Featured fPOE Photographer - Heather Green

Meet Heather Green of Briole!

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I live in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Minnesota, spending most of my childhood on my grandparent’s farm. I moved to Missouri when I was a freshman in high school and was transferred to New Orleans with my job in 2005. While in New Orleans, I met my future husband and fell in love with the city. At the end of that first summer, Hurricane Katrina hit the city.

At the time, it wasn’t feasible for us to go back and live there, so we ended up moving back to St. Louis. I absolutely love visiting and photographing the city and we try to go back as often as we can. 

When you’re not photographing lovelies, what else fills your time?

We spend our time with friends and our fun loving puppy Boudreaux. My husband is an amazing Cajun cook, so we often get together and have dinner parties. I also love to read, enjoy researching my family genealogy and like to quilt. My full time job keeps me pretty busy the rest of the time.

How would you describe your creative process?

My style has definitely evolved over time. I find that as the longer I shoot, the less editing I like to do. When I first started, I spent a lot of time in Photoshop adding textures, running actions and really just over processing my photos. I try take my time and get the look I want straight from the camera and I pay more attention to things like lighting these days. I still edit, just not as much as I used to. I have started to go back to some of my early images and edit them in a style that feels more like me now.

Tell us about your camera(s) and favorite lens(es).
I have a Canon 5D Mark II and my favorite lens these days is my Lensbaby, with various optic, and my 50mm 1.4. Next on my wish list is the Canon 24-70 2.8 and a macro lens.

Where else can we find your work besides your Etsy shop?

I have shops on both Fine Art America and Society6. I haven’t spent a whole lot of time on them as Etsy keeps me pretty busy.


Any advice for those just getting started as a photographer?

Shoot what you love, enjoy finding your style and practice, practice, practice. There are so many great places online these days to learn more about photography, which I think it great! It makes good information accessible to anyone that wants to learn and grow as a photographer.

Top five favorite albums to edit to:

David Gray – White Ladder

Brandi Carlisle – The Story

Bob Marley – Legend

Adele – 21

Patty Griffin – Children Running Through

Featured FPOE Photographer - Judith Kimber

Meet Judith Kimber of Judith Kimber Photography!

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m from Belfast, Northern Ireland, a city full of energy, fabulous Victorian architecture, friendly people and constant reminders of recent strife. I have a demanding and rewarding day job as head of music in a girls’ high school, which gives me limited free time during the working week, but great holidays. A long-distance relationship – and my lovely long holidays – allows me to spend time in the US each year, which I love. As well as my photography, I enjoy designing and making jewelry, which I sell at craft fairs and online. I’m a prolific reader and a truly world-class procrastinator.

When did you fall in love with photography?

My grandfather was a keen amateur photographer, and as a child I spent a lot of time “helping” him in his darkroom. Looking back, he was very kind in allowing me to have a go at all sorts of things which were probably no help to him at all, but it stimulated a love of creating visual imagery which has lasted ever since. I loved art as a child, but never got on well in a school curriculum which was all about drawing. Mostly we drew apples. Mine always looked kind of overly organic and I got low, discouraging marks. I could see in my mind’s eye how my art should look, but drawing was not the medium for me.

So my studies took me in the direction of music instead, but in my thirties I started working with black and white film again, using vintage cameras and learning to do my own developing. I took a brave solo trip to Italy around this time and realised that having a camera with me somehow made it easier to travel alone, and that it was an excellent way to meet other people and strike up fascinating conversations. I also found huge satisfaction in being able to create the types of picture I’d always imagined. I printed and framed my best shot from my first Italian trip, a dark and moody view of the Duomo in Florence, shot from inside a cell in the monastery of San Marco – and fell in love with photography.

How would you say your style has evolved over time?

I find it hard to define my own style, but the more I work, the more a consistent style seems to emerge. I’m still drawn to the sort of architectural details that first attracted me in Italy, to elements of city life, including graffiti, and to the textures of old things. Living in Ireland, it’s hard to avoid being inspired by the landscape, but I find I have to work hard to make my landscape work look original. I aim for clarity of light in my images, while at the same time my colours are becoming gradually darker and subtler. Again, that’s probably the result of living in a country where harsh sunshine is not really a problem!

Tell us about your camera(s) and favorite lens(es).

I’ve recently acquired my first “proper” camera, a Canon Rebel T3. Having worked for years with much more restricting equipment, I’m enjoying learning to use it and am loving the freedom it brings in terms of interpreting an image in exactly the way I want. I’ve started out with a straightforward 18-55mm lens, but I have a wish-list of others ready and waiting. I love macro work, so a nice 100mm might come next. My plan is to save for excellent quality lenses that will last a lifetime.


Where else can we find your work besides your Etsy shop?
I’ve focused all my attention so far on my Etsy shop, although I sell at local craft fairs too. One of my aims for 2014 is to set up a website for my photography.

Any advice for those just getting started as a photographer?

I’m only getting started as a photographer myself now, so I have a huge amount to learn. I try to find a balance between gaining inspiration from looking at other people’s work online, reading books about photography, going to exhibitions and so on, and developing my own style, looking critically at my images and keeping them true to my own vision. It would be easy to try to copy other people’s very attractive ideas, but it’s not ultimately as satisfying as creating your own.

Ask colleagues for help. Google. Keep practising. Discard everything but the best. Don’t lose your excitement. Stay original.

Favorite books?
Some recent favourites have been:

· Where’d You Go, Bernadette (Maria Semple)

· The Last Runaway (Tracy Chevalier)

· The Century trilogy (Ken Follett)

· Half of the Human Race (Anthony Quinn)

· Cheating a bit here: anything and everything by both Anne Tyler and Carol Shields, which I constantly re-read and re-love.