-between candid moments for their true emotion to shine through.
What’s in your photography kit?
I’m a Nikon girl. I currently use my Nikon Z6II with either my 50mm or Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4s. I don’t use any off-camera flashes, only natural lighting. My camera bag is a very basic over the shoulder bag that defiantly needs upgrading. (Note from Jemma – if you too are looking for a stylish camera bag that has everything you need as a photographer too, check out the Archy backpack.)
The beautiful mother to be Lucy is wearing my stunning tulle robe from my client wardrobe selection in this photo. Lucy allowed full trust within me for location selection, wardrobe choice and posing. To me this image captures her emotions of pure happiness and love for this precious moment in her life as she prepares for motherhood and the arrival of her beautiful daughter.
What do you love to capture outside your work with clients?
Macro photography is my go-to outside of my work with clients and capturing photos of my own children. I love the patience it takes to simple sit and wait for the perfect moment: a bee or butterfly feel comfortable enough to enter the area I’m capturing with my camera. I’m also drawn to the intricate details that can only be seen through the lens of a camera.
This was one of my first macro photos, taken at a snake breeder’s home of one of her beautiful green tree pythons. I was drawn in by the close details of the scales. Also, it’s lovely to create something beautiful from something that is normally feared by many.
I was able to capture these beautiful images of a very busy bee collecting pollen from a tree outside my home. In the first image it’s the finer details that I love, from the patterns on its wings to the soft looking hairs on its body. The second shows a different perspective of the bee as it collects pollen from the flowers. Again I love the little details that would normally go unnoticed when looking at a bee with the naked eye.
What is your dream photoshoot?
I have so many! My two dream photoshoots would be a maternity or family session during golden hour lighting. I’d love to be either in a field of wildflowers or with amazing rolling mountains in the landscape. As a Sunshine Coast photographer we have so many beautiful locations to choose from.
This gorgeous maternity session was captured during sunrise golden hour lighting on one of our stunning beaches. I instructed this couple to embrace the time and enjoy a quiet moment together. I stood back to capture this candid photo of a mother and father enjoying their shared love for their soon-to-arrive son.
What’s your editing process?
Lightroom is my choice for editing but I occasionally use Photoshop if needed. The amount of time I spend editing also varies from each photoshoot. It’s not something I can put a timeframe on, as so many different factors are at play with each session. Shooting using only natural lighting means that the during one photoshoot my camera settings will be changing a lot to allow for the natural change in lighting.
This family session was another beautiful sunrise photoshoot to capture gorgeous golden hour lighting. I set the kids the challenge of having a running race around their parents. Mom and dad stole a quiet intimate moment together. My main focus was to capture candid moments of true emotions shared among this family as they took a moment to focus on each other.
Sunshine Coast photographers have a lot of beauty to work with, and Katrina Elizabeth shows that in her images
Katrina is a Sunshine Coast photographer who is based on and services the the Coast and the Gympie area in Queensland, Australia. She aims to always create fun and relaxed atmospheres, while capturing those beautiful candid moments to create forever lasting memories for her clients. She makes the whole process from start to finish easy and enjoyable, with her clients walking away with gorgeous images.
To see more of Katrina’s work, follow her on Facebook and Instagram. Thank you Katrina for sharing your process with us!
