—Millised peaksid fotograafi valides olema kliendi kriteeriumid?

—First of all, it's important that the bride and groom identify themselves with the photographer and his work, the choice should be made by whether they consider he is the one who's worth recording their lifetime memories. Then, they should absolutely watch an entire wedding shot by the one they chose. I like being approached by future weds who know a thing or two about photography and who got their mind set on what they really want.

—Kuidas sa sattusid fotograafiamaailma?

—I started taking pictures in 2000 and shooting weddings in 2008. At first, I didn't want to do weddings, I thought it would diminish my work. But I started anyway and found the most challenging environment, I discovered that no matter what type of photography you do, you can always reinvent yourself and find new ways to tell a story. Especially when you meet extraordinary people all the time :)

—Kas sa oled fotogeenne?

—I consider I ain't, but it so happens that on occasion some other photographer catches the good/bright sight of me.

—Mis on sinu arvates hea foto kõige olulisead komponendid?

—First & foremost, the people involved and their mood (if you're shooting people), then the light (I began ”seeing” the light after years of shooting) and the decisive moment. I don't agree that the quality of a photograph is not important, but it indeed comes in second after the feelings it produces.

—Kas sulle meeldib reisida?

—So much that if it would be possible I would be traveling all the time.

—Mis sulle sinu töö juures kõige rohkem meeldib?

—The diversity – today I'm shooting a wedding, tomorrow a baptism, after tomorrow a concert, then a family portrait, a corporate event or some landscape. It's what keeps me connected all the time.

—Mis sulle sinu töö juures kõige vähem meeldib?

—Having too much to edit.

—Kuidas sa suhtud kriitikasse?

—I'm all in for constructive criticism, don't like destructive one. That's why we're here on My Wed, right? To constantly learn from other photographers and document ourselves about where we are as wedding photographers. I, for one, would like to hear more criticism about my work and where to improve. Here's an idea: you could implement a section where each photographer could post one photo/week for critique :D

—Mida pildistades kindlasti ei tohiks teha?

—Getting in front of the photographer.

—Millisena näed sa fotograafia tulevikku?

—I think it is constantly evolving and that we'll always see changes for the good. We'll always have trends that come and go, the important thing is to know who you are and do what you really like, not necessarily follow the hype.

—Mis on sinu fotograafiažanris erilist?

—Oh, everything about it is special. I must admit I suffer when someone refers to it as a banality, thinking that ”real artists” don't do wedding photos. Special is meeting new people, seeing new places or facing new challenges. Besides war photography, I find it the most challenging type, you get to meet all kinds of situations during one day: different light every minute, you get to shoot outdoors and indoors, in plain sun or in the shadow of a tree/building, inside a cave or on a mountain top etc. etc. Need I say more?

—Millised peaksid fotograafi valides olema kliendi kriteeriumid?

—1) Do you like the photographer's work? 2) Do you like the photographer? Simple as that.

—Kuidas sa sattusid fotograafiamaailma?

—In 2008, I was already doing amateur photography for a couple of year. To do something different for a change, I asked my uncle if I could photograph his wedding. It was his second marriage, they were not asking for a photographer, so there was little risk. I ended up liking it so much, that I decided to do it more.

—Kas sa oled fotogeenne?

—No! I much rather be behind a camera.

—Mis on sinu arvates hea foto kõige olulisead komponendid?

—Above all, the photo has to have a certain impact. Wether that's an intense emotion, a good vibe, or just a spectaculair visual impact. After that comes the technical part. So a good lighting, composition, etcetera. But for me, the impact is the most important part, by far.

—Kas sulle meeldib reisida?

—Yes, but with moderation though. I'd love to do 3-5 destination weddings a year. I don't think I'd enjoy doing 10, 15 or even more.

—Mis sulle sinu töö juures kõige rohkem meeldib?

—It sounds like a horrible cliché, but it's true: Every wedding is different. You never really know what's going to happen. Surprises can happen at every moment. Besides that, I think it's a great honor to be asked to create lifelong memories for the people that are getting married. 5, 10, 25 or even 50 years after they get married, people still remember who took their wedding photos. It's pretty wonderful that you can be an important part in people's lives.

—Mis sulle sinu töö juures kõige vähem meeldib?

—Basically: The postprocessing. I have a horrible concentration when it comes to editing. I love editing my 50-75 favorites from a wedding, but after that, it gets hard for me to keep focused.

—Kuidas sa suhtud kriitikasse?

—I try to extract what people really mean with their comments. Some people have difficulties in finding the right words to give feedback, sometimes making them sound rude. But I always try to figure out what's the real message there.

—Mida pildistades kindlasti ei tohiks teha?

—'Allowed' is a big word. I'm not the one to say what's allowed or not. However, I don't like to unnecessarily intervene in a wedding. With the exception of the posed shots, I don't like having to tell people what to do, where to stand or how to look.

—Millisena näed sa fotograafia tulevikku?

—I think the future of wedding photography will be a further evolution of the direction it's going in right now. More journalistic stuff, more moments. But besides that: technical advances. Faster camera's, better low light capabilities, and other accessories like drones, light field cameras, and stuff like that, giving photographers even more tools to being creative.

—Mis on sinu fotograafiažanris erilist?

—I love many aspects of it. I love the fact that people are in a good mood, they take the time to look good as well. People get married in beautiful venues, and you as a photographer gets to be a part of so many people's special day. That's amazing.

—Ennekõike - keda sa nimetaksid parimaks fotograafiks oma linnas? :)

—Well, it all depends on who you ask.
What is the best car in the world ? Everyone just sees things differently and especially in photography which is an art in itself, where everything is subjective, ask 10 people this question and probably you will get 11 different answers ! :)

—Millised peaksid fotograafi valides olema kliendi kriteeriumid?

—If there is one thing I always encourage newlyweds to do when looking for a wedding photographer is to pay very good attention to the portfolios and see which style would suit them and most importantly when meeting a wedding photographer – have him show a full wedding coverage and not get "fooled" by the best 2-3 photos everyone uploads online.

—Kuidas sa sattusid fotograafiamaailma?

—It was back in 2007 I think ... photography was already a hobby for me and as I already had a "decent" DSLR kit ( by those times' standards ) a friend of mine ( who was a videographer ) asked me to go with him and shoot some christenings. I was scared as hell thinking I have a huge responsibility but everything went well and then I moved to weddings, still shooting for him as I didn't have any portfolio. The next year I started going solo and ... 10 years later here we are.

—Kas sa oled fotogeenne?

—Never :)

—Mis on sinu arvates hea foto kõige olulisead komponendid?

—Besides the basic technical stuff – composition and message/feeling are by far the key elements of an attractive wedding photograph.

—Kas sulle meeldib reisida?

—Sure, who doesn't ?
Although I shot quite a few after wedding session abroad with just the bride and groom, I would love to be able to shoot a full destination wedding sometime.

—Mis sulle sinu töö juures kõige rohkem meeldib?

—Happiness in the client's eyes when they look at their wedding photos for the first time.

—Mis sulle sinu töö juures kõige vähem meeldib?

—Hmm tough one...
If I'd had to choose, it would probably the fact that I have to refuse some clients that reeeeealy want me as their wedding photographer, because I already booked their wedding date for someone else.

—Kuidas sa suhtud kriitikasse?

—I embrace it – it's the only way we move up the ladder.

—Millisena näed sa fotograafia tulevikku?

—Probably not much would change – no matter how advanced the cameras will get. A strong and great wedding image from the 50s is still great today so I can only image – the things that bring value to an image will stay constant over time.

—Mida pildistades kindlasti ei tohiks teha?

—Photography is an art – no doubt about that and I find it unacceptable for a client to give the photographer exact and strict examples of they want their wedding images to look like, by bringing photos from other photographers around the world and setting stirct guidelines and boundaries regarding their own images. A photographer should be hired if you liked his own style, not to reproduce someone else's work.