Photographe Mark Wallis

—Êtes-vous photogénique ?

—Not really, mainly because I pull stupid faces when I find myself on the wrong side of the camera.

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

—The old story of the couple with no money, an old uni friend with a decent camera and a firm agreement that there’d be no posed photos.

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

—For me it’s all about the genuine moment, captured without any intervention by the photographer. A moment that would have happened even if the photographer wasn’t there. A moment of action, emotion, great light, etc.

—Aimez-vous voyager ?

—I do, but in comfort. I’m more of a city person than a wilderness person.

—Quel aspect de votre profession préférez-vous ?

—Working for myself and (kinda) gatecrashing parties.

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

—The assumption by some that I’m at the wedding to take control of everything and to take boring, posed photos of the guests.

—Quel est le futur de la photographie ?

—Not sure I even know what the ‘present’ of wedding photography is. I just do what I do and hope enough people each year want that.

—Comment gérez-vous les critiques ?

—Depends who it’s coming from and how constructive it is.

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

—Always somebody doing something that everybody else copies until something else comes along. Trends get old quickly (see ‘couple in rain with flashgun’, etc.)

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

—Approach is key for me. They either want to just get on and enjoy their wedding and have a record of it, or they want to spend the day modelling for pieces of art or fashion photography (or somewhere in between). A connection with the photographer’s portfolio, and a desire to see themselves in those images, is a good guide.

—Quels détails seul un photographe peut-il remarquer ?

—I don’t think there is anything specific. A good wedding photographer will have an eye for a moment or an interesting composition or great light that most won’t have, but the key thing is that when you’re employed to shoot a wedding you approach it from a different angle to a friend or family member who is there to enjoy the wedding. I am paid to be observant. Plus, I see what the common people are doing. I’m there to photograph everybody, not just the couple.

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

—For me, whoever does the most to increase education and encourage the use of reason and logic in decision-making from the top to the bottom of social and political hierarchy.

—Qui aimeriez-vous prendre en photo ?

—Anybody that trusts me completely and who will ignore me.

—Avez-vous des tabous professionnels ?

—I won’t work for people or companies that I perceive to be helping to make the world a worse place.

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

—Nobody. I like working alone.

—De quoi vous inquiétez-vous, et pourquoi ?

—Time and money and my misguided perception that I have a shortage of both.

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

—Completing this interview.

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

—Butthead from Beavis & Butthead, because he.. he… he. You said would. He.. he…

—Qui vous inspire dans votre vie et pourquoi ?

—I’m not good at absorbing or recognising inspiration.

—Préférez-vous être aimé ou respecté ?

—Depends who is doing the liking and respecting.

—Quelle a été votre plus grande erreur professionnelle ?

—Running up the stairs of Marylebone Town Hall with a zoom lens precariously perched in a jacket pocket didn’t end well.

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

—Clothes, money, phone, a camera of some sort.

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

—A Panasonic GF1 that I barely used and that my wife dropped and damaged after I’d had it for a couple of weeks. I don’t get on with cameras without viewfinders.

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

—Take more pictures.

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

—Nobody specific, but seeing in 2004/2005 that a documentary approach was a viable option for wedding photography was the push I needed to start doing it myself.

—Qu'aimeriez-vous dire avec vos photos ?

—The truth.

—Quelle est votre motivation pour continuer la photographie ?

—People keep paying me to come to their weddings.

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

—My mum got it pretty much spot on.

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

—I would make better use of my enquiring mind and study science or engineering, so that I could be of more use to the world and future generations.

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

—Presumably, but we’ll wipe out life on our own planet before we make contact with life on others.

—Qui sont vos héros ?

—I don’t really have any. They’d only ruin it at some point.

—Pour qui n'avez-vous aucun respect ?

—Those who promote fear, intolerance and lies to feed their own greed.

—Que faites-vous pendant votre temps libre ?

—I do DIY, or I play my ukulele, or I go to (mostly metal) gigs or I do a crossword.

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

—Most of my sides. I’m a fairly private person.

—Quand êtes-vous complètement satisfait de votre travail ?

—Dunno, it hasn’t happened yet.

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

—Like most traditions, best left in the past. Live and let live.

—Vous faites-vous facilement des amis ?

—I really don’t. I’m friendly and approachable and I get on with most people, but I’ve been burnt too many times so I keep most people at a few arms’ length.

—Où aimeriez-vous vivre ?

—In a huge warehouse apartment in NYC, or in a cosy old manor house surrounded by a few acres, or on top of a hill in Scotland.

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

—It’s just a certificate and a great party. As you were.

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

—“Some people like cats and some people don't. Apparently the Pope's a cataholic.” Milton Jones

—Préférez-vous les chats ou les chiens ?

—I prefer cats to dogs, but I don’t like the damage they do to your house, so am currently resisting my family’s desire to own one.

—Qui ou que détestez-vous ?

—Overuse of hate.

—La plus belle chose de la vie est :

—Freedom. And Five Guy’s Bacon Cheeseburger, All The Way.

—La chose la plus ennuyeuse de la vie est :

—Procrastination. And people constantly changing speed on the motorway when I’m using cruise control.

—Que changeriez-vous chez vous ?

—I’d like to have more self-belief.

—Que changeriez-vous dans le monde ?

—I’d like to ensure everyone gets a quality education and eradicate dependence on myth, legend and violence.

—Auriez-vous quelques astuces pour des photographes débutants ?

—Take your own (decent) food, and wear comfortable shoes.

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

—That I want a ride in their spaceship.

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

—A very dark and gory horror film.

—Demain, je vais aller faire...

—…something less boring instead.