Member Profile: Jayne Painter
About me:
©Jayne Painter
Do you consider yourself a Professional/Semi-Pro/Amateur/Beginner photographer?
I consider myself a keen hobbyist.
Who are you?
I live on the Romney Marsh with my partner & 2 dogs. I still work full-time in the veterinary pharmaceutical world, however, I retire early next year, which hopefully will give me time to follow my passion for photography. I used to have horses and loved taking photos of them, I no longer ride due to an accident which has left me with limited mobility.
Tell us about your photography journey.
My journey started with my father’s camera a Kodak Brownie 127, I must have been about 10 at the time! The next camera was a Zenit E (I still have one!) Then digital came and wow that was a whole game-changer!
The first course I embarked on was Photoshop, I stumbled across TSOP in early 2020 and booked a PS course in Chelmsford, but then lockdown happened and put paid to that so I switched to the online course instead. I had been on several training days with several other providers but found that they always assumed that you knew the basics! I found that I always needed "the step before" which was always missing. I hadn’t a clue what a “layer” was other than in a cake or piling clothes on!
Next was Lightroom, and since then I have gradually worked through some of the others but I still have some to complete. In particular, the Fine Art Family Portraiture with Sujata Setia. When I retire in 2025 I will go through the whole lot again!
What is your preferred genre?
©Jayne Painter
I love animals/nature, (particularly dogs) Seascapes, stormy skies and lately Churches and graveyards. I quite like a moody style for my landscape/seascape photography and working with textures. When time is available I love long exposure it’s so calming and shows the world in a different light whether seascapes, cloudscapes and city life. The fine art course with Trudy Kepke is the most inspirational. I like to add tone and texture in post-processing especially if the shot is a bit moody.
What inspires you to create photography?
I find it’s the only time I can totally switch off my brain! Just to poodle out with the camera for an hour makes all the difference. I often come back with nothing, but the fact that I have been out with the camera is so relaxing. It makes you look at things in a totally different way.
Who are some other photographers you’re inspired by?
James Popsys, Matthew Seed -The horse Photographer and members of TSOP (you learn so much from them!) and of course, the great Ansel Adams.
My favourite photograph:
Describe the first photo you took during your learning journey.
Wonky, over exposed, blurry, out of focus, no idea what depth of field was, and now, hopefully less wonky, better exposed and some composition which I still find hard going!
What is your favourite photograph that you’ve taken?
Hard to choose but the gulls and waves on my local beach in black and white, when I look at it I can hear the waves and the gulls, I took it on the way home from work which had been a tough traffic day so I stopped and sat on the sea wall with a camera (always have one on me!) just to take in the waves and sea air and bingo the gulls arrived and posed!
©Jayne Painter My favourite photograph
©Jayne Painter
What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned from TSOP?
Get to know your camera and practice, practice and practice even more! You never stop learning and don’t be afraid to ask questions no question is stupid, we all learn and see things in different ways.
What’s next for Jayne?
As I said go through all the courses again, and I know I have forgotten parts, printing is a big thing with me at the moment I feel that it finishes the process off nothing like looking at your photo in print. Churches and abandoned buildings are quite interesting and also develop more in black and white.
Conclusion
I loved the beginners course finding out what aperture, iso and shutter speed mean, how you slot them all together to get the shot that you want, rather than point and shoot and hope for the best! I was a total beginner and had no idea! Now thanks to TSOP I have learned so much and from the members as well everyone is so friendly, for the future 2025 will be the start of another chapter in my life and photography will play a major part.
Jayne’s Gallery:
All images ©Jayne Painter
