FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER

The next in our Featured Photographers with an on-line shop is Tina. Tina is also a member of Photographers of Etsy (P.O.E.) and here shop is



Here is our interview with Tina!

Briefly describe what you make?

I offer mainly photographic prints in my shop at the moment. There are also a handful of select photos that I have turned into Scrabble tile pendants. As I continue to grow, I hope to add more frameable art, home decor, accessories, cards, etc. There really is no limit to what you can do with a good photo! Recently I purchased a much nicer camera than what I used to take the pictures in my shop currently, so I look forward to offering larger sizes as well as more artistic compositions.

What mediums do you enjoy working in most?

I seem to have a penchant for macro (close-up) photography versus landscapes and such. It really depends on what I'm looking at, but I find that sometimes a picture can be more interesting if you cut away the visual noise around the image or object and really capture the essence of it. It's also a good way to focus on detail and color. I do also love a good story that can be told by the everyday candid images you can see, as well. An object lying on the ground out of its element... A random mess made from cooking... things like that. Recently, I acquired a Kodak Duaflex camera to get in on the amazing through-the-viewfinder (TTV) shots that are out there. Sometimes the nostalgic feel the shots give me makes me all giddy on the inside.

How long have you been creating craft?

I've been fascinated by photography for as long as I can remember, but really got more drawn to it about twenty years ago when my dad bought a nice SLR camera when I was young. I'm still working to make sense of all the technical aspects, like aperture, lighting, etc. That's the stubborn, impatient, left-side of my brain not cooperating. I think that's also why I'm more drawn to macro shots; there's less to think about!

How did you get started?

I had a collection of nice shots taken on some trips to Asia that people seemed to like. I already had a more traditionally crafty shop on Etsy, so I decided to just open a second one and see if people liked what they saw. I'm just now doing a bit more to promote it and be visible, but I know that photography can be a hard sell. I just got accepted into the Photographers of Etsy street team, and am confident that will be a great step, even if just for encouragement and inspiration.

Where does the name of your shop come from?

My shop name is actually a spin-off of my main store on Etsy, scatterbox. Scatterbox is what I use as sort of the umbrella name for my creative projects (I also just opened an artsy shop called sketchbox). I wanted the names to be cohesive, which is why they are similar. Scatterbox actually just popped into my head one day and turned out to be quite appropriate. I can tend to be a little scatterbrained at times, and the right side of my noggin seems to always have bits, pieces, and fragments of ideas floating around. VERY scattered. So I get excited when some of them actually come together and form an idea!

What would you most want people to know about your work?

First, that it is evolving. One of the plans I have for the shop is to feature more series or prints that have themes that I can work off of. I can think of numerous ones, so hopefully the variety will keep the interest there. Above all, though, I would love for people to see something unique in them; something they may not see elsewhere, or have even just one picture that they can look at and say, "Wow."

What words of advice do you have for other artists?

It would be advice that I struggle sometimes to keep in the forefront of my mind, as well: Do what you love. Don't rush things - it will come together in time. And don't be afraid.

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Great interview! YOU must go now and see Tina's SHOP!

While you are there stop over and see us at Past Perfect too!