Lisa Kristin Schrötter

Lisa spends most of the year traveling the world while working on client projects. She sees photography as her lifestyle — something that gives her the freedom to explore, create, and have fun. Lisa is also a Fujifilm ambassador and regularly speaks at workshops, conferences, and events.

Lisa’s photography spans several niches, including sports, nature, and people. But while her work is varied, there’s a common thread running through it. “I like to capture moments and tell stories by using my camera”, she says. “I don’t do a lot of projects where I need to be in studios — I prefer to just capture what’s naturally happening.”

And that’s exactly what she does. Lisa’s photos capture spontaneous, natural emotion, making viewers feel like they’re in the scene. She frequently shoots landscapes and communities in some of the most interesting places in the world — from Myanmar to Greenland, and beyond. 

Many people discover photography and dream of making it their career. But in Lisa’s case, it was almost like the career found her.   

“When I was 15, my brother showed me an advert for a graphic design school”, she explains. “I thought it sounded cool, so I did the entrance exam. A few days later, they told me I had one of the top three exam scores and offered me a place in the school.”   

“So I moved to Vienna, but on the first day of school, my name wasn’t on the list. It turned out I’d done the exam on the wrong day. I hadn’t done the exam for graphic design — I’d done the exam for photography! And so for the next five years, I went to school and learned how to take photos.”   

“After leaving school, I immediately registered myself as a photographer, and things grew slowly from there. I worked in some other jobs too, but I always did photography and it became my full-time job.” 

One of Lisa’s proudest moments was when she was asked to be a Fujifilm ambassador.

“People always ask me how to become an ambassador for a camera brand — but for me, it was something that just happened”, she comments.

“They kept asking me to try one of their cameras and, just to be nice, I said yes. I took it on a trip to Myanmar, where I was shooting a Buddhist temple. After that, I fell in love with their cameras.”

Lisa’s stories might make being a photographer sound easy, but she’s open about the challenges too.   

“I want to be honest when I talk about my work. I think a lot of photographers make it sound this job is always so beautiful and nice — but sometimes it f*** up. There are a lot of ups and downs. Sometimes I don't know how I’m going to earn money next month or when I’m going to find time for sleep. But I wouldn’t change it for anything!”

Lisa began using Angelbird products years ago after a photography contact told her about them.    

“I knew the owner of a store who had Angelbird products. He came to me and said ‘hey, you gotta check out this brand and their products because they’re really awesome.’ Then I heard from Roman, the CEO of Angelbird — and I’ve been using their products ever since.”    

“I do a lot of presentations and speeches at photography events, and I always end up mentioning Angelbird, because I’ve been using them for so many years now.”

Lisa’s main camera is currently the Fujifilm GFX100II, which is a medium-format camera. She also uses the X-T5, an APS-C camera. While she also has a wide range of lenses and NiSi filters, Lisa likes to keep her camera gear as simple as possible.   

“I usually bring just one or two lenses with me”, she explains. “But I choose my lenses by looking at the style and how they take a photo — not the range. If you take two 50-millimeter lenses, even from the same brand, your photos will look different with each one.“    

“If I shoot with the XT-5, my favorite lens is the XF50mm F1.0. If I’m shooting with the medium format camera then it’s the GF63mm. I also love the GF500mm, which is a new kind of lens from Fujilfilm. In August I was in Greenland shooting whales for an adventure company with this lens, and it was just amazing.” 

“My most important workflow tip is to back up your photos quickly. It’s one of the easiest things to forget when you’re travelling — you think ‘I’m tired. I don’t have enough battery. I’ll do it tomorrow.’”

“But then you lose a card or something else happens. So always be strict about saving your data, and spend money on good SSDs. If you buy cheap ones, they won’t last long and you get no support if something goes wrong. “

Lisa makes an initial copy on an SSD drive soon after the shoot. She then makes another copy on an SD card and two more on SSD drives later, totalling four backups.

Lisa firmly believes that photographers should get serious about the business side of their work as early as possible.

“Don’t undercharge just because you’re having fun”, she stresses. “A lot of people think that photography is not something you need to pay for. They think all you have to do is bring your camera to an event that you’re going to attend anyway and press the shutter button.”

“But it’s very important to make people aware that this is work, even if it’s something you enjoy. And of course, there will always be someone who will do it cheaper. So you should sit down and think about what makes you special, and why people should give you the job instead of those cheaper options. It’s very important to do that right from the beginning.”

Lisa’s work takes her around the world, bringing her exciting opportunities — and occasionally major disasters. 

“I was in Italy, just after shooting the Formula One race. On my way home I stopped at a gas station to have a coffee. I parked the car maybe 20 meters away from the gas station, near a security camera. But when I came back to my car, everything was gone. They just broke the window with a stone, opened the door, and grabbed all my camera gear.”   

“But the nice thing was that I had my laptop in a normal plastic shopping bag, so the thieves didn’t take it. And so now that’s something I always talk about in my speeches when people ask me about equipment. If you take your camera gear in a plastic bag or a dirty old rucksack — instead of a fancy camera bag — thieves won’t target you.” 

After 17 years being a photographer, Lisa has fulfilled many of her creative dreams. We asked what gives her inspiration today:   

“I think the wish to see the world and to share stories with other people”, she answered. Photography is such a part of my life. I cannot separate work and life — and I really love my life!”   

“There are so many brands I work with that I really like, and I find it fun to support them. It’s the same with Angelbird. If I weren’t 100% in love with the product, how they run the company, and how they support people, I wouldn’t work with the product. I wouldn’t be an ambassador just because I get something for free.”

Talking to Lisa even for a few minutes, it’s clear that she is driven by passion and her enjoyment of photography. But what is it that she enjoys so much about her work?   

“When you're behind the camera and you press the shutter for the first time, it's amazing,” she explains. “It's so beautiful. What you see without the camera is beautiful. But if you can look through your camera and see a way to tell a story — that’s what makes photography really fun. To tell the story in your own way.”    

Over the years, this approach has led Lisa to develop a captivating, authentic style. And it’s something that other people notice too:   

“I think the best compliment I get is when someone tells me ‘I saw a photo somewhere, and I knew it was you that took it’”. 

Photography is something that Lisa takes seriously, but it’s also something that gives her the freedom to have fun too.  

“If you can live from something you love, I think that’s just amazing”, she says.  

"The deciding factor for me, when considering a job offer, is how much fun it will be! Since I don’t have children, I have more flexibility in choosing which projects to take on and which ones might not be as interesting to me. So enjoying my work is just as important as being well-paid."  

Big thanks to Lisa for being in the Angelbird Collective. We look forward to seeing what else you do as you enjoy creative freedom — without limits.  

Connect with Lisa online:

Website 
Instagram