Kathy Smith
Name: Kathy Smith
Camera: Sony A7III & 7IV
Favourite type of photography: Children
Location: Milwr in North Wales, UK
Instagram: @ksmith_photographic
How did you get into photography?
I bought an old box brownie from a jumble sale when I was about 10, but pocket money didn’t stretch to film or developing too often. Then, when I married my ex-husband, I found I was bored during weekends when he was out with his friends, so he suggested I get a hobby. I found a Minolta 5xr with a couple of lenses at a car boot sale, enrolled in an evening class at our local college and that was it - hooked.
Do you have any photographic qualifications or accolades?
3 City & Guilds from the evening classes
What's the first photograph you remember seeing or shooting?
My Dad had a Kodak Instamatic, I have inherited his old photographs and treasure them. The first photo I ever took was on a caravan holiday in Rhyl.
What do you love about photography?
Now I’m older, I can look back on photos and I see how they trigger memories, things that were long forgotten come flooding back.
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What do you wish you'd learned about photography earlier?
There are no rules - it’s all subjective, it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Where is your favourite place for photography?
My garden - I can potter for hours finding things to photograph, there’s always wild rabbits and birds, and the landscape changes by the hour. I’m lucky to have amazing rural views.
Do you have a favourite photographic technique?
No, not really, I don’t like to overthink it.
Can you briefly outline your approach to image processing?
I was taught to aim for getting it right in camera in the days of film and expensive processing, so I mainly just crop images - also I’m rubbish at Photoshop!
What's your favourite lens?
My Sigma 35mm Art lens is my go-to prime, but I also use my Sigma 150-600mm a lot.
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Do you have a favourite accessory?
I have a Sigma MC-11 mount converter, which gives me so many more options when it comes to buying lenses.
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Have you found the perfect camera bag yet?
Yes - my Billingham Hadley, I can fit in everything I need and it’s not obvious that it’s a camera bag.
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Which photographers have influenced or inspired you, and how or why?
I want to say Ansel Adams because as a child, his images were the first I remember seeing that you could buy as posters, and I thought they were amazing.
Is there a camera, lens or accessory that you don't have yet but you'd like to buy at some point?
I had the Sigma 100-400 lens, but traded it in for the 600mm. I didn’t appreciate how much I would miss it. I’m aiming to replace it by the end of the year.
Is there a genre of photography that you love but that you haven't tried yet?
Still life, I love the old master painted look.
What's your proudest photographic moment?
I photographed my son’s wedding last year. Everyone said I was mad, but my son and his husband had every faith in me and didn’t want a stranger doing it - nobody knows them as well as me, right?
If you could have one superpower that could help you with photography, what would it be?
Belief in myself.
Your favourite baked goods are?
I can’t pick a favourite, it would feel wrong, but carrot cake with a shortbread chaser will never get boring.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I live in North Wales with my husband, Chris. Our 4 kids have all flown the nest and I’m loving having a bit more time (and money) to pursue my passion. I work full time in the petrochemical industry, but I’ve always dreamt of having my own studio. I’ve recently set a small space up at home, I just need to push myself to get clients in, instead of just photographing my granddaughter. As well as photography, I love floristry and poor Chris deserves a medal for putting up with the mess and chaos when I take over our home in the run-up to Christmas, making dozens of fresh wreaths and doing Christmas photo shoots.
