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If you love adorable babies and stunning portraiture you are going to fall head over heels for Trudi Butler, founder of Trudi Scrumptious Photography. Her images are beautifully soft and gentle and her styling is second to none – just have a look at her gorgeous Edinburgh based studio! We hope you enjoy…
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started in photography.
When I was young I attended Norland College before working as a nanny for about 20 years. I was given my first SLR film camera by my dad when I left for college and I used to take lots of pictures of all the babies I looked after. I then worked as a parent coach for nine years before having my own children who I obviously took a great deal of photographs of. I think that was when I really started to think about my love of photography and experiment and learn as much as I could about the craft. I think it just organically grew really.
How long have you been a professional photographer?
About 4 years.
Did you go to photography school or did you assist?
I did attend some workshops and did a little bit of online training but I am basically self-taught. I read a lot. I researched a lot. I practised a lot.
How would you describe your photographic style?
I obviously mainly specialise in newborn babies, but I would describe my style as very soft, gentle and warm. I like the babies to look comfortable and cosy and I would say that my pictures have quite a vintage, rustic feel to them. I also do a lot of colour co-ordination. When a couple get in touch with me about a photo session I like to ask them a lot about their home and colours that they like. So do they have a light and airy house or is it darker and cosy? Do they have wooden floors? Is the wood light or dark? I think this is really important because I want the photographs to look like they were specifically taken for that family and to be shown in that specific environment.
What type of cameras do you shoot with?
I use Canon cameras.
What is your favourite editing tool?
I use both Lightroom and Photoshop. I start off in Lightroom with the selecting and colour correction tool before moving it into Photoshop for a couple of touch ups.
What is the best part of your job?
Definitely cuddling babies and my lovely clients. I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad client, they’ve all been wonderful.
What is the worst part of your job?
I find selecting the best images really hard and a bit mundane. I’ve decided that, for me, it’s actually better to take fewer photos but with more purpose than to take hundreds and then spend hours trying to whittle them down. I know a lot of people complain about the admin side of things, but I actually don’t mind that. I use an app called 17 Hats which is really great for helping me stay on top of things.
Do you make time for personal photographic work?
I suppose my personal photographic work is taking pictures of my children, but I don’t do that as much as I used to. To be honest, I tend to use my iPhone to take any personal pictures rather than my bulky camera gear!
What advice do you have for any photographer just starting out?
I think the best piece of advice I can give is that it’s great to do workshops and online training etc but make sure you have your own experiences as well. Don’t worry about making mistakes. Don’t rush, just practice.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
There hasn’t been one piece of advice necessarily but I would say that having feedback from your peers and clients is really important. It allows you to constantly grow as a photographer and gives you an insight into what other people would have done differently or how they dealt with a similar situation. Also something I’ve learned from others is to treat your customers really well and to give the best possible service because that’s what really makes a difference to people.
If you weren’t a photographer what would you be doing?
I’ve always done jobs that have helped people, so I would probably carry on along that route. I’ve nearly qualified as a counsellor in EFT which is very exciting!
Are you a PC or a Mac lover?
I use a PC computer.
What talent would you most like to have?
I would like to be better at time management and to have better focus. I wish I could just pick something and absolutely focus on it regardless of what else is going on.
Your favourite movie of all time?
I am a bit of a film-aholic so this is really tough for me. I really love the film Parenthood, but I think my current favourite is Life of Pi, the cinematography in that film is amazing!
What do you love to indulge in?
I love to indulge in friends, laughter and watching films with my children.
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
I live in Edinburgh at the moment and I absolutely love it, but I think if I had to live somewhere else then probably somewhere like Italy.
First thing you would do if you won the lottery?
I would probably buy a new home and maybe hire an assistant to do the admin side of things, so I can just take lots of photographs and cuddle lots of lovely babies!
For your business, what is the best thing on theimagefile?
I would say it is the friendliness and helpfulness of the team, the customer support which is second to none and the ability to create just about any type of web page that takes your fancy with great ease!
To see more of Trudi’s work check out her website and blog and follow her on Facebook and Instagram!
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