Photographer Tanya Starling

—First and foremost – whom can you name as the best photographer in Helsinki, Finland? :)

—Depends on the field, but there are so many talented people in the local market, it would be unfair to name ones and leave others behind. Below names are my individual picks.
Wedding – my favs are Maria Hedengren and Susanna Nordvall. Their style resonates with my own. For child and family photography I would send references to Niki Strbian, one and the only ;)

—Are you photogenic?

—Under certain angle and light yes

—How did you get in the photography industry?

—Many years ago, 11 to be precise, I purchased my first DSLR and digged my family film cameras to shoot my own kid moments (like many other mamas do). Then someone who I knew asked me to shoot a weeding. That was a quick dive but it turned me other clients later on and I have not noticed as hobby turned to a profession. While film was my street photo hobby for all these years, I did the paid work on digital. Now I am combining both in my work making it consistent and uniform bringing the best of film qualities (tones, grains) and leaving space for a variety and "not-missing" important moment with the support of digital camera.

—What are the most important components of a good photo in your opinion?

—Light, no posing, genuine emotion

—Do you love traveling?

—Ha, who doesn't?

—What do you like most about your profession?

—Seeing people's emotions and connections. Fun, laugh, tears, sadness, love. Getting film scans from the lab. Post processing. Happy feedback from the client. Work with people. Learning how to work with people better.

—What do you like least about your profession?

—Dependancy on weather conditions or season, especially in our area.
I always take too many pics, sometimes it's difficult to stop snapping and then difficult to select the best ones, it eats my time heavily.

—What will be the future of photography?

—I think nowadays people can do brilliantly shots with their phones. So first, everyone is a photographer. Second, the quality is not a problem anymore. So to stay in demand wedding photographers will be offering new angles, new services and something else new which we don't know yet. I also think film will live for loooong time, it's like a good whiskey the older the better, it will be fancy, prestige and more expensive than digital (it is actually already now). Also more and more artistic visions will be emerging, I think surrealistic fine-art will be easier to create with future photoshops and thus more creative people will be popping up.

—What is special in the photography genre you specialise at?

—Fine-art and lifestyle combination. Film photography

—How do you handle criticism?

—I actually like it. Without it I cannot grow.

—Are there any trends in photography?

—Certainly there are. I can only speak for the areas I am interested currently. I think currently it's flatlays, details, minimalism.

—What should be the criteria for a customer to choose a photographer?

—The style resonating with own vision
Transparent pricing and service
Flexibility