Fotograf Annabelle Agnew

—Zuallererst - wen können Sie als besten Fotografen in Montreal, Kanada nennen? :)

—Excluding myself, I admire the work of a lot of talented photographers globally. In Montreal: Brent Calis, Laura Regev, Ella Mack & Micheal Beaulieu are some of my favorites. In Ottawa: Agatha Rowland, Joel & Justyna, Rubicon and Age of Indie.

—Sind Sie fotogen?

—At the right angles and if I'm not being a goof... yes.

—Wie sind sind zur Fotografiebranche gekommen?

—My mother is a painter, my step-father a theatrical and architectural lighting designer. I was surrounded by art, artists, and so forth my entire life. My mother's best friend is a professional photographer and I remember taking my first "real" photograph at 8 years old with my mother's Olympus Rangefinder. Even then... it was a very circuitous route, even after I got my BFA in Photography at Concordia. But I am very certain of my path now that I found it.

—Was macht Ihrer Meinung nach ein gutes Foto aus?

—Light is the most important — then composition. After that comes artistry and understanding how your settings can capture moments that evoke how they felt. Sharpness and bright lighting are over-rated and feel unnatural to me a lot of the time.

—Reisen Sie gern?

—Yes. Adore it. One of my favorite trips that I ever took was to Nicaragua. We go to Ireland (at least prior to the pandemic) yearly because my husband is from there. The last place we traveled to prior to the pandemic was Mexico.

—Was gefällt Ihnen an Ihrem Beruf am meisten?

—I love that what I do captures some of the most important moments of a clients' lifetime and that the history of that photo will shift over time to mean different things. I know how valuable my family photo albums have been for me and that's my driving force for every wedding I photograph.

—Was gefällt Ihnen an Ihrem Beruf am wenigsten?

—I'm a workaholic, it's hard to turn my brain off and find balance, being passionate about my craft verges on obsessive. It's important to hit pause, look back and appreciate work that I have done and so I've learned to do this — rest is equally important to make good work.

—Was ist die Zukunft der Fotografie?

—Just like anything else, it will evolve and yet it's essence will remain the same.

—Was das Besondere an dem Fotografiegenre, auf das Sie sich spezialisiert haben?

—I'm not sure I understand this question.

—Wie gehen Sie mit Kritik um?

—I went to art school where our work was critiqued daily — so I am open to it and frankly wish I heard it more often now in my professional life. It's important to get external feedback in order to grow. That said, I am probably my own worst critic.

—Gibt es irgendwelche Trends in der Fotografie?

—Lots of them. A lot of photographers buy presets and apply them to their work – I find this makes their work all look the same. The standouts always have a strong sense of color, light, composition and a connection with their subjects.

—Was sollten die Kriterien für Kunden bei der Wahl eines Fotografen sein?

—Connect with the work and the photographer.
Ask for full galleries.

—Was ist bei Fotoaufnahmen strikt verboten?

—Too much posing, going to "hotspots", shotlists that are formulaic to wedding pinterest boards.

—Welche Details werden häufig übersehen, die ein Fotograf aber erkennt?

—It's the in between stuff. For instance — this summer I photographed a wedding where I did a giant group photo of all that attended. Once the group dispersed the bride & groom each took a big swig of their drinks in hand (which I took a photo of) and then each realized that it was too big (which I also took a photo of) — this sequence brought a lot of joy to all of us later.

—Was beeinflusst den Wert eines Fotos? Welche Elemente sind wichtig?

—Emotion, Light, Artistry.

—Welche Person verkörpert für Sie das 21. Jahrhundert am besten?

—I have no answer for that!

—Was würden Sie gern fotografieren?

—Anyone who wants me to.

—Gibt es für Sie in Ihrem Beruf Tabus?

—I don't think so?

—Mit welcher Ausrüstung würden Sie gern fotografieren?

—Erik Madigan Heck; Annie Liebovitz; Roger Deacon; Joel & Justyna; Samm Blake; Leann Weston; John Dolan; Cinzia Bruschini; Sarah Falugo; Corbin Gurkin; Danijela Gorley; Thierry Joubert; & Jamie Beck

—Worüber machen Sie sich Sorgen und warum?

—Equipment functionality – having something breakdown in a wedding is possible and you need backup strategies in place
Data Storage – you need a lot of storage and backups in place when working on photographs, losing something would be horrible
Money – who doesn't worry about this?
Health – it's very important to my wellbeing and my job

—Was war der eindrucksvollste Moment in Ihrem Leben?

—Giving birth to my babies

—Welche literarische Figur oder Filmfigur wären Sie gern und warum?

—A lot people liken me to a cross between Tina Fey, Elaine Benes, Winona Ryder and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

—Wer inspiriert Sie in Ihrem Leben und warum?

—That's too hard to define. I am inspired by a lot of things – art, comedy, movies, friends, family, landscapes etc.

—Wie definieren Sie Erfolg? Wie messen Sie ihn?

—Good sleep, peace of mind. Someday living by the ocean.

—Gefällt es Ihnen mehr, wenn man Sie mag oder wenn Sie respektiert werden?

—Respected. Too hard to make everyone like you – and I am not sure I'd want everyone to like me.

—Was war der größte Fehler bei Ihrer Arbeit?

—Underselling myself. Doing a lot of work for too little. Not noticing "red flag" clients — I've learned the signs and avoid these types now. A word of advice: don't go into meetings with photographers assuming we're trying to "rip you off".

—Was nehmen Sie mit, wenn Sie auf Reisen gehen und warum?

—My camera, my kindle, and a lot of earrings and shoes.

—Haben Sie Apparate oder Ausrüstung, die Sie lieber nicht hätten kaufen sollen? Warum?

—That's a constant thing — right now I am considering selling the only zoom lens I have. I never use it. I also have too much lighting equipment I never use.

—Wie bilden Sie sich weiter, damit Ihre Bilder noch besser werden?

—I have a degree in film photography, but now I take online courses through Creative Live; Masterclass; Youtube and so on — sometimes it's photography or business related, but other times it's just something I am interested in. I'm convinced that external interests influence your work in a lot of beneficial ways.

—Welche Arbeiten haben Sie als Fotografen am meisten beeindruckt?

—Showing up everyday to do it.

—Was hätten Sie auf jeden Fall wissen müssen, als Sie mit der Fotografie begannen?

—Patience.

—Was möchten Sie mit Ihren Fotos zum Ausdruck bringen?

—I want them to be evocative of the moment.

—Was motiviert Sie weiterzumachen?

—My pleasure in taking them.

—Hätten Ihre Eltern strenger sein müssen?

—Less strict.

—Wenn Sie zurückschauen, was hätten Sie besser machen können?

—I would not have strapped some lighting equipment with a bungee cord. It's a very long story.

—Was halten Sie vom Leben auf anderen Planeten?

—It's there probably?

—Wer sind Ihre Helden?

—My Mom; My husband & kids; and then a lot of other artists, writers, comedians, politicians, scientists and so forth.

—Wovor haben Sie keinerlei Respekt?

—I don't think it's a Who, but rather personality traits: those who feel entitled; who are not open to listening/do no ask questions; choose fear.

—Was tun Sie in Ihrer Freizeit?

—Improv; Kitchen Dancing; Reading; Running

—Welche Seite Ihrer Persönlichkeit bleibt dem Publikum verborgen?

—I can be hyper-focused in a way that's detrimental to life balance; I talk to my cat like he's a real person; I need hugs

—Wann sind Sie mit Ihrer Arbeit in jeder Hinsicht zufrieden?

—Generally right after shooting and the initial edit. Before my critical brain starts to micro-inspect and take over in the edit.

—Glauben Sie an die traditionellen Rollen von Mann und Frau?

—No

—Schließen Sie schnell Freundschaft?

—Yes

—Wo würden Sie gern leben?

—I'm going to retire someday and live along some rough coastline either in Eastern Canada, Ireland, or the South of France.

—Was war das Dümmste, auf das Sie sich je eingelassen haben?

—A coffee drinking challenge one night when I was a waitress in a diner in Banff. There was a snow storm and we were young, stupid and bored. I ended up calling poison control because "I won" the competition and boy did that feel bad.

—Gibt es ein Leben nach der Heirat?

—Yes, it's pretty good too. I won't lie — it's work — but I would take this over a lot of connections without depth.

—Haben Sie einen Lieblingswitz? Erzählen Sie ihn.

—Too many. I am a comedy nerd/junkie. My best friend is a standup comedian and in school I used to drop in to the club on Open Mic nights to watch my friends tell jokes.

—Lieben Sie Hunde oder Katzen?

—I like both, but I have a cat named Steve.

—Wen oder was hassen Sie?

—Too complicated to answer.

—Das Beste im Leben ist:

—good food, laughter, sleep, the water, sunsets, fresh air, snuggles.

—Das Ärgerlichste im Leben ist:

—noises like chewing?

—Gibt es etwas in Ihrem Umfeld, das Sie ändern möchten?

—I mean, yes. But hey, life is a process.

—Was würden Sie an sich selbst gern ändern?

—A lot of things, like I said, life is a process — and I have learned recently that accepting myself is just as important to changing.

—Was würden Sie in der Welt ändern?

—Fast fashion; greed; hustle culture; the direction of the climate

—Haben Sie ein paar Tipps für angehende Fotografen?

—Show up everyday, take a lot of photographs and edit them. Rinse and repeat. And look at other Art, not just other photographs.

—Wenn Außerirdische auf der Erde ankommen und Sie sind die erste Person, die sie treffen, was sagen Sie zu ihnen?

—Hello? I haven't given this much thought.

—Angenommen Sie erhalten den Auftrag, einen Film aufzunehmen. Welches Genre würden Sie für den Film wählen?

—Romantic Drama (think The English Patient)

—Morgen werde ich...

—Website editing; run; laundry; help my kids with online school