Beth Ellis

Portrait | Last Updated: May 28, 2021

Hi there! I’m Beth Ellis from the beautiful Sunshine Coast, Australia.

My career started mostly with weddings but I’ve now found my passion for family and newborns. I have been blessed to capture families from their engagement right through to their 3rd/4th child, which really makes me happy.

The coast has never let me down as far as variety, from the coastline to the hinterland, it truly is amazing.

After being in the industry for over 13 years, I would say it’s been the last 4 that I have really honed in on my style, which has very much come from having kids of my own.

I am a ‘go with the flow’ type person and believe that what has made me a better photographer is letting go of perfection. After all, I work mainly with kids.

I love raw. I love real. I love all emotions.

Sometimes shooting with toddlers especially can be considered tedious, frustrating, a nightmare perhaps? Haha… But I love the challenge. I like that I’m their buddy at the end.

I am also 100 x more patient with kids other than my own.

I know my strengths and weaknesses that’s for sure! I am trigger happy, like, really trigger happy. But I love observing families, and seeing how they interact with each other.

I will often mix up my words, like telling someone to rest their head on their knee when I really mean shoulder. But if people are happy, even at my own expense, it’s all worth it.

My Gear

Camera

A – Canon 5D Mark III – In early days I would always carry two cameras at all times, especially at weddings. But now you’ll mostly see me with one, and I’m enjoying the simplicity.

I’m due for an upgrade soon, but I can’t decide whether to stick to Canon or jump ship to Sony. So, until I can decide, my Mark III will get quite the workout. It is a great camera and perfect for what I need.

Lenses

B – Sigma Art 35mm f/1.4 – I’ve had this lens for quite a while now but have only recently started preferring it. My go-to was always the 50mm, but after forgetting that lens at a portrait shoot and doing the entire shoot on a 35mm, the 35 is starting to take over.

I love it. I had used it mainly for birds eye view (guide) of newborns and families in my studio, and for wider landscape shots. Now I don’t hesitate to use it as my main lens.

C – Canon 50mm f/1.2 – The lens that can’t go wrong, it is so simple yet seems to cover 90% of what I need it to do. I LOVE how it works in my studio. It’s so sharp, especially for backlit images.

D – Canon 85mm f/1.2 – A lens that honestly doesn’t get used a whole lot. It’s a beautiful lens, the bokeh is amazing, but I just find it’s a little slow to focus. And with my main clients being very energic little people, I find it can be more of a hassle.

E – Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro – This probably needs an upgrade, but for a non-L series lens It actually performs really well. The macros are beautiful and even portrait close-ups are a winner.

F – Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 – Before changing to primes I would mostly shoot on a 70-200 especially for weddings. However, my main focus is to get intimate with families, muck around, play, see and capture their emotions. I find when I’m shooting with a 70-200 lens, I’m a little far away and can miss out on the action.

I feel like there’s something a little more personal when I’m up closer, gently giving prompts. I will always love my zoom but just find I’m becoming more content with primes. I do love using it for bringing my background into my subject though.

Extras

G – Canon 600EX-RT Flash + Speedlight Transmitter ST-E3-RT. I will avoid flash if possible. This was mainly used for weddings and sometimes backlit shots if there is no sunlight.

H – BRIBES. Yes, bribes. I have no shame in this.

I + J – Charger, Pelican case for CF/SD Cards (spare batteries not shown)

K – Rattle for getting kids attention + bow for taming wild hair.

Not pictured

Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 – Again, another lens that sits it my cupboard. I honestly never use it. It was used only a handful of times at weddings to show off a chapel or reception space, but that was about it!

Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 – Great allrounder lens. It’s beautiful for newborns zoomed in to 70mm. I would always have this lens on one of my cameras but again, it’s not getting much use these days due to preferring primes.

Other – Baby wipes (you know what for…), water, hair ties, blankets for ground shots and comfort. Oh, and not to forget my own sneaky treats.

www.bethellis.com.au | @bethellis_photography