Welcome to my blog!

If you are reading this, hi! I'm Caitlin, and welcome to my little corner of the internet.

This blog is basically me pressing "publish" on a dream I've had for longer than I realised. I'm currently working full-time and, alongside that, trying to start up a photography business. I'm going to use this to document my journey - mainly for my future-self to look back on, but for anyone else who wants to learn from the inevitable mistakes I make along the way!

A bit about me

On paper, I've always done everything "right". Straight A's, first-class degree, a great job straight out of university...

But no matter how many 'boxes' I have ticked, there has always been this quiet pull towards photography. A feeling that the life I really want involves a camera, new places, and creating something meaningful.

About a month ago, I found an old diary from when I was 17. One of my entries was a 5 year plan (I used to be a bit of an obsessive planner). "Move to Australia to become a photographer" was written in CAPS underlined. Seeing that written down by my teenage self felt like a little nudge from mini Caitlin saying, "you said you'd do this - what happened?".

I think I owe her to try. (The photography part - A relocation to Australia is a bit out of my budget at the minute!)

what photography means to me

Photography is the one thing in my life that never feels like work. I can shoot for hours, edit all day, and somehow feel energised rather than drained. It's the only thing that makes me feel completely, wholly myself.

I love the way it makes me slow down. The way I notice light, movement, people, and moments I'd otherwise rush past. It challenges me creatively and gives me a sense of purpose I haven't found anywhere else.

So when I really thought about it, the question became: If this is what makes me happiest, why wouldn't I try to make it my career?

(I will be dusting off my business degree and finally putting it to use).

My photography journey so far

I first got into photography when I was 13.

I was at the lowest point in my life, struggling with my mental health and consequently had to be homeschooled for a year. It was extremely isolating and I didn't have any sort of outlet to deal with it. This is when my mum gave me her Nikon camera as an attempt to get me outside and back into civilisation. Shout out to Jayne - because it worked! I instantly fell in love with it and for the first time in months I actually wanted to leave the house. My dad would take me to our local nature reserve so I could take pictures of the birds. It distracted me from my anxiety & depression and gave a whole new meaning to my life. As I'm writing this, I now realise that photography just may have healed me.

Fast forward a few years, my photography drifted away from birds and expanded into travel and landscapes, capturing places and the way they made me feel. More recently, though, my focus has shifted towards people and their stories.

Last summer, I spent three months in Canada working as a camp photographer. Photographing people, all day, every day pushed me right out of my comfort zone. What surprised me most was the joy it brought me. I was used to photographing things that didn't move, didn't talk, and definitely didn't pull funny faces - so working with people was a whole new experience. Knowing that I was preserving memories and moments that would be looked back on years from now, completely changed the way I see photography.

Now, I'm continuing that journey back home in the West Midlands, experimenting more with portraits and couples... which may have involved bribing my sister and her boyfriend with a McDonald's to let me photograph them!

so... what is the plan?

This is day one - 23rd April 2026.

My rough plan is to start building up my portfolio, gain experience, and say yes to opportunities. I'm very much at the beginning, but that is what makes this so exciting. I have so many ideas about where this might lead - the people I could meet, the moments I could capture, and how it could all come together into a life I’ve always dreamed of.

If you have made it to the end of this, thank you - I know that was a lot of waffle. And if you've ever thought about booking a photoshoot, now's a great time to reach out before I get famous and start charging 1k an hour ;)

McDonald's bribes subject to availability.