Photographer Mark Wallis

—Are you photogenic?

—Not really, mainly because I pull stupid faces when I find myself on the wrong side of the camera.

—How did you get in the photography industry?

—The old story of the couple with no money, an old uni friend with a decent camera and a firm agreement that there’d be no posed photos.

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

—For me it’s all about the genuine moment, captured without any intervention by the photographer. A moment that would have happened even if the photographer wasn’t there. A moment of action, emotion, great light, etc.

—Do you love traveling?

—I do, but in comfort. I’m more of a city person than a wilderness person.

—What do you like most about your profession?

—Working for myself and (kinda) gatecrashing parties.

—What do you like least about your profession?

—The assumption by some that I’m at the wedding to take control of everything and to take boring, posed photos of the guests.

—What will be the future of photography?

—Not sure I even know what the ‘present’ of wedding photography is. I just do what I do and hope enough people each year want that.

—How do you handle criticism?

—Depends who it’s coming from and how constructive it is.

—Are there any trends in photography?

—Always somebody doing something that everybody else copies until something else comes along. Trends get old quickly (see ‘couple in rain with flashgun’, etc.)

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

—Approach is key for me. They either want to just get on and enjoy their wedding and have a record of it, or they want to spend the day modelling for pieces of art or fashion photography (or somewhere in between). A connection with the photographer’s portfolio, and a desire to see themselves in those images, is a good guide.

—What details that usually pass unnoticed can a photographer notice?

—I don’t think there is anything specific. A good wedding photographer will have an eye for a moment or an interesting composition or great light that most won’t have, but the key thing is that when you’re employed to shoot a wedding you approach it from a different angle to a friend or family member who is there to enjoy the wedding. I am paid to be observant. Plus, I see what the common people are doing. I’m there to photograph everybody, not just the couple.

—What person can be the symbol of the 21st century in your opinion?

—For me, whoever does the most to increase education and encourage the use of reason and logic in decision-making from the top to the bottom of social and political hierarchy.

—Who do you want to take photos of?

—Anybody that trusts me completely and who will ignore me.

—Do you have any professional taboos?

—I won’t work for people or companies that I perceive to be helping to make the world a worse place.

—Who would you like to shoot with?

—Nobody. I like working alone.

—What do you worry about, and why?

—Time and money and my misguided perception that I have a shortage of both.

—What is the most impressive moment in your life?

—Completing this interview.

—If you were a cartoon, book or movie character, who would you be and why?

—Butthead from Beavis & Butthead, because he.. he… he. You said would. He.. he…

—Who inspires you in your life and why?

—I’m not good at absorbing or recognising inspiration.

—Would you rather be liked or respected?

—Depends who is doing the liking and respecting.

—What is the biggest mistake you have ever made at work?

—Running up the stairs of Marylebone Town Hall with a zoom lens precariously perched in a jacket pocket didn’t end well.

—When you're going to travel, what do you take with you and why?

—Clothes, money, phone, a camera of some sort.

—Is there anything among your gadgets that you wish you haven't bought? Why?

—A Panasonic GF1 that I barely used and that my wife dropped and damaged after I’d had it for a couple of weeks. I don’t get on with cameras without viewfinders.

—How do you educate yourself to take better pictures?

—Take more pictures.

—Whose work has influenced you most as a photographer?

—Nobody specific, but seeing in 2004/2005 that a documentary approach was a viable option for wedding photography was the push I needed to start doing it myself.

—What do you want to say with your photographs?

—The truth.

—What motivates you to continue taking pictures?

—People keep paying me to come to their weddings.

—Should your parents have been more or less strict?

—My mum got it pretty much spot on.

—If you could go back in time, what would you do differently?

—I would make better use of my enquiring mind and study science or engineering, so that I could be of more use to the world and future generations.

—What about life on other planets?

—Presumably, but we’ll wipe out life on our own planet before we make contact with life on others.

—Who are your heroes?

—I don’t really have any. They’d only ruin it at some point.

—Who do you have no respect for?

—Those who promote fear, intolerance and lies to feed their own greed.

—What do you do in your spare time?

—I do DIY, or I play my ukulele, or I go to (mostly metal) gigs or I do a crossword.

—What's the side of you that the public never sees?

—Most of my sides. I’m a fairly private person.

—When are you completely satisfied with your work?

—Dunno, it hasn’t happened yet.

—Do you believe in the traditional roles for men and women?

—Like most traditions, best left in the past. Live and let live.

—Do you make friends easily?

—I really don’t. I’m friendly and approachable and I get on with most people, but I’ve been burnt too many times so I keep most people at a few arms’ length.

—Where would you like to live?

—In a huge warehouse apartment in NYC, or in a cosy old manor house surrounded by a few acres, or on top of a hill in Scotland.

—Is there life after marriage?

—It’s just a certificate and a great party. As you were.

—Do you have a favourite joke? Tell us.

—“Some people like cats and some people don't. Apparently the Pope's a cataholic.” Milton Jones

—Do you like dogs or cats?

—I prefer cats to dogs, but I don’t like the damage they do to your house, so am currently resisting my family’s desire to own one.

—Who or what do you hate?

—Overuse of hate.

—The best thing in life is:

—Freedom. And Five Guy’s Bacon Cheeseburger, All The Way.

—The most annoying thing in life is:

—Procrastination. And people constantly changing speed on the motorway when I’m using cruise control.

—What would you like to change in yourself?

—I’d like to have more self-belief.

—What would you like to change in the world?

—I’d like to ensure everyone gets a quality education and eradicate dependence on myth, legend and violence.

—Can you give a few tips for photographers who are just starting out?

—Take your own (decent) food, and wear comfortable shoes.

—If aliens come to the Earth and you are the first person they meet, what will you tell them?

—That I want a ride in their spaceship.

—If you are called to shoot a movie, what genre will it be?

—A very dark and gory horror film.

—Tomorrow I will go and do...

—…something less boring instead.