Fotograf Stephanie Kindermann

—Zuallererst - wen können Sie als besten Fotografen in Brisbane, Australien nennen? :)

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

—Sind Sie fotogen?

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

—Wie sind sind zur Fotografiebranche gekommen?

—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.

—Was macht Ihrer Meinung nach ein gutes Foto aus?

—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.

—Reisen Sie gern?

—I live for it.

—Was gefällt Ihnen an Ihrem Beruf am meisten?

—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.

—Was gefällt Ihnen an Ihrem Beruf am wenigsten?

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

—Was ist die Zukunft der Fotografie?

—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.

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

—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.

—Wie gehen Sie mit Kritik um?

—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.

—Gibt es irgendwelche Trends in der Fotografie?

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

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

—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.

—Was ist bei Fotoaufnahmen strikt verboten?

—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.

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

—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.

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

—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.

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

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

—Was würden Sie gern fotografieren?

—People madly in love.

—Gibt es für Sie in Ihrem Beruf Tabus?

—I am a woman of no limits.

—Mit wem würden Sie gern fotografieren?

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

—Worüber machen Sie sich Sorgen und warum?

—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.

—Was war der eindrucksvollste Moment in Ihrem Leben?

—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.

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

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

—Wer inspiriert Sie in Ihrem Leben und warum?

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

—Wie definieren Sie Erfolg? Wie messen Sie ihn?

—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?

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

—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.

—Was war der größte Fehler bei Ihrer Arbeit?

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

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

—My husband, because he can read maps.

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

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

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

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

—Welche Arbeiten haben Sie als Fotografen am meisten beeindruckt?

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

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

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

—Was möchten Sie mit Ihren Fotos zum Ausdruck bringen?

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

—Was motiviert Sie weiterzumachen?

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

—Hätten Ihre Eltern strenger sein müssen?

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

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

—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.

—Was halten Sie vom Leben auf anderen Planeten?

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

—Wer sind Ihre Helden?

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

—Wovor haben Sie keinerlei Respekt?

—Paedophiles

—Was tun Sie in Ihrer Freizeit?

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

—Welche Seite Ihrer Persönlichkeit bleibt dem Publikum verborgen?

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

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

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

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

—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.

—Schließen Sie schnell Freundschaft?

—Yes

—Wo würden Sie gern leben?

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

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

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

—Gibt es ein Leben nach der Heirat?

—YES! It just keeps getting better!

—Haben Sie einen Lieblingswitz? Erzählen Sie ihn.

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

—Lieben Sie Hunde oder Katzen?

—Cats. I'm not embarrassed.

—Wen oder was hassen Sie?

—Celery. Eww

—Das Beste im Leben ist:

—Champagne and cheeses with friends.

—Das Ärgerlichste im Leben ist:

—People farting next to you on flights.

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

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

—Was würden Sie an sich selbst gern ändern?

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

—Was würden Sie in der Welt ändern?

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

—Haben Sie ein paar Tipps für angehende Fotografen?

—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!

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

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

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

—Whatever genre Monty Python calls itself.

—Morgen werde ich...

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