Focus On: pfeifferphotos

The Coffee Shop

Two of Etsy's most positive and supportive photographers, Tina and Chris Pfeiffer of Portland, Oregon, have their own story to tell. The couple have such an engaging love for all things photographic, and it's nice to have the opportunity for us to get to know them.

Tidepool

AW: How did you two meet? Does the story involve anything photographical in nature?

Tina: We met in 2000 at work. Chris was working for a legal services company, and I was hired to work in another department at the same place. We became friends at work. Chris had a 35mm film camera at that time and was a casual photographer. I liked photography but didn't have a camera of my own and wouldn't have thought of it as anything beyond a hobby back then. We didn't start shooting together until 2004 when we bought our first nice point-and-shoot camera for a trip to Walt Disney World. We were married in December, 2006, and really enjoyed working with the professional photographer we hired for our wedding photography. We started to consider photography as a more serious interest when I opened our Etsy shop in August, 2007. Since then, we've upgraded our camera, taken some basic classes together, joined Flickr, started a blog, attended a few local shows as a vendor, and I am now adding Photography as a minor in school.

St. John's Bridge

AW: Do you each have a camera? How do you share in the workload, so to speak?

Tina: We own two cameras and share both of them. We take our photos at random in our travels or around town where we live. We aren't professional photographers (yet!), so we don't consider what we do as work... we just enjoy being together and making pictures we can share with others. When we sell an image it's the icing on the cake.

Shore Pine

AW: What is your dream travel destination? Have you been there yet?

Tina: We would love to travel in Europe. Chris visited London in the early 90's and would like to return to explore even more. It's always been my dream to visit (and perhaps live for awhile) in Paris. We would both like to experience Italy, Spain, Ireland, Scotland, Greece, and Norway. We both have a love of history, food and travel. We'll have to save our pennies not only for the trip but also to buy a digital SLR camera before we take off for adventures "across the pond."

The Road to Antelope

AW: Can you describe some of your experiences in being a vendor at art shows? Tell us the good things and the challenging aspects of it.

Tina: We have attended three art shows as a vendor. Our experiences have taught us that we need to be more selective about which shows to participate in and ask lots of questions in advance to be sure the fit is right for us. Portland is a very art and craft-friendly town. The challenge has been in finding shows that focus more on fine art (and photography) versus crafts and other handmade goods. The good things we have gained from the shows have been gaining exposure, meeting new people and networking with other local artists and enjoying their work.

We also promote POE as often as we can, and since Bill (HouseofSixCats) just moved to our city of Portland, Oregon, we've been brainstorming for more local exposure for POE.

Rental Skates

Thank you Tina and Chris!

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A world traveler and self-taught photographer, look for Ann wandering around city streets and tromping through woods and hiking trails with her camera. After owning an international transportation business for many years, Ann has found her creative spirit again through the lens. See more at Ann's shop and her website.