Photographe Ed Mash

—First and foremost – whom can you name as the best photographer in Exeter, Royaume-Uni? :)

—That's such a personal choice for clients. Here in Exeter there are different styles to choose, and different personalities. Clients should pick someone they're comfortable with on the BIG day

—Êtes-vous photogénique ?

—Photographers don't appear in many pictures do they....i find it hard to judge an image of myself! I keep getting invited back to parties so I cant be that bad :)

—Comment avez-vous commencé à travailler dans la photographie ?

—Initially I only photographed weddings of close friends, and people I knew, but by personal recommendation the demand has grown....so I made the leap!

—Selon vous, quels sont les éléments les plus importants d'une bonne photo ?

—I think a great photograph has resonance, and shares something with the viewer. Personally if it makes me say 'WOW' or smile, or conveys an idea then it's attractive.

—Aimez-vous voyager ?

—YES. I've travelled a great deal.....every continent except Antarctica....and I still have a thirst for those unusual out of the way places.

—Quel aspect de votre profession préférez-vous ?

—I love seeing the world through a lens, it brings me close to people, and the important events in their lives. It's a real privilege

—Quel aspect de votre profession aimez-vous le moins ?

—Missing a special moment.....you can see the image in your mind, and you know you haven't got it...its very disappointing.

—Quel est le futur de la photographie ?

—Technology is changing cameras, in the future the processing power of the computer will be more integrated into the camera body, with better colour processing, and skin tone rendition.

—Qu'est-ce que le style de photographie dans lequel vous travaillez a de spécial ?

—I love wedding photography, everyone is dressed up, smiling, and determined to have a great time. The atmosphere is exciting and clients are always happy to engage with the camera.

—Comment gérez-vous les critiques ?

—....I haven't received any so far from clients, but I did have a co worker who was brutally critical of everything I did. Its important to listen, be objective, and use it as a learning process.

—Y a-t-il des modes dans la photographie ?

—I think there is a tendency to use deep apertures, and sharpness as its an inherent part of the digital world. However I always appreciate a photographer who can skilfully handle a shallow aperture to tell the viewer exactly where to look (Sorry that was a technical answer!)

—Quels devraient être les critères pour qu'un client choisisse un photographe ?

—Choose a style of photography that speaks to you personally and best encapsulates your values. Also go for the best budget you can afford...a good photographer will make memories you'll look back on for the rest of your life.

—Quels sont les interdits lors de photographie ?

—Never force a situation...never make people feel uncomfortable, dress for the wedding and blend into the guests to capture those discreet moments.

—Quels détails seul un photographe peut-il remarquer ?

—I think unnoticed details is a fault in a wedding photographer, great photographers are masters of seeing, rather than just looking.

—Qu'est-ce qui influence la valeur d'une photo ? Quels en sont les éléments ?

—A valuable photo is very much of its time. It's not a wedding photo but Frank Cappas photo "falling Soldier" taken during the Spanish civil war stopped me in my tracks. It's a painful subject but it has always fascinated and haunted me at the same time, you think of the victim, the photographer standing in a war with a camera, and the soldier who fired the bullet.

—Quelle personne peut être le symbole du 21ème siècle selon vous ?

—There are so many.....Ghandi probably made the most significant difference to the largest amount of people, so numerically he's top of the list.

—Qui aimeriez-vous prendre en photo ?

—No one springs to mind, but I'm confident I could draw out the best in anyone......so long as they wanted to work with me!

—Avez-vous des tabous professionnels ?

—I don't believe you should step to far from reality in post production. IMHO over processed photo's don't stand the test of time.

—Avec quel photographe aimeriez-vous faire une séance photo ?

—Working in a team, or with a partner can be immensely rewarding, I'm always happy working with talented people with ideas and enthusiasm.

—De quoi vous inquiétez-vous, et pourquoi ?

—Its a worry trying to cover the increasing cost of, cameras, lenses, hard disk storage, and computers. Most clients are unaware of this. For instance at the last wedding I photographed my equipment totalled 25K (that said Ive got the best kit in the world, and that's to be expected on the big day)

—Quel a été le moment le plus impressionnant de votre vie ?

—The birth of my first son.

—Si vous étiez un personnage de dessin animé, de livre ou de film, qui seriez-vous et pourquoi ?

—Great question! Put me down as Harry Potter, I like the glasses, and the wand would be very useful on shoots.

—Qui vous inspire dans votre vie et pourquoi ?

—I don't think there's one person, but I'm also a painter, and so art, paintings, and ideas, have always been a constant source of inspiration.

—Comment définissez-vous le succès ? Comment le mesurez-vous ?

—It's hard to quantify success but I have all the important things I need in my life already.

—Préférez-vous être aimé ou respecté ?

—I always strive for high end results so for me its more important to be liked for the person I am, and the body of my work. If people don't respect me there's not much I can do about it.

—Quelle a été votre plus grande erreur professionnelle ?

—Missing THE shot!

—Quand vous partez en voyage que prenez-vous avec vous et pourquoi ?

—When I was 23 a good friend gave me a copy of "Four Quartets" by T.S Eliot. Its slim and fits in every rucsac or camera bag. I only carry it when I'm travelling but its quixotic view of infinity constantly surprises me with its relevance in new locations.

—Est-ce que vous regrettez d'avoir acheté un de vos gadgets ? Lequel et pourquoi ?

—I don't like phone calls when I'm working so I have to say the mobile phone....I know that's heretical these days!

—Quelle méthode utilisez-vous pour améliorer vos prises de photo ?

—Research is a big part of expanding your skill set. I'm constantly looking to develop and expand through experimentation with the camera or computer, or both.

—Qui vous a influencé le plus en tant que photographe ?

—I think I'm influenced by many images rather than one photographer in person.

—Quelle chose auriez-vous aimer connaître avant de vous lancer dans la photographie ?

—More computer skills:)

—Qu'aimeriez-vous dire avec vos photos ?

—Intimacy and resonance are very important, but also a sense of place....images are like time capsules I want people to look back and feel connected with the images, again and again.

—Quelle est votre motivation pour continuer la photographie ?

—There's always a sense of the perfect shot being around the next corner, something more special, more romantic, more FUN.....so I keep searching.

—Pensez-vous que vos parents auraient dû être plus stricts ? Moins stricts ?

—My parents were very relaxed and open minded in their guidance....so I guess a tiny bit more strictness might have been a good thing?

—Si vous pouviez revenir dans le temps, que changeriez-vous ?

—I'm a very positive person and I think reflection on the past can be self absorbing so I prefer to embrace the future.

—Que pensez-vous de la vie sur d'autres planètes ?

—Definitely...sadly due to deep time its going to be very hard to find.

—Qui sont vos héros ?

—I've mentioned Ghandi but I'd happily add Leonardo Da Vinci, Einstein, Marie Curie, Dickens, Tesla, Jane Austen.

—Pour qui n'avez-vous aucun respect ?

—The tiny minded despots who've sacrificed millions of lives in vain.

—Que faites-vous pendant votre temps libre ?

—Well the camera's always with me out walking, or at art galleries, meeting up with friends, and of course with my family. At home I love to cook, and my garden is a small oasis.

—Quel aspect de votre personnalité le public ne voit pas ?

—Its always good to keep your professional side towards the public, but if I'm honest I'm a bit shy so I keep that well hidden.

—Quand êtes-vous complètement satisfait de votre travail ?

—Tough question......i need to learn to stop tweaking.

—Croyez-vous en le traditionalisme des rôles de l'homme et de la femme ?

—I'm not really a traditional person, and having had a very liberal background I trust other people to make the choices that are best suited to them and their perception of gender.

—Vous faites-vous facilement des amis ?

—Yes I make friends easily and I'm very lucky in the friends I have, I still have all my school friends:)

—Où aimeriez-vous vivre ?

—I live in Devon so I'm spoilt by beautiful coastline in every direction, and two very different national parks. This is a great base for getting the work life balance just right. I'm happy right here.

—Quelle est la chose la plus stupide que vous ayez accepté ?

—So many things.

—Existe-t-il une vie après le mariage ?

—Personally speaking I'm divorced so YES :)

—Avez-vous une blague préférée ? Racontez-la.

—" I've gone on the Whisky Diet-I've lost four days already" Tommy Cooper

—Préférez-vous les chats ou les chiens ?

—Dogs

—Qui ou que détestez-vous ?

—The art of forgiveness means you don't have to hate anyone, it so unhealthy to carry that emotion around inside you.

—La plus belle chose de la vie est :

—Sharing

—La chose la plus ennuyeuse de la vie est :

—Climate change.

—Changeriez-vous quelque chose autour de vous ?

—Personally not much, but politics, world affairs, and the environment are concerns for me.... greater awareness and action by the majority would be a step in the right direction.

—Que changeriez-vous chez vous ?

—I feel its better to work with what you've got.

—Que changeriez-vous dans le monde ?

—A greater sense of balance with the environment.

—Auriez-vous quelques astuces pour des photographes débutants ?

—If you know where to point a camera, then its easy to learn the technical aspects as you progress. Until then trust your instincts, appreciate your own talent, and go and grab as much experience as you possibly can.

—Des extraterrestres arrivent sur Terre et vous êtes le premier à les rencontrer. Que leur dites-vous ?

—Watch out for the others!

—Vous êtes appelé pour tourner un film. De quel genre serait-il ?

—Science Fiction

—Demain, je vais aller faire...

—Put the house in order and get organised.