Hello! I’m Karen, a down-to-earth and super-reliable professional photographer based in Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland.
It’s easy to find a photographer, but it’s more of a challenge to find the right photographer for you.
Hopefully I can help with that, by telling you all about me and my business…
An intro to my business and the human behind it!
This page is split into two sections.
The first section tells you all about my services.
The second section tells you all about the human behind it!
If you’ve read all the business stuff elsewhere, please scroll to the photo of me in the green jacket enjoying the outdoor life! 🙂
Karen Thorburn Photography is 100% inclusive, open and welcoming to all.
MY PHOTOGRAPHY SERVICES IN SCOTLAND
I offer a range of photography services because I love variety in my work. No two weeks are the same, and that keeps me on my toes! I also have the pleasure of working with the same individuals and/or couples, as clients come back to me over the years, for example, as their relationship or business evolves, or as their family grows up.
Let me tell you about my main services: weddings and elopements; families and portraits; maternity and pregnancy; newborns and babies; marriage proposals; couples and engagements; headshots and branding; commercial and property; private tours; and landscape photography workshops…
Elopement and Wedding Photography
As an elopement and wedding photographer, I work with couples who are emotionally invested in their photography and want beautiful, natural images and a relaxed vibe on their special day. Since becoming self-employed in 2017, I’ve captured every kind of wedding imaginable but, nowadays, I focus on the following:
- Small, intimate, bespoke weddings and elopements.
- Traditional, larger weddings where the time schedule is planned around the photography.
I prefer NOT to work with couples who see their wedding photography as ‘a tick-box exercise’ or who are planning a very tight, stressful time schedule which doesn’t allow me to work to the best of my ability.
Please remember that a first-rate service and beautiful images are equally important! Couples work with me not only because they love my work, but also because they want a friendly, female photographer who’ll put them at ease, and will be 100% committed to delivering on their special day.
Regardless of the size of your wedding, I’ll be more than happy to share my top wedding planning tips so that your day will run as smoothly as possible and so that you’ll have lots of beautiful real-life memories to look back on, without any stress or awkwardness in front of the camera.
Offshoots from the wedding side of my business include vow renewal photography and civil partnership photography.
Portrait Photography
I offer a wide range of portrait photography, as follows.
I do lots of outdoor family photoshoots, particularly in spring, summer and autumn, capturing all the love and fun, as well as the beautiful setting here in the Highlands. This is done with a mix of completely candid and gently posed images with a natural feel.
In my maternity and pregnancy announcement photography, I work with couples who are looking for an hour or two of photography and love being out in nature.
I offer natural newborn sessions for when the baby arrives! These are typically done indoors, in your home (which keeps things stress-free). I’ll be focusing on the baby without excessive props or accessories.
I also offer marriage proposal photography for anyone planning on popping that all-important question and capturing the reaction for posterity! I have lots of helpful planning tips and I’m very discreet.
My couple’s photoshoots are for lovely couples who want to celebrate their relationship with a beautiful outdoor photoshoot here in the north of Scotland. This is ideal for engagements, honeymoons, and anniversaries.
I run exclusive tours visiting some of the most iconic sights and best scenery in the Highlands. These single day private tours are for couples and include professional portrait photography at various locations throughout the day.
My portrait photography also covers professional headshots and personal branding photography. This also includes all manner of solo photoshoots, whether it’s for business portraits, social media or an online dating profile.
I also do more formal sessions, for family gatherings, events, and special occasions, such as a milestone birthday or wedding anniversary. These photoshoots tend to involve various combinations of indoor and outdoor group shots, as well as some candid photography.
I’ll shortly be adding new pages to my website on event photography and senior photography but, in the meantime, please contact me for more information on these two services.
Find out more about my portrait photography services here.
Scottish Highland Private Tours
I run single day private tours in the Scottish Highlands with professional portrait photography included. This is a unique opportunity for you to experience some of the most scenic areas of the iconic Highland region and enjoy an extended couple’s photoshoot throughout the day. You’ll have a wonderful day out, celebrating your relationship in beautiful surroundings, while I work my magic and capture your memories. I offer a choice of 10 exclusive tours in various locations, including Inverness, Loch Ness, Wester Ross, The Isle of Skye, and Glen Coe. I can also put together a bespoke tour itinerary for you.
Landscape Photography Workshops
My business grew out of a lifelong love of landscape photography. We really are spoiled with beautiful scenery here in the Highlands of Scotland! I run single day landscape photography workshops for beginners and intermediate photographers on the Black Isle, near Inverness and the start of the North Coast 500 (NC500). My landscape photography courses focus on camera settings and composition, and are tailored to groups of up to three (ideal for individuals and couples) looking for 1-2-1 or 2-2-1 private tuition on either a half day or full day course.
Commercial Photography including Property Photography
Most of my commercial photography falls into the following categories: 1) property photography, including both interiors and exteriors, for the self-catering market; 2) headshots and branding for businesses and solo entrepreneurs; and 3) viewpoint photography for commercial planning applications (for developments such as wind farms, battery storage sites, phone masts, etc.). The latter is very niche; not many photographers are trained in this field. I’m also an experienced photography guest speaker and I offer presentations to camera clubs and photographic societies.
Awards and Nominations
I’ve won a few awards and have been nominated for some others…
- Portrait Photographer of the Year in the 2024 Innovation and Excellence Awards.
- Commercial Photographer of the Year 2022/2023, 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 in the Scotland Prestige Awards.
- Wedding Photographer of the Year in the 2023 Innovation and Excellence Awards.
- Wedding Photographer of the Year 2022/2023 in the LTG Global Awards.
- Finalist in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 Scottish Wedding Awards.
- Listed as one of the Top 3 Photographers in Highland for 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 in Three Best Rated.
YOUR SCOTLAND PHOTOGRAPHER
About me…
That’s the business. Now let me tell you about the human behind it!
If I’m going to have the pleasure of working with you, then it’s only fair that I tell you a bit about myself first.
Out and About in Scotland
I’m at my happiest when I’m outdoors, in nature, or on the deck of a ferry, heading out to the islands. I can’t get enough of the Western Isles. I even got married in the sand dunes at Luskentyre, on the beautiful Isle of Harris. One of the best adventures I’ve ever had was cycling the 200+ mile Hebridean Way solo in a week in 2021, and camping along the way. I’m always planning my next Bucket List adventure… probably another long distance walk or Munro!
Learning the Drums!
I live in the countryside on the Black Isle with my husband, Mark, and our two super-cute guinea pigs. Our cottage is an old farmhouse but it’s not all peace and quiet, as Mark is teaching me to play the drums! We both love music (mostly 1960s to 1990s tunes) and we actually met when we were working in a record shop (remember those?!) in my student days back in the early 2000s.
My Happy Place
After home, the next best place is my little touring caravan! When I was growing up, I spent weekends and holidays caravanning around Scotland with my parents and brother. Sadly, I lost my dad to cancer in 2018, many years before his time. With my inheritance, I bought my tiny caravan as a tribute to my dad. I feel closest to him when I’m towing my caravan to a childhood haunt, trying in vain to re-capture the sense of freedom I had in those carefree days!
Some Final Thoughts
What else can I say? I built my business up from scratch after being made redundant from my previous career in 2017 and Mark came on board in an admin role in 2022. Self-employment is a tough gig but I genuinely love what I do, and I can’t overstate how much I value each and every one of my clients.
Hopefully your search for your Scotland photographer is now complete…! Please get in touch by filling out my contact form and providing as much information as possible.
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