Fotograaf Fede Guendel

—Kas sa oled fotogeenne?

—Good one! Ana and I often get asked by other photographers from all over the world to pose for them for their portfolios in Paris. Not sure if that means that we are photogenic, we are just different and that is always fun to photograph.

—Kuidas sa sattusid fotograafiamaailma?

—My wife has had a wedding photography business in Austria before we even met and I was working in fashion photography. Once we tied the knot and moved to Paris it was just a natural thing for me to join forces with her and now we work as a tandem. Every single photo we deliver gets shot by either of us, color corrected by Ana and then skin retouched by me to the fashion photography standard.

—Mis on sinu arvates hea foto kõige olulisead komponendid?

—As an avid cinema lover I'm fascinated with capturing emotion in a cinematographic way. The true connection read in the photograph in one frozen in time moment for me is what makes a good photograph. It has to tell a story and reflect the character of people in it. If it we up to me I wouldn't care for the backdrop, but working in Paris it's a fine line between architecture vs the couple in it. Still discovering my way to tell the best narrative while also focussing on the backdrop to it.

—Kas sulle meeldib reisida?

—Yes! Being from Costa Rica I have lived in Sweden, Canada, the US, Austria and now France, my wife is Russian and she lived in Italy, Germany and Austria before we met. In between the two of us we speak 6 languages, so traveling is a way of live for us and we enjoy it immensely.

—Mis sulle sinu töö juures kõige rohkem meeldib?

—That's an easy one – making people happy!

—Mis sulle sinu töö juures kõige vähem meeldib?

—Time! The reality of the fact that time is a finite resource and catering mostly to travellers we often have to say no to a couple who otherwise would be a perfect fit because another perfect fit has already booked their date. I think saying no in general is the hardest thing for me as a wedding professional!

—Millisena näed sa fotograafia tulevikku?

—In the past wedding photography has been a narrow field but now with the advancement of technology and wider variety of choices there are so many paths to develop. Film photography has made a big and luxurious comeback. Social media and search engine optimisation have made it more difficult to shine with just the photos and make us work that much harder on being great marketers too. What my hope is that in the sea of voices and choices it would still be possible for each bride to connect with her perfect storyteller of a photographer, but how only future will show.

—Mis on sinu fotograafiažanris erilist?

—A wedding is a special moment for me when a couple come together in a celebration of what makes them different, defines their choices as individuals and shows all the points two people connect and blend in their unique way. Capturing all the little details and emotions of what makes that couple different from any other couple is what makes wedding photography as epitome of a lovestory magical for me.

—Kuidas sa suhtud kriitikasse?

—To quote a comedian "I was raised up to be an insult navy seal" – nothing gets under my skin. I don't mind any opinion and I will always try to get constructive criticism from it.

—Kas fotograafias on teatud trende?

—My favorite two are the return of film photography and the return of the vintage film looks driven by the creations of VSCO and MastinLabs.

—Millised peaksid fotograafi valides olema kliendi kriteeriumid?

—The very first one – can they see themselves as the people in the photos in the portfolio of this photographer. Second, when they talk to the photographer can they see him/her as potentially being one of their group of friends. This defines whether they like what the photographer has to offer skill-wise and whether the chemistry to capture that is present.

—Mida pildistades kindlasti ei tohiks teha?

—It's a totally situational question – as a wedding photographer I pretty much need to be there and capture what unfolds and not be too intrusive. Not allowed is probably just asking me to hold my camera and play with it LOL.

—Mis võiksid olla need detailid, millele tavaliselt tähelepanu ei pöörata, kuid mida fotograaf võib märgata?

—Details! Hands holding during the ceremony, mom crying during the vows, the flower girl staring at the bride with an open mouth – those kind of details. During the wedding the guests are so focused on the couple, that what unfolds around them often goes unnoticed to their eyes.

—Mis teeb fotost väärtusliku? Mis elemendid on olulised?

—The emotion, the composition, the location – in that order! Yes, the location doesn't matter as much as catching a cinematic and real emotion.

—Milline inimene on sinu arvates 21. sajandi sümbol?

—In a society as diverse as ours I can't name one particular person because that would be too restrictive. I would rather point out a modern day nomad, a boho bride, a Kinkfolk reader – that's the symbol of going back to our roots, appreciating simple and healthy way of life and of love.

—Keda sa sooviksid pildistada?

—My client. The couple who choose me for my style and my personality and who I feel like they fit well with me.

—Kas sul on teatud ametialaseid tabusid?

—Yes, client poaching. There are plenty of clients for all of us.

—Kellega koos sa tahaksid pildistada?

—I'm a happy man, as I'm already shooting with my perfect partner.

—Mille pärast sa muretsed ja miks?

—The answer is always – time. There is too little of it and always too much to do.

—Mis on olnud su elu kõige kõige muljetavaldavam hetk?

—Getting a callback for a job interview in the team of Rankin, who is one of my fashion photography idols.

—Kui sa oleksid tegelane multikast, raamatust või filmist, siis kes sa oleksid ja miks?

—Christopher Nolan's Interstellar is a metaphorical letter from him to his daughter. In the movie, McConaughey's character Cooper goes through time and space to save his daughter as well as keeping the promise he made to her.
I'd like to believe that I would be Cooper – go through time and space for my family and keep my promise.

—Kes sind su elus inspireerib ja miks?

—Bruce Lee, because he had a really inspirational world view.

—Kuidas sa defineeriksid edu? Kuidas sa seda mõõdad?

—Success for me is not having unhappy clients. As long as it's down I now that I'm doing something right.

—Kas sa tahaksid, et sa pigem meeldiksid inimestele või et nad austaksid sind?

—Respected.

—Mis on suurim viga, mida sa töötades oled teinud?

—Forgetting the name of the bride's mom. Embarrassing!

—Mida sa endaga reisides kaasa võtad ja miks?

—Passport, medicine kit, camera gear, change of clothes. I'm simple this way.

—Kas sul on mõni vidin, mida sa omad, aga sooviksid, et poleks ostnud? Miks?

—Nope.

—Kuidas sa ennast koolitad, et paremaks fotograafiks saada?

—Look, look, and look. Wedding blogs and favorite photographers help me to identify what I gravitate towards the most.

—Kelle töö on sind kui fotograafi kõige rohkem mõjutanud?

—My wife and Ivan Troyanovsky. As they are friends it's really – being a part of that creative group that puts cinematography first.

—Mis oleks see üks asi, mida sa sooviksid, et oleks teadnud enne fotograafiaga alustamist?

—That answering emails and managing business is taking up more time than the actual picture taking. Having been prepared for that I would have an easier road.

—Mida sa oma fotodega öelda soovid?

—For me it's not what I want to say but what I want the captured moment to say – I want my photo to end up on the wall in my couple's house and for them to tell their grandchildren all the stories about their wedding day when they ask.

—Mis motiveerib sind fotograafina jätkama?

—My wife – seeing her passion for it and being able to be alongside her in our life and our work. There is no other thing I'd rather be doing.

—Kas sa arvad, et sinu vanemad oleksid pidanud sinuga olema rangemad või leebemad?

—I wasn't really raised by a full family, rather my life has taught me and I wouldn't change a thing.

—Kui sa saaksid ajas tagasi minna, mida sa teeksid erinevalt?

—So far so good.

—Kas sa arvad, et teistel planeetidel on elu?

—Sure :)

—Kes on su kangelased?

—Bruce Lee, Valentino Rossi, my wife.