Tommy Butler: Lindsey on Ice
CALEB SCHAFTLEIN,
Meet Tommy Butler | ShutterSpire Photo
Tommy Butler is an internationally celebrated visual artist, renowned for his creative direction, professional nature, and innovative use of lighting and practical effects to produce iconic works of art. With over 75 magazine cover publications in 2024, his career is pushing the bounds of what is possible, delivering extraordinary work that both inspires and resonates.
Capturing creative portraits and special events photography in Northern Utah and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, Tommy's meticulous approach to preparation and the creative process emphasizes his commitment to professionalism and artistic vision.
Can you tell us about how you got started in photography?
I started in photography with nature and landscapes. Nature enthralls and inspires me. When I decided to finally move into portraiture and devote myself to that as a business, I chose a business name keying off that very word: “inspire”. I want my work to inspire, it’s always my goal in all that I do to uplift, encourage, and inspire others.
What was your passion driving you during your journey? Who or what prompted you to begin?
My passion is the relentless pursuit of the art within me. I can’t turn it off. It’s there, driving me like my need for oxygen. To create art is not merely a passion. It’s who I am.
My community of friends and family and supporters have always made me feel so encouraged, but even without that external push, I could never stop.
Could you walk us through your photoshoot planning process?
What a great question! “Prior planning prevents poor performance”, they say. I must agree. To me, I vastly prefer to come with a plan of execution as opposed to a wish. Weeks in advance, I will hold planning calls with my models, staff, and studio personnel, as well as hair and makeup artists, creative directors, and so on. I’ll hold at least one, sometimes more.
I design storyboards, mood boards, shop apparel, scout locations, survey conditions, and plan everything down to transportation and special provisions for special projects such as the one pictured here. We needed to plan for extreme cold weather temperatures, and specific lighting conditions outdoors at a predetermined time of day. A failure on any of these key planning items wouldn’t just put the project at risk, it could pose safety issues as well.
I’m extremely meticulous in my planning, whilst simultaneously leaving extremely generous room for spontaneous decisioning in the moment. With a solid plan in place, and talented team members, my shoots very often just flow so well.
As a photography expert, what sets your work apart from other photographers?
Fair question - I think we’re all unique. I sincerely hope the quality of the product I produce is the ultimate value differentiator for anyone viewing it. However, it’s probably even more important to me that my models, clients, staff, and partners have a beautiful and memorable experience working with me every time.
It won’t matter how beautiful the work is if the experience is poor. Experience is at least half of the value, if not more. Both before, during, and after the shoot, the experience of working with me is designed to be intentionally safe, beautiful, low-stress, inspiring, memorable, exciting, empowering, authentic, and bold.
Where do you get your ideas for photoshoots?
They just flow. It seems like the more I shoot, the more I design, the more I create - the more inspiration comes. It works like a muscle; the better I exercise it, the more it grows.
Can you tell us about the most memorable moment you've had as a photographer and what experience you gained from that?
I think about my experiences less as individual ideas or independent moments to be compared against one another, and much more as a collective sum of experience that continually blossoms, flourishes, and grows with great love and care. The most memorable moment is always the one I am building to next. Here's to the bright and beautiful future of the art we're creating NOW.
What are the most important components of an extraordinary photograph, in your opinion?
"Follow the rules". The foolish will say this is boring, but the successful know it's the secret. The success photographers chase so often lies within the basics they want to skip over. Upon a supernally strong foundation of basic photographic theory and discipline, the greatest art is built. There are not exceptions. No great photo was poorly exposed and badly composed.
How do you strike a balance between your artistic expression and your client's expectations during a shoot?
The client is the boss, while I'm the trusted expert. Does that make sense? They get the final say, but I ask them to trust me and my process. When they trust the process and allow me to work unrestrained, they are never disappointed.
How do other artists influence your work? Are there any other photographers you look up to? Who?
Oh my, yes. Yes absolutely yes, I take inspiration from everything and everyone all around me every day. I have learned that if I'm not open and humble enough to learn from someone, anyone, even and especially those with different viewpoints - the options I have to grow vastly diminish. The inspiration I take from great work of other world-class artists is fuel for my fire. One of them is William Cumberland out of Kansas City. Another one is John Wheatherby. An exhaustive list isn't possible, but I simply must also mention Anja Stoll, Francis Wong, Erin Holmstead, and Justin Johnson.
How do you enhance your vision after a session by post-processing your photos? Do you have a best-kept secret for editing processing that you'd like to share?
I have moved away from post processing as a crutch to prop up bad photography. In the beginning of anyone's learning journey with Photoshop and Lightroom (or similar tools), everything is often overdone. However, an appropriate amount of experience with the tooling can yield incredible benefit. I tell my students that the last 10% of a truly great photo will be the edit, the color grading, high end retouching, etc. That last 10% is absolute magic when you've put in the time to learn the tools well. Thousands of hours spent editing photos over many years means that you eventually get to the point of knowing exactly when and how to employ the tools, and maybe even more importantly, when and how NOT to use them.
Can you tell us about the most difficult photographic challenge you've ever had, including lighting, unexpected situations, and how you managed the issues on set?
Poor lighting at runway fashion shows is always a killer. Bad light situations and high-stress gigs can really fry your nerves, and overcoming these situations is key. Learning grace under fire unfortunately can't really happen without facing pressure we would probably never choose for ourselves, but it's how we grow. These things could be the topic of a series of magazine articles all on their own, so I won't belabor the point. I'll simply recommend that all photographers do necessary learning to manage well in stressful situations, and poor lighting conditions.
What are your top tips for aspiring photographers on skill development and finding their own creative voice? How did you develop yours?
Work your first year for free, and get a mentor. Pay your mentor a fair fee, even if they don't ask. It shows you value their knowledge and that your future is worth the investment. Shadow other experts you admire. Carry lighting and camera gear for people who are better than you. Go shadow them, soak up the knowledge they have. Follow their guidance and trust your instincts.
Can you tell me about an upcoming project you're working on and the idea behind it?
I'm so very excited about the major project I'm doing in Las Vegas this March. Details are available on my instagram page and at the link in my Bio. We'll be shooting high end locations, including a swimwear shoot in partnership with an emerging brand out of Brazil. Very exciting!
Where can we view more of your work and connect with you?
Instagram: @shutterspirephoto
Website: shutterspire.com
