Fotograaf Stephanie Kindermann

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

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

—Kas sa oled fotogeenne?

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

—Kuidas sa sattusid fotograafiamaailma?

—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.

—Mis on sinu arvates hea foto kõige olulisead komponendid?

—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.

—Kas sulle meeldib reisida?

—I live for it.

—Mis sulle sinu töö juures kõige rohkem meeldib?

—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.

—Mis sulle sinu töö juures kõige vähem meeldib?

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

—Millisena näed sa fotograafia tulevikku?

—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.

—Mis on sinu fotograafiažanris erilist?

—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.

—Kuidas sa suhtud kriitikasse?

—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.

—Kas fotograafias on teatud trende?

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

—Millised peaksid fotograafi valides olema kliendi kriteeriumid?

—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.

—Mida pildistades kindlasti ei tohiks teha?

—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.

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

—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.

—Mis teeb fotost väärtusliku? Mis elemendid on olulised?

—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.

—Milline inimene on sinu arvates 21. sajandi sümbol?

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

—Keda sa sooviksid pildistada?

—People madly in love.

—Kas sul on teatud ametialaseid tabusid?

—I am a woman of no limits.

—Kellega koos sa tahaksid pildistada?

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

—Mille pärast sa muretsed ja miks?

—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.

—Mis on olnud su elu kõige kõige muljetavaldavam hetk?

—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.

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

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

—Kes sind su elus inspireerib ja miks?

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

—Kuidas sa defineeriksid edu? Kuidas sa seda mõõdad?

—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?

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

—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.

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

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

—Mida sa endaga reisides kaasa võtad ja miks?

—My husband, because he can read maps.

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

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

—Kuidas sa ennast koolitad, et paremaks fotograafiks saada?

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

—Kelle töö on sind kui fotograafi kõige rohkem mõjutanud?

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

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

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

—Mida sa oma fotodega öelda soovid?

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

—Mis motiveerib sind fotograafina jätkama?

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

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

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

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

—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.

—Kas sa arvad, et teistel planeetidel on elu?

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

—Kes on su kangelased?

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

—Keda sa ei austa?

—Paedophiles

—Mida sa vabal ajal teed?

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

—Millist poolt sinust avalikkus kunagi ei näe?

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

—Millal sa oled oma tööga täiesti rahul?

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

—Kas sa usud meeste ja naiste traditsioonilistesse rollidesse?

—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.

—Kas sa leiad kergesti sõpru?

—Yes

—Kus sa tahaksid elada?

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

—Mis on kõige rumalam asi, mida sa kunagi oled nõustunud tegema?

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

—Kas pärast abielu on elu?

—YES! It just keeps getting better!

—Kas sul on lemmiknali? Räägi see meile.

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

—Kas sulle meeldivad koerad või kassid?

—Cats. I'm not embarrassed.

—Keda või mida sa vihkad?

—Celery. Eww

—Parim asi elus on:

—Champagne and cheeses with friends.

—Kõige ärritavam asi elus on:

—People farting next to you on flights.

—Kas sa näed oma ümber midagi sellist, mida sa tahaksid muuta?

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

—Mida sa iseenda juures tahaksid muuta?

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

—Mida sa maailmas tahaksid muuta?

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

—Kas sa võiksid anda mõned näpunäited alustavatele fotograafidele?

—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!

—Kui Maale saabuksid tulnukad ja sina oleksid esimene inimene, keda nad kohtaksid, mida sa neile ütleksid?

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

—Kui sul oleks võimalik vändata film, siis mis žanrist see oleks?

—Whatever genre Monty Python calls itself.

—Homme hakkan ma...

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