Hey Catherine, thanks so much for agreeing to share some thoughts with us today. To start things off, can you tell everyone a little bit about yourself? 

Hi there. Thrilled to be part of this new collective! I am someone who was lucky enough to be raised in a family that loved being outdoors and who had a deep love and appreciation for nature, in particular the beautiful flora and fauna of Australia. So while I happily work weekdays as a primary school teacher, on the weekends you will find me either searching for waterfalls, exploring beaches or scaling mountains.

When did you get into photography? Do you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

Photography is just something that seems to have come out of nowhere. I only joined Instagram 18months ago and that was because of the gentle nagging of my friends to join at least one type of social media. One day when walking I dropped my phone, which was the only camera I was then using for photos. The screen had cracked and was now useless so I thought I would dig out an old, unused entry level Nikon D3000 that I was given as gift many years ago. Turned out I really loved photography! I have since upgraded to my beloved D750 and broken my yearly budget with purchasing too many lenses! It’s been wonderful though, photography just seems to go hand in hand with a love of nature and bushwalking.

What are you looking for when capturing your shots, and what do you hope to portray or inspire with your photos? 

I do try to keep my shots as natural as possible. I don’t like the idea of trying to overcomplicate or recreate the reality of how beautiful nature is on its own. As a photographer I just hope to share lovely places that people may not have been before or who may not be able to access physically themselves.

Any tips for aspiring women photographers? 

I still consider myself a bit of a newbie so I’m not sure how well I have earnt the position of giving advice but I will give it a go. Lots of practice and don’t be afraid to ask questions! So much of what you learn will be from trial and error, not reading the handbook. I think an awareness too that while traditionally the photography field has been rather male dominated, as men have been perceived as more adventurous than women, increasingly the word is out there that women are craving the exact same adventures and challenges in the wild.

Out of all the places you’ve been, if you could pinpoint one adventure as your favourite, which would it be? 

The pressure of just choosing one! I am going to kind of cheat on this question by naming a general area. Tasmania. It well and truly has my heart and every time I go there, I feel like I am coming home. It has every kind landscape and environment possible and in particular South West National Park and The Tarkine are just pure magic.

We noticed you love adventuring in The Blue Mountains, how do you get to Pool of Siloam?

The beautiful Blue mountains. How lucky are we to have such an awesome place so close to home?!? The Pool of Siloam is a very quick and easy return stroll from Gordon Falls Reserve. But it is also part of The Lyre Bird Dell walking circuit which incorporates the Lyre Bird Falls as well. Both of these need a bit of rain to get that beautiful cascading waterfall look, but the walk itself is very pretty in its own right.

What are your top 3 tips for heading out on an adventure?

All the things I think are essential for adventures I have myself learnt the hard way when I didn’t have them! Make sure you always have enough water, thoroughly research your trip and be sure that your maps are up to date and lastly invest in a good pair of hiking boots (accompanied with lots of Band-Aids for those inevitable blisters you get on long bushwalks!).

Tapin Tops National Park has been on our adventure list. It looks beautiful! What was your experience like here? Any hidden gems that are a must see while in the National Park?

Tapin Tops is a beautiful place that I have only scraped the surface of exploring myself. We went to the very elusive Potaroo Falls. When I say elusive we went in winter so we didn’t see a single other person the entire time and the actual walking track itself is not so much a track but just a series of criss crosses of the river until you get to the falls themselves. The pool under the falls is the most exquisite turquoise colour and is a fantastic swimming hole!

Where haven’t you been yet, that’s on your ‘must go to’ adventure list?

How long can this list be? If it has to be one, I would dearly love to drive across the Nullabor and explore the entire West Coast of our beautiful country.

When you’re not taking photos our out on an adventure what do you like to do? 

To be honest if I am not out and about I am a bit of a homebody. I really enjoy cooking and having friends and family around. Guests are usually subjected to playing a variety of board games. The nerd in me really comes out in me on these occasions!

Before we let you go, what other social platforms are you active on besides Instagram? I’m sure our readers would love to know where else they can connect with you on the web. 

Insagram: @treesandsea