Valokuvaaja Jo-Ann Stokes

—Oletko valokuvauksellinen?

—Unfortunately not ....but probably best that I am not because it makes me try extra hard to make my couples feel comfortable in front of the lens and capture beautiful photographs that they will love of themselves.

—Miten päädyit valokuvausalalle?

—Purely by accident to be honest! My trip into photography started by documenting my life, my kids and then into landscape photography. A friend saw my photos, told her friend who was getting married and they contacted me and asked me to do their wedding. I explained that I had never done a wedding but they were fine with that. I loved it ....and the rest ...is history! And my first clients are still one of my biggest fans!

—Mikä on sinusta tärkeintä hyvässä kuvassa?

—A photograph that touches your soul ...no matter the composition, the editing etc ...that makes for a good photo ...no actually, that makes for a "great" photo ....but if all you want is good ..then good composition, good lighting and good posing would make a good photo .....I continuously strive to take a "great" photo.

—Tykkäätkö matkustamisesta?

—Do you seriously have to ask? I "love" to travel ...it feeds my soul, opens my eyes, enriches my life and makes me appreciate everything that God created for us.

—Mistä pidät eniten ammatissasi?

—The creativity ...if you can visualise it ....you can photograph it! The continious learning curve....there are new things to learn all the time! I am continiously challenged and excited by my profession.

—Mistä pidät vähiten ammatissasi?

—The admin!! Wish we were taking photographs 100% of the time ...unfortunately its only a small portion of our workload. And selling myself ...I find it so hard to do!

—Mikä on valokuvauksen tulevaisuus?

—There will alwasy be a future for wedding photography ...people will continously fall in love and want to get married and start families of that I have no doubt ....I think how we photograph weddings will stay fundamentally the same ..but the way we grab our image might change. I see change coming in the fact that we will film the wedding and grab our photographs from the video ...and I am excited about that because a hair breadth of a second can make all the difference to an image.

—Mikä on sille valokuvauslajille erityistä, johon olet erikoistunut?

—Wedding photography is special because it makes you forget all the bad things in the world for a few brief moments. It makes you believe that the world is all rosy, full of love and that there is bright future ahead and there is truth in fairytales and the "happy ever after"

—Kuinka suhtaudut kritiikkiin?

—Well I am a creative ...so lets just say ...it can hurt! But I am also open-minded so I can take a step back and look at it through that persons eyes and see if their criticism is valuable. Good criticism is worth its weight in gold!

—Onko valokuvauksessa trendejä?

—There are always trends in photography! The question needs to be asked ..how will your images look in 30 years ...will the trend stand the test of time. Quality, timeless photography will never date.

—Minkä kriteerien perusteella asiakkaan pitäisi valita valokuvaaja?

—Initially the couple should love the photography ...it should speak to them. But the most important criteria is that you like your photographer and feel comfortable with them....you will spend a large part of your day with this person in your space ..its best that you like them.

—Mikä on ehdottomasti kiellettyä kuvauksessa?

—Cheesy!

—Mitkä yksityiskohdat, jotka yleensä jäävät huomaamatta, valokuvaaja voi tallettaa?

—We can see moments that develop and are waiting for them to happen.

—Mikä vaikuttaa kuvan arvoon? Mikä kuvissa on tärkeintä?

—The emotion, the impact of the image!

—Kuka on sinun mielestäsi 2000-vuosisadan symboli?

—The co-founders of google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. And our very own, Nelson Mandela!

—Ketä haluaisit kuvata?

—My next bride!

—Onko sinulla ammatillisia tabuja?

—One or two ...nudity is not my thing!

—Kenen kanssa haluaisit kuvata?

—Thats a tough one ...Jose Villa, ..I love his pastel, airy, film look but I also love the dark, moody look from Susan Stripling.

—Mistä huolehdit ja miksi?

—I worry about my children ...I am first and foremost a Mom! From a wedding photographers perspective ..that I lose a wedding due to faulty cards, crashing computers & harddrives. I have made every provision to safeguard my clients weddings but it is natural to worry about their images.

—Mikä on ollut elämäsi vaikuttavin hetki?

—The birth of my sons. Everything else pales into insignificance in comparison to those moments.

—Jos olisit animoitu, kirjallisuus- tai elokuvahahmo, kuka olisit ja miksi?

—I am enjoying the character, Elizabeth McCord from Madam Secretary at the moment. She handles problems with intelligence, respect and sensitivity in very fragile situations.

—Kuka sinua on inspiroinut elämässäsi ja miksi?

—My family inspire me ...they inspire me to be better...they inspire me to prove to them that life is for living and that you make your own destiny with the choices and decisions that you make. Every action has a reaction. Mistakes are not always bad as the experience it teaches you is sometimes more valuable that getting something 100% correct.

—Miten ja millä perusteella määrittelisit menestyksen?

—A successful person is a person who has balance in their life! A happy marriage, family life & career ..is my definition of success! Only having a successful career with money in the bank ...can make for a very lonely/empty life.

—Haluaisitko olla mieluummin tykätty vai kunnioitettu?

—Neither ....I would prefer to be loved!

—Mikä on suurin virheesi, jonka olet tehnyt työssäsi?

—When I worked in banking ....I paid a rather large sum of money into the wrong persons account!

—Kun lähdet matkalle, mitä otat mukaasi ja miksi?

—My camera and a lens ...do I need anything more?

—Oletko koskaan toivonut, ettet olisi ostanut jotain omistamistasi vempaimista? Miksi?

—a few items ...too numerous to mention

—Miten opettelet ottamaan parempia kuvia?

—I attend workshops, watch videos, practice, practice, practice!

—Kuka on vaikuttanut eniten ammattiisi valokuvaajana?

—Many of my photographer friends have in their own small way influenced me. Each one has at some stage dropped a pearl of wisdom on my eager ears.

—Minkä yhden asian olisit toivonut tietäväsi, kun aloitit kuvaamisen?

—I initially started to play around with a camera when i was a teenager ...I wish I had figured out then, that this was the career that I loved.

—Mitä haluat ilmaista valokuvillasi?

—I am not big into props ....I prefer the people in my photographs to be the focal point. It is their essence, emotions that tell the story.

—Mikä motivoi sinua jatkamaan kuvausta?

—I dont think there is anything that motivates me to continue to take photos ....I think it is an extension of who I am ...even when I dont have my camera with me ...I am still framing photos in my eye and taking a mental photo of a scene.

—Olisiko vanhempiesi pitänyt olla tiukempia tai päinvastoin?

—They were perfect. I like the way I turned out ...lol!

—Jos voisit palata ajassa taaksepäin, mitä tekisit eri tavalla?

—Nothing ...if i went back in time to change anything ...then my outcome might be very different to where I am now ....and I kind of like where I am now. And if I had actually done photography from a teenager then my people skills would not have been developed. I believe there was a reason for only discovering my love for photography later on.

—Uskotko, että muilla planeetoilla on elämää?

—Possible ...but have no interest in finding out ...its bad enough controlling the human race that we have here ...we sure as heck dont need the headache of another race somewhere else.

—Ketkä ovat sankareitasi?

—There are no heroes ....everyone is only human ...we all err on this road we call life. There are people who I respect i.e Nelson Mandela, FW De Klerk, Mother Theresa, Pope Francis, Thuli Madonsela

—Ketä et kunnioita?

—Dictators, bad politicians, criminals, children and animal abusers! Our president, Jacob Zuma, Stupidity, Robert Mugabe.

—Mitä teet vapaa-ajallasi?

—My hubby has a Harley Davidson motorbike and we often will go on road trips around the Cape and needless to say ...I take photos. I enjoy socialising with fellow photographers. I walk in a farm close to my house with my dogs.

—Mitä puolta yleisö ei koskaan näe sinussa?

—They dont see me stressed or worried. I show a calm face to the outside world and behind the scenes I make a plan. I also have a wicked sense of humour that I try to keep in check.

—Milloin olet täysin tyytyväinen työhösi?

—I wish I knew the answer ...then i would create a formula and stick to it ..but there again then I might end up being bored!

—Uskotko miesten ja naisten perinteisiin rooleihin?

—Yes and no ....I believe women can do anything they put their minds too ...but I also believe that men are traditionally the hunters and do not enjoy being the hunted. Let them enjoy the chase.

—Saatko helposti ystäviä?

—Very easily. I can chat to complete strangers wherever I am.

—Missä haluaisit asua?

—If I couldnt live in Cape Town for whatever reason ...then I would go to the next extreme and live in London ...but only if I had a lot of money ;)

—Mikä on typerin asia, johon olet koskaan suostunut?

—A nude shoot

—Jatkuuko elämä avioliiton jälkeen?

—lol ...yes, definitely! I have done more and had more fun with my husband than with any other human being. He is the one who has my back, who I rely on, who I can be real with, who accepts me for who I am ...who will look after me when I am sick or sad ....to lend a Greys Anatomy line ..."he is my person" ...but yes there were times when I could have lovingly strangled his neck..he definitely still knows how to push my buttons!

—Onko sinulla suosikkivitsiä? Kerro pois.

—Yes ..I do ...but I think it might be a bit too dirty for a wedding blog ...especially for people considering getting married ...lol! Only old married couples would find it amusing!

—Pidätkö koirista vai kissoista?

—Dogs ...grew up with them all my life! My dad was allergic to cats ..so was never allowed to have one ....so not too sure if I would have loved cats more!

—Ketä tai mitä vihaat?

—People who are rigid and the world is black and white and do not see outside the box.

—Parasta elämässä on:

—free!

—Ärsyttävintä elämässä on:

—People who do not listen

—Haluaisitko muuttaa mitään ympärilläsi?

—Yes, our incompetent government!

—Mitä haluaisit muuttaa itsessäsi?

—I wish I had more time!

—Mitä haluaisit muuttaa maailmassa?

—Evil

—Haluaisitko antaa vinkkejä aloitteleville valokuvaajille?

—Be unique ...find your own style ....do not be like sheep and copy everyone else! Trust in the way you see the world ..you will develop!

—Jos Maahan saapuisi avaruusolioita ja he näkisivät sinut ensimmäisenä, mitä sanoisit heille?

—If you know whats good for you ...turn around and run in the opposite direction

—Jos sinut kutsuttaisiin kuvaamaan elokuvaa, mitä tyylilajia se edustaisi?

—A romance or a drama

—Huomenna aion...

—some food shopping, a maternity shoot, some editing ...watch our national rugby team , the Springboks play their first game at the Rugby World Cup 15 in England against Japan!