#SFGuide Featured Photographer: Lisette
Each week we select and profile a photographer from our #SFGuide community on Instagram. We believe these photographers capture the everlasting beauty of San Francisco and the Bay Area. For a chance to be featured on our Instagram feed, or here, on 49Miles.com, tag your photos with #SFGuide.
This week’s featured #SFGuide photographer is Lisette (@kuifjeinamerika), a supply chain senior manager from the Netherlands currently residing in San Francisco. Scroll down to view Lisette’s inspiring photos, and learn more about what inspires her as a creative in the Bay Area.
#SFGuide Photographer Profile
Name: Lisette
Age: 40+
Profession: Supply Chain Senior Manager
Place of Birth: The Netherlands
Where do you currently reside: San Francisco
Something you’d like viewers to know about you: I do not only explore San Francisco with a camera in my hand; I love to run through the various neighborhoods
What is your favorite spot to shoot in San Francisco, and why?
It all depends on the time of the day, the weather and my mood. You cannot go wrong in San Francisco. I like to explore and to go to places I have never been before. I’m mostly interested in people, and in isolating them in pictures with the San Francisco streets, parks, buildings or monuments as a backdrop.
When and why did you take up photography?
I’ve always been creative: drawing, painting, playing music. I got a bit lazy in that regard, but found new inspiration in this digital age. I started taking pictures with my phone and over a year ago I began to use editing apps to make them look better. In May last year I bought my first camera, took a photography class in the summer to learn how to use it, and have been shooting since. Nowadays I take my camera everywhere I go.
What do you love about photography?
Photography makes you look at everyday things differently. For me the post-production process is equally enjoyable. I love taking the raw file and change it into the image I had in mind when I took the picture. It is also an outlet for me to express myself.
How do you decide what to shoot?
It’s a spur of the moment, really. I decide last minute where to go, and when I arrive, I just walk around and let the world happen to me.
What’s your favorite part about going out to shoot?
I like the unpredictability, to get out and don’t know what I come back with. It forces me to take back alleys, or pathways I usually don’t take. It definitely triggers my curiosity.
Which location did you have the most difficulty getting to, and how did you do it?
Sometimes I have an idea, and I have to crawl in a confined space to get the shot. I once wanted a shot of a public phone in Noe Valley, with only a 45mm lens on me, and had to lay down on busy 24th street to make it work.
What is your dream shot? (Where, what time of day, what’s in it / the subject?)
I would like to be more relevant. Rather than creating a pretty image, I would like to display a stronger message.
What is your favorite app to use for photo editing on the go, and what are your top 3 favorite filters?
I edit all my photo’s in Lightroom, and sometimes use a little bit of Photoshop. I don’t use filters or presets; I create all images myself from scratch. When traveling, I take my laptop with me. If the pictures don’t look the way I want after conversion to a JPEG I use Enlight or Photoshop Express to fix them.
How does Instagram and the #SFGuide community inspire you?
It’s very interesting to see San Francisco through the eyes of others. I like to be surprised by a new angle or point of view. I recently got together with various Bay Area photographers, which I met through Instagram. This was way outside of my comfort zone, but I was pleasantly surprised to experience how this medium can bring people together. It is very inspiring to see how other photographers work.
What are your favorite San Francisco-based Instagram accounts to follow?
Honestly, there are too many great accounts to call out. I was in awe with all the photographers featured on 49miles.com. I’m always looking for some fellow girls out there – currently I’m really into the work of @snetchaev and @tbhavya.
What type of camera do you use? And what is your dream camera?
I have an Olympus OM-D, Mark II. I like a light camera, that I can easily hold in my hand. I do not have a dream camera; I believe an image is created by the photographer, not the camera.
What are your favorite settings in your idea shot?
Lens: 45mm
Aperture: 1.8 – 2.6 for bokeh effect
Shutter Speed: 1/40 or faster (I don’t shoot long exposures)
ISO: the lowest I can get under the circumstances
White Balance: Auto
Focus (Manual / Auto): Auto
Image Format (RAW / JPEG): RAW
What advice would you give to new or rising photographers that you wish you had received when you first started?
Do not focus on the amount of likes or followers on Instagram. Shoot whatever you like whenever you like. In addition, look at a lot of photographs and try to find (established) photographers / artists outside Instagram you like.
What do you love about living in the San Francisco Bay Area?
The cultural diversity, the openness of the people and the beauty of San Francisco and its surroundings. No matter the weather, there is always something to do.
