Fotograf Stephanie Kindermann

—Po pierwsze i najważniejsze - kto według Ciebie jest najlepszym fotografem w Twoim mieście? :)

—Ha! There's a mad, crazy hoard of us.

—Czy jesteś fotogeniczny/fotogeniczna?

—Yes, and I'll tell you why – I have a high threshold for embarrassment. The less self conscious you are, the better you photograph.

—Co sprawiło, że zajmujesz się fotografią?

—So here's the story – my father had been a wedding photographer and so I had my first little film disposables from about 5 years old. I’d shot probably thousands of rolls by the time I made it to photography college, but it was the moment where I was standing in the darkroom seeing that first image rise out of the chemical trays that I remember. Everyone else around me was fairly cool about the whole process but I couldn’t stop laughing with this electric thrill. This was the moment in my life where it became absolutely clear – I knew this is what I was going to do now. Weddings? Everyone loves a party. And a wedding is the best kind of party to shoot.

—Jakie twoim zdaniem są najważniejsze czynniki decydujące o dobrym zdjęciu?

—Good visual narrative – all the elements needed to give you context.
The split second – at the high point of madness.
The feels – something that makes your heart hurt or leap.

—Kochasz podróże?

—I live for it.

—Co najbardziej lubisz w swoim zawodzie?

—Learning the world's secrets.
I'll share some of them with you.
No one cooks better than a Greek mama or parties as hard as a Croatian groomsman. Vietnamese elders are the bravest karaoke singers, the French do the best cigar and whiskey bar (not to mention the cheeses) and that Ghanaians will crush any dance floor. Chinese door games can be a hair raising experience, and it is deeply moving it is to see Maori women sing a welcoming song to the bride.

—Co najmniej lubisz w swoim zawodzie?

—When the alternate drop arrives, the chicken is always overcooked. Always.

—Jaka będzie przyszłość fotografii?

—Wow this is cool, I hope it will be some sort of virtual reality with a fully rendered 3D capture from the entire day. You'll be able to bang on your head set and take a walk through the entire event from any time and angle.

—Co wyróżnia rodzaj fotografii, którym się zajmujesz?

—Often having a professional photograph your family is a very rare event. With this in mind I always devote a lot of time and care to capture portraits of treasured people – grandparents, GREAT grandparents, brothers, sisters, children.

—Jak radzisz sobie z krytyk?

—I walked through a lot of fire in my early years of learning to shoot, and I'm still here :) Think of my teacher as being that old guy from Kill Bill who strokes his beard a lot.

—Czy w fotografii panują jakieś trendy?

—Yes, and they're mostly so cheesy. Things like making love hearts with your hands.... plz no!

—Jakie kryteria powinien przyjąć klient przy wyborze fotografa?

—Love the work – don't employ your photographer then ask for an aesthetic from another artist!
Vibes! Would you want to drink a beer with them? Ideally you start the booking process with good vibes, and finish the wedding singing bad karaoke together.

—Co jest absolutnie niedozwolone podczas sesji?

—Hunger. Bride, groom, photographer and squad members should be loaded up with snacks. Picnic style canapes and champagne if you're fancy, sausage rolls and red bull if you're not.

—Jakie zwykle niezauważane szczegóły może uchwycić fotograf?

—Ha! "Common people," love it.
One of my favourites is the tight-lipped, crazy-eyed stage-whispered threats of a parent to errant child – usually during a particularly tender moment during the ceremony.

—Co wpływa na wartość zdjęcia? Jakie są jego składowe?

—The value in a photo is, I feel, in how valued the subject is in it.
For example, a wife will always love a portrait of her husband that has captured how she sees him. If he's a charismatic person, than a genuine laugh. If he's a quiet person, then a photograph of him unaware, relaxed and thoughtful.

—Jaka osoba może być twoim zdaniem uznana za symbol XXI wieku?

—Elon Musk. Billionaire, genius, puts a model car in his real car then launches it into space. What a legend.

—Kogo chcesz fotografować?

—People madly in love.

—Czy masz zawodowe tabu?

—I am a woman of no limits.

—Z kim marzy ci się fotografować?

—Jonas Peterson. He seems like a very relaxed, interesting fellow.

—Co cię martwi i dlaczego?

—Mostly I have dreams where I've overslept my alarm and a bride is calling me, asking where I am, and I'm a 2 hour drive away. I guess that's my biggest worry.

—Jaka była najwspanialsza chwila w twoim życiu?

—Once, driving home very late from a wedding (of course), I saw space junk or a comet or the worlds most massive shooting star – so bright it illuminated everything around me. It travelled directly down the line of the straight highway I was driving for a full 10 seconds before burning out. An exceptional moment.

—Gdybyś był/była postaci z kreskówki, książki lub filmu, kto by to był?

—Trinity from The Matrix. She was cool and wore latex before lip injections and enormous butts became the symbols of beauty.

—Kto inspiruje cię w życiu i dlaczego?

—Jimmy Nelson, photographer and author of Before They Pass Away. His is a body of work that is truly exceptional and of historical value.

—Jaka jest twoja definicja sukcesu? Co jest jego miarą?

—Can't measure it but you can feel it – are you getting enough quality sleep? Are you eating well and sharing good wine with friends? Do you have leisure time with your loved ones, and does your work fill you with pleasure?

—Wolisz, aby cię lubiano czy szanowano?

—Not everyone will like you all of the time, but you should always conduct yourself in a way that people have no loss of respect for you.

—Jaki był twój największy bąłd zawodowy?

—Working at a camera shop, shipped two very expensive video cameras to someone who turned out to be fraudulent. OOPS!

—Co zabierasz ze sob w podróż i dlaczego?

—My husband, because he can read maps.

—Czy masz jakiś gadżet, zakupu którego żałujesz? Dlaczego?

—No, but people love to "gift" me their defunct camera gear. Please stop doing this baby boomer friends.

—Jak uczysz się robić lepsze zdjęcia?

—I spend A LOT of time on lovely curation sites like this one.

—Czyje prace miały na ciebie największy wpływ jako na fotografa?

—Steve McCurry (again). Portrait photographer for National Geographic.

—Czy jest coś, o czym warto byłoby wiedzieć, zaczynając karierę w fotografii?

—That the rules don't actually matter, and only diminish the potential expression of true moments.

—Co chcesz przekazać poprzez swoje fotografie?

—This is a mirror of your life in this moment.

—Co motywuje cię do dalszej pracy w fotografii?

—I have no other talents. LOL, no I can cook quite well. But photographing is my true purpose.

—Uważasz, że twoi rodzice powinni byli być bardziej czy mniej surowi?

—Less. I was raised conservative Catholic. Not allowed to watch The Simpsons when you're 17... come on!

—Mając możliwość cofnąć się w czasie, co być zrobił/zrobiła inaczej?

—I wouldn't bother going to study, and instead buy a great kit and apprentice myself out 3 years earlier instead. I did the ol' highschool > study > apprentice > professional route. But study is now a moot point with online resources like Linda.com.

—Co myślisz o życiu na innych planetach?

—Oh jeez I hope so. Certainly spices things up.

—Kto jest twoim bohaterem/bohaterką?

—My colleagues, for lifting my heavy, heavy camera bag up and down stairs and into the car innumerable times.

—Do kogo nie żywisz szacunku?

—Paedophiles

—Co robisz w czasie wolnym?

—I punch through Netflix series like a karate master does bricks.

—Jakiego aspektu twojej osobowości nie ujawniasz publicznie?

—Lying around in pyjamas, no makeup, orange Dorito stained fingers, unshaved legs.

—Kiedy twoja praca w pełni cię zadowala?

—When a couple tells me they cried seeing the pictures. (With JOY).

—Czy wierzysz w tradycyjne role mężczyzny i kobiety?

—There are definitely things men are better at, like being muscly and crushing rocks with their bare fists. And there are definitely things women are better at, like looking good in high heels and jean shorts.

—Czy łatwo się zaprzyjaźniasz?

—Yes

—W jakim miejscu dobrze by ci się mieszkało?

—I'd love a couple of years in Istanbul. I'm a big fan!

—Jaki była najgłupsza rzecz, którą zgodziłeś/zgodziłaś się zrobić?

—To go on a VERY long bush walk, mere hours after getting home from a pub crawl.

—Czy istnieje życie po małżeństwie?

—YES! It just keeps getting better!

—Masz ulubiony żart? Opowiedz go.

—Any Gary Larson comic ever published. He might be the funniest man on earth.

—Wolisz psy czy koty?

—Cats. I'm not embarrassed.

—Kogo lub co nienawidzisz?

—Celery. Eww

—W życiu najlepsze jest:

—Champagne and cheeses with friends.

—W życiu najbardziej irytuje mnie:

—People farting next to you on flights.

—Czy jest wokół ciebie coś, co chcesz zmienić?

—I'm about to try my hand at home renovation, in a very literal interpretation of that question!

—Co chcesz zmienić w sobie?

—I would love to learn Chinese. And sign language. And also do some pottery. And learn to ride horses. Probably should exercise more too.

—Co chcesz zmienić w świecie?

—Let's turn down the level of racism shall we, it seems to be gaining momentum instead of losing it.

—Czy możesz udzielić kilka wskazówek początkującym fotografom?

—Sure! Don't train yourself out of -not- shooting things. Such as the weird, or awkward, or funny or embarrassing moments. These are some of the greatest photographs you could take!

—Jeżeli na Ziemię przybędą kosmici, a ty będziesz pierwszą osobą, która ich spotka, co im powiesz?

—I guess I'd ask them if they wanted to join us for lunch, I know a good place...

—Jeśli poproszono by cię o nakręcenie filmu, jaki byłby to gatunek?

—Whatever genre Monty Python calls itself.

—Jutro pójdę i...

—EDIT! Pat my cat. Email clients! Poke around the fridge and hope for the best. Print some albums! Look at memes!