It took an international move to push Katherine Williams towards focusing on her photography as a full-time pursuit. The move from Berlin to Newcastle came seven years ago, and after a formal mentorship with a local wedding photographer and completing a Diploma in photo imaging, Williams has never looked back. “The course at CATC Design School, in Sydney, reinforced my passion for social photo documentary and, particularly, portraiture, which I still love more than anything else,” says Williams.
Her self-confessed obsession with portrait photography began on a road trip from Adelaide to Darwin; Williams had planned to focus on landscape photography but found that the connections she made with interesting characters along the way could not be ignored. “People are very vulnerable when they are being photographed so I don’t think genuine interest and empathy can be faked,” she says. “It’s a really emotional process and it often feels like the camera is invisible, that we are actually looking straight at one another.”
Over the last few years, Williams has gained national recognition for her work. In 2014, she was a finalist in the Head On Portrait Prize, while in 2015 she was placed second the National Photographic Portrait Prize – both images coming from her long-term series, Kids of Carrington. Last year, she exhibited her series, Humans of Kings Cross as part of Head On Photo Festival.
Since January 2016, Williams has been running Something Blue Photography & Cinematography, which focuses on weddings. “My background in portraiture and documentary photography definitely influences my wedding photography and the best photos are often the portraits.”
In order to prevent photography from becoming “just” work to Williams, she has been documenting daily life at her local beach with an iPhone and a waterproof case – the series is titled #BarBeachObsession.
www.katherinewilliams.com.au
