Our Story

Hello, I’m Kara and together with my husband Brad, are creative heart behind From The Field and GRAY SMITH CREATIVE.

Photography has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Some of my most treasured photographs were taken by my grandfather, a professional portrait and editorial photographer in Sydney, and by my dad, who shared the same passion. When I was 15, Dad gave me his old film camera, and suddenly my weekends were filled with photographing friends, chasing sunsets, exploring landscapes, and discovering what would become my life’s passion.

While studying photography and photographic development, I was fortunate to learn from some incredible mentors in the industry. It was also where I met Brad, a passionate freelance photographer. Together we opened our own studio, and for the next twenty years photographed portraits and the love stories of wedding couples on the Gold Coast.

Over time our creativity expanded beyond photography. We developed skills in digital media, graphic design, videography, and website development, allowing us to create richer visual stories for both ourselves and our clients.

Eventually, we felt the pull of country life and moved to Pechey, a beautiful rural community in the high country north of Toowoomba, Queensland. There we discovered a vibrant network of local tourism and hospitality businesses, which inspired us to shape our creative experience into a design studio focused on multimedia content and promotion.

Working with a wonderful mix of clients including boutique retailers, accommodation providers, tourism and hospitality businesses, creative makers, artisan producers, agri-tourism ventures, and community groups.

We also collaborated on the development of High Country Hamlets, a regional tourism initiative celebrating local travel and small businesses. Working with a small committee, we helped grow the brand by designing the website, creating a regional map, and curating social media campaigns and community events that highlighted the region.

After ten years in country Queensland, another adventure began calling us—Brad’s home country of New Zealand. In 2025 we made the move to the spectacular West Coast of the South Island, ready for new inspiration and discoveries.

Now living our dream in New Zealand, we’ve opened a studio gallery in Westport. It’s a creative space filled with personal projects, new ideas, and the freedom to explore our artistic curiosity. We also host small photography workshops where we love sharing the joy of photography with others.

For us, creativity flows through every part of life. Travelling, time in the studio, tending our garden, designing beautiful spaces in our home, and styling still-life scenes all feed into our contemporary artwork.

Our editing style blends textured overlays, vibrant colours, and rich saturation to create romantic and whimsical photographic pieces. Our work often features landscapes, wildlife, antique décor, vintage treasures, and freshly cut or pressed flowers.

Each artwork is printed in-house on fine art papers, allowing us to create beautiful, bespoke wall art, from the field.