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Member Profile - Troomp

PN: Tell us how you got into photography...

Lisa: The first photo I took was on one of those grey little Kodak Instamatics of the giraffes at London Zoo. (I still have it) Since then it has always, and still does, thrill me to be able to capture an image I’ve viewed with my eyes and handle it later on a piece of paper! I bought my first SLR (an Olympus OM10) from my Dad at the age of 13. At school I was interested in photography as a career, but wasn’t encouraged and ended up taking the “sensible” career option by studying physiotherapy instead. I’ve worked in the NHS for 17 years…it pays the bills (ish!). As my children have become less and less needy, I have taken more photos in my spare time, went digital 2½ years ago and haven’t touched my Nikon film camera since!

PN:What camera do you use? Do you find that you need a lot of equipment to take good quality pictures?

Lisa: I recently have been lucky enough to upgrade from a Nikon D70 to a D200. (Thanks Nana!) I use an 18-200mm lens (once described by another amateur photographer I met as a “nice travelling lens”!) and have a Nikon off camera flash. I would love a fast portrait lens and wide angle for those landscape shots I always mean to get up early to take!...But I have 3 kids and an old house…so perhaps I’ll buy a lottery ticket! I’m sure if you have a good eye and anything from a good quality compact upwards, you can end up with decent pictures, unless of course you are trying to do specialist stuff.

©Lisa Butler 2007

PN:Lots of your pictures on PN are very spontaneous looking. Would you describe yourself as a snapshot photographer or do you like to take time composing your shots?

Lisa: I do really enjoy trying to "capture the moment". I do like to move around the subject and often get into odd positions to try and get an interesting angle. I’m not keen on posing people…probably because I haven’t practiced enough! I do think about lighting, time of day for landscapes, but am a bit lazy with using a tripod. I have just come back from holiday and tried taking landscapes with my tripod, but found myself getting a bit frustrated with the amount of fiddling I had to do…then the wind wobbled the tripod which defeated the object somewhat! Yes, spontaneity is more me!

PN:What aspects of photography most interest you and why?

Lisa: : Reportage interests me most, people viewed in the context of their surroundings, telling the viewer a story, or portraits that capture aspects of the model’s personality. I love any photograph though; I have boxes and boxes of old family photos, even some on glass from the late 1800’s.

PN:: Model or property released pictures are in increasing demand from image buyers, a demand fuelled by the American market. Many of your images are model released. Do you have any tips for our other members on how to obtain these?

© Lisa Butler 2007

Lisa: I’m very lucky to have 3 happy modelling children (well sometimes they are!). They end up in lots of my pictures. Other models are kind friends, family or colleagues. I explain the PN website to them, in particular their child protection policy if there is a child involved, and they have so far seemed happy with signing the form. I haven’t been brave enough to approach a complete stranger yet!

PN:: How did your hear about PN? Were you already looking to make money from your pictures or are you new to the whole concept as many of our members are?

Lisa: : I had already started making a small amount of pocket money from doing children’s portraits, kids football, school productions, that kind of thing and giving half profits to the school, playgroup etc, when I came across PN mentioned in a Photography Monthly internet forum. Thought I may as well try it, as it’s only time spent uploading and completing the tags, after that you just have to sit back and wait for the cash!

PN:: The digital revolution has made photography more accessible to a whole variety of people. Do you have any thoughts on how this has affected the photography industry?

Lisa: : It’s much easier to set up as a photographer now, seeing there’s no need for darkrooms with digital and almost anyone with a bit of nowse can use editing software. On the other side of the coin, this has had to have made photography much more competitive; to be successful it must be more difficult. There are also some who view online picture libraries as exploiting amateurs, and putting some professionals out of business. But as technology changes, everything else has to change with it.

PN:: Do you have a story to tell about any of your photographs that are on PN? We love Summertime Dreams, which has featured on our homepage.

Lisa: : Summertime Dreams is a shot of my eldest daughter, Ellen on the banks of the River Teign on a hot day during a family day out. It’s not at all posed; she was wearing my oversized hat by chance, and was initially grumpy that I was pointing the camera at her, but after a while ended up ignoring me crawling in the grass! I think it captures the thoughtful and slightly dreamy aspect of her personality.

©Lisa Butler 2007

PN:: Which photography magazines/books do you read or can recommend, if any?

Lisa: : I can’t say that I’ve read any photography books in recent years except Photoshop CS by Martin Evening, but I do subscribe to Photography Monthly which keeps me up to date with gadgets and news, though some of the features are a bit repetitive after you’ve received the mag for several months.

PN:: What are your top 5 photography tips for PN members?

Lisa: : I’m not sure whether I’m really qualified to give other members tips!!

• People pics seem to be the ones viewed most on PN. If you have pictures of people doing something, it doesn’t have to be artistic or technically perfect to sell.
• Chat up friends/family/colleagues for model release signatures.
• Intentional movement blur (which I personally quite like), can be seen as technically unsound by PN, so take several pics of the same subject using different shutter speeds.
• Try different view points of the same subject…move around.
• If entering competitions, read the small print. I had a couple of my images (which didn’t win or get placed) used by Devon County Council for nought…not even 12p…cheek!

PN:: 'Troomp'?

Lisa: : Troomp is the nickname my Dad gave me as a small child.