Scotland photographer | Karen Thorburn Photography

Thirty-year-old white woman wearing a flowery top and green cardigan smiling in front of a dark sky with storm clouds

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.

Graphic of hands and arms of different colours, symbolising openness and inclusion

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! Let me tell you about my main services: weddings and elopements; families and portraits; commercial and property; and landscape photography workshops…

Caucasian bride and groom in a grass field in front of a loch and mountains overlaid with weddings and elopements text

Elopement and wedding photography

I’m primarily an elopement and wedding photographer, working with couples who want beautiful, natural images and a relaxed vibe on their special day, without compromising on first-rate service. If you’re looking for a friendly, female photographer who’ll put you at ease, then you’ve come to the right place. I’ll share all my top wedding planning tips so that your day will run as smoothly as possible and I’ll ensure you’ll have loads of memories to look back on, without spending hours in front of the camera.

Offshoots from the wedding side of my business include proposal photography, engagement photography, vow renewal photography and civil partnership photography.

Find out more here.

Parents and their two young daughters in front of long grass and trees overlaid with families and portraits text

Family photography, maternity sessions & natural newborn photography

I offer family photography and portrait photography, as follows.

I do lots of outdoor family photoshoots, particularly in 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.

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.

Offshoots from the family and portraiture side of my business include headshots as well as dating profile photography.

I’m currently growing the maternity photography, natural newborn photography and senior photography side of my business and I’m excited about bringing this online soon!

Find out more here.

The interior of a converted church with wood panelling and green soft furnishings overlaid with commercial and property text

Commercial photography including property photography

Most of my commercial photography falls into two categories: 1) property photography, including both interiors and exteriors, for the self-catering market; and 2) viewpoint photography for commercial planning applications (for developments such as wind farms, battery storage sites, phone masts, etc.). The latter is very niche!

Find out more here.

A two-storey ruined castle in a harvested field with hay bales overlaid with photography workshops text

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, at four locations in the northern Highlands. All are on or close to the North Coast 500 (NC500). My landscape photography courses focus on camera settings and composition, and are tailored to individuals and couples looking for 1-2-1 or 2-2-1 private tuition.

Find out more here.

Awards and nominations

I’ve won a few awards and have been nominated for some others…

Commercial Photographer of the Year 2022/2023 in the Scotland Prestige Awards.
Wedding Photographer of the Year 2022/2023 in the LTG Global Awards.
Finalist in both the 2022 and 2023 Scottish Wedding Awards.
Listed as one of the Top 3 Photographers in Highland for 2021, 2022 and 2023 in Three Best Rated.

LET'S CHAT! CONTACT KAREN

YOUR SCOTLAND PHOTOGRAPHER

A woman wearing a green jacket and tartan scarf smiling and standing in front of moorland, trees, a loch and a hill — *This is me, enjoying the outdoors here in the Highlands of Scotland!*

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 currently planning my next Bucket List adventure… probably a long distance walk!

A man and woman smiling and sitting on a purple couch holding a brown guinea pig and a ginger guinea pig — *Me and Mark at home with our fur babies!*

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!

A woman holding a camera standing in front of a white car and small grey caravan in a woodland with tall trees — *My tiny caravan, purchased in 2019, in memory of my caravan-obsessed dad*

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. 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 either book a call with me (an informal, friendly chat via phone or video call) or fill out my contact form. There’s no obligation to book me as your photographer but I’d love to hear from you.

LET'S CHAT! CONTACT KAREN

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