Fotograf Fede Guendel

—Er du fotogen?

—Good one! Ana and I often get asked by other photographers from all over the world to pose for them for their portfolios in Paris. Not sure if that means that we are photogenic, we are just different and that is always fun to photograph.

—Hvordan blev du en del af fotografiindustrien?

—My wife has had a wedding photography business in Austria before we even met and I was working in fashion photography. Once we tied the knot and moved to Paris it was just a natural thing for me to join forces with her and now we work as a tandem. Every single photo we deliver gets shot by either of us, color corrected by Ana and then skin retouched by me to the fashion photography standard.

—Hvad er de vigtigste komponenter i et godt billede efter din mening?

—As an avid cinema lover I'm fascinated with capturing emotion in a cinematographic way. The true connection read in the photograph in one frozen in time moment for me is what makes a good photograph. It has to tell a story and reflect the character of people in it. If it we up to me I wouldn't care for the backdrop, but working in Paris it's a fine line between architecture vs the couple in it. Still discovering my way to tell the best narrative while also focussing on the backdrop to it.

—Elsker du at rejse?

—Yes! Being from Costa Rica I have lived in Sweden, Canada, the US, Austria and now France, my wife is Russian and she lived in Italy, Germany and Austria before we met. In between the two of us we speak 6 languages, so traveling is a way of live for us and we enjoy it immensely.

—Hvad kan du bedst lide ved dit fag?

—That's an easy one – making people happy!

—Hvad synes du mindre godt om ved dit fag?

—Time! The reality of the fact that time is a finite resource and catering mostly to travellers we often have to say no to a couple who otherwise would be a perfect fit because another perfect fit has already booked their date. I think saying no in general is the hardest thing for me as a wedding professional!

—Hvordan ser fremtiden ud for fotografering?

—In the past wedding photography has been a narrow field but now with the advancement of technology and wider variety of choices there are so many paths to develop. Film photography has made a big and luxurious comeback. Social media and search engine optimisation have made it more difficult to shine with just the photos and make us work that much harder on being great marketers too. What my hope is that in the sea of voices and choices it would still be possible for each bride to connect with her perfect storyteller of a photographer, but how only future will show.

—Hvad er der specielt ved den fotografigenre, du specialiserer dig i?

—A wedding is a special moment for me when a couple come together in a celebration of what makes them different, defines their choices as individuals and shows all the points two people connect and blend in their unique way. Capturing all the little details and emotions of what makes that couple different from any other couple is what makes wedding photography as epitome of a lovestory magical for me.

—Hvordan håndterer du kritik?

—To quote a comedian "I was raised up to be an insult navy seal" – nothing gets under my skin. I don't mind any opinion and I will always try to get constructive criticism from it.

—Er der nogen tendenser inden for fotografering?

—My favorite two are the return of film photography and the return of the vintage film looks driven by the creations of VSCO and MastinLabs.

—Hvad bør kriterierne være for en kunde, der skal vælge en fotograf?

—The very first one – can they see themselves as the people in the photos in the portfolio of this photographer. Second, when they talk to the photographer can they see him/her as potentially being one of their group of friends. This defines whether they like what the photographer has to offer skill-wise and whether the chemistry to capture that is present.

—Hvilke ting er slet ikke tilladt under fotograferingen?

—It's a totally situational question – as a wedding photographer I pretty much need to be there and capture what unfolds and not be too intrusive. Not allowed is probably just asking me to hold my camera and play with it LOL.

—Hvilke detaljer, der som regel går ubemærket hen, vil en fotograf bemærke?

—Details! Hands holding during the ceremony, mom crying during the vows, the flower girl staring at the bride with an open mouth – those kind of details. During the wedding the guests are so focused on the couple, that what unfolds around them often goes unnoticed to their eyes.

—Hvad påvirker værdien af et foto? Hvilke elementer indeholder det?

—The emotion, the composition, the location – in that order! Yes, the location doesn't matter as much as catching a cinematic and real emotion.

—Hvilken person kan være symbolet på det 21. århundrede efter din mening?

—In a society as diverse as ours I can't name one particular person because that would be too restrictive. I would rather point out a modern day nomad, a boho bride, a Kinkfolk reader – that's the symbol of going back to our roots, appreciating simple and healthy way of life and of love.

—Hvem vil du gerne fotografere?

—My client. The couple who choose me for my style and my personality and who I feel like they fit well with me.

—Har du nogen professionelle tabuemner?

—Yes, client poaching. There are plenty of clients for all of us.

—Hvem ville du gerne fotografere sammen med?

—I'm a happy man, as I'm already shooting with my perfect partner.

—Hvad bekymrer du dig om, og hvorfor?

—The answer is always – time. There is too little of it and always too much to do.

—Hvad har været det mest imponerende øjeblik i dit liv?

—Getting a callback for a job interview in the team of Rankin, who is one of my fashion photography idols.

—Hvis du var en animeret figur, en fiktiv person eller en person i en film, hvem ville du så være, og hvorfor?

—Christopher Nolan's Interstellar is a metaphorical letter from him to his daughter. In the movie, McConaughey's character Cooper goes through time and space to save his daughter as well as keeping the promise he made to her.
I'd like to believe that I would be Cooper – go through time and space for my family and keep my promise.

—Hvem inspirerer dig i dit liv, og hvorfor?

—Bruce Lee, because he had a really inspirational world view.

—Hvordan definerer du succes? Hvordan måler du det?

—Success for me is not having unhappy clients. As long as it's down I now that I'm doing something right.

—Foretrækker du, at folk kan lide dig, eller at de respekterer dig?

—Respected.

—Hvad er den største fejl, du nogensinde har begået i dit arbejde?

—Forgetting the name of the bride's mom. Embarrassing!

—Når du skal rejse, hvad tager du så med dig, og hvorfor?

—Passport, medicine kit, camera gear, change of clothes. I'm simple this way.

—Er der noget, du ville ønske, du ikke havde købt blandt de tingester, som du ejer? Hvorfor?

—Nope.

—Hvordan uddanner du dig selv til at tage bedre billeder?

—Look, look, and look. Wedding blogs and favorite photographers help me to identify what I gravitate towards the most.

—Hvis arbejde har haft størst indflydelse på dig som fotograf?

—My wife and Ivan Troyanovsky. As they are friends it's really – being a part of that creative group that puts cinematography first.

—Hvad er det eneste, du ville ønske, du vidste, da du begyndte at tage billeder?

—That answering emails and managing business is taking up more time than the actual picture taking. Having been prepared for that I would have an easier road.

—Hvad vil du gerne fortælle med dine fotografier?

—For me it's not what I want to say but what I want the captured moment to say – I want my photo to end up on the wall in my couple's house and for them to tell their grandchildren all the stories about their wedding day when they ask.

—Hvad motiverer dig til at fortsætte med at tage billeder?

—My wife – seeing her passion for it and being able to be alongside her in our life and our work. There is no other thing I'd rather be doing.

—Burde dine forældre have været mere eller mindre strikse?

—I wasn't really raised by a full family, rather my life has taught me and I wouldn't change a thing.

—Hvis du kunne gå tilbage i tiden, hvad ville du så gøre anderledes?

—So far so good.

—Hvad med liv på andre planeter?

—Sure :)

—Hvem er dine helte?

—Bruce Lee, Valentino Rossi, my wife.