Nancy Lisa Phillips
Name: Nancy Lisa Phillips
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
Favourite type of photography: Wildlife & urban, plus professional wedding photography
Location: Chorley, Lancashire, UK.
Website: nancylisabarrettphotography.co.uk
Instagram: @nlbphoto
How did you get into photography?
I was a hobbyist for years but after recovering from a serious illness, I bit the bullet and decided to go professional. I'd been a free second shooter for established photographers, so this influenced my decision. My first weddings were an extremely steep learning curve, terrifying, to tell you the truth. I then started to find my feet...and the shutter button.
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Do you have any photographic qualifications or accolades?
I have a piece of paper from college which tells me I passed a course. I didn't like writing about photography, I wanted to go out and do it.
What's the first photograph you remember seeing or shooting?
Twiggys' face from the 1960s in a fashion magazine. It made me stop and stare for a long time.
What do you love about photography?
If it's my career as a wedding photographer, then it's finally getting paid for something I love! If it’s my passion for wildlife photography, then it's being lost in beauty in every way.
What do you wish you'd learned about photography earlier?
There is an easier way to learn the exposure triangle than dealing with lots of numbers.
Where is your favourite place for photography?
The Outer Hebrides - for me, nothing comes close! If we can't get away on holiday, we just walk over to our local woods on our doorstep. It soothes the soul and brings clarity and peace.
Do you have a favourite photographic technique?
I do like to use foliage and prisms to shoot through in my work and hobby.
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Can you briefly outline your approach to image processing?
Don't be too trigger-happy.
Back up, back up, back up.
Bulk editing images shot in the same lighting conditions is your friend.
Lightroom and Photoshop are a match made in photography heaven - utilise to the max.
Make your own presets, actions and brushes - it's cheaper & fun.
What's your favourite lens?
For weddings, it's my OM System (Olympus) M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm f/1.2 PRO, and for wildlife, my Olympus 300mm f/4 IS PRO with a 1.4x extender.
Do you have a favourite accessory?
My prism. It hides untidy rooms when I'm shooting wedding prep.
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Have you found the perfect camera bag yet?
Yes, it's quite old school, but works for me. It's a Lowerpro Classic BP300 AW.
Which photographers have influenced or inspired you, and how or why?
Three very, very different people...
Don McCullin - I've always thought to be a good photographer, you have to feel it. Mr McCullin has surpassed that and more. He's revealed his soul decade upon decade.
Lindsay Adler - my go-to fashion pose photographer. She's on-point to the max & explains clearly & concisely. Her book, The Photographers Guide to Posing, is brilliant, and I would well recommend it.
Andy Phillips, my hubby and who I work with. He's a brilliant landscaper and still-life photographer. He taught me to be awesome at 1% of Photoshop years ago, he said, that's all I needed haha!!
Please recommend 2 or 3 female photographers to follow on Instagram.
Lindsay Adler @lindsayadler_photo, Julieanne Kost @jkost and Ruth Grindrod @ruthgrindrodlandscapes_
Is there a camera, lens or accessory that you don't have yet but you'd like to buy at some point?
I'm very happy with my kit and don't have a 'gear envy' thing going on. My eyes and head are the important tools, so I try to look after them.
Is there a genre of photography that you love but that you haven't tried yet?
Too many and too little time...
What's your proudest photographic moment?
I was on a photo shoot years ago with a group of experienced photographers, and I dared to be different. I posed the model in a butcher’s doorway and used the metal fly chain as a giant wraparound over her outfit - there was a big WTH moment, which ended up with a lot of plaudits.
If you could have one superpower that could help you with photography, what would it be?
Juggling soot - especially in wedding photography logistics.
Your favourite baked goods are?
Rocks Cakes - must have orange peel in them too.
Tell us a little about yourself.
My tagline on my website says, "From Lancashire with Love". What it doesn't say is that I'm a very happy-go-lucky kind of girl who has blundered through life for way too long. I don't have any qualifications as such, not even a cycling proficiency badge. What I do have, though, is, when the need arises, 100% dogged tenaciousness and "apply-yourself-ability.'
Myself and my hubby, love our simple life. We work hard but play harder. We adore our Scottish beaches, workshops, teaching and seeing our good friends.
Less is more in everything....except red wine and jelly babies!
