Fotografer Jo-Ann Stokes

—Anda fotogenik?

—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.

—Bagaimana awal Anda masuk ke bidang fotografi?

—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!

—Apa komponen terpenting dari foto yang baik menurut Anda?

—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.

—Anda suka bepergian?

—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.

—Apa yang paling Anda suka tentang profesi Anda?

—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.

—Apa yang paling tidak Anda suka tentang profesi Anda?

—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!

—Bagaimana masa depan fotografi?

—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.

—Apa yang istimewa dengan genre fotografi kekhususan Anda?

—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"

—Bagaimana Anda menangani kritik?

—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!

—Adakah tren dalam fotografi?

—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.

—Apa yang seharusnya menjadi kriteria bagi pelanggan dalam memilih fotografer?

—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.

—Hal-hal apa yang harus dihindari saat pemotretan?

—Cheesy!

—Detail apa yang umumnya lewat tanpa disadari yang tertangkap oleh fotografer?

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

—Apa yang memengaruhi nilai sebuah foto? Apa saja elemen-elemennya?

—The emotion, the impact of the image!

—Siapa yang dapat menjadi simbol abad ke-21 menurut pendapat Anda?

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

—Siapa yang ingin Anda jepret?

—My next bride!

—Anda memiliki tabu profesi tertentu?

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

—Dengan siapa Anda ingin menjepret?

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

—Apa yang Anda khawatirkan, dan mengapa?

—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.

—Apa momen paling mengesankan dalam hidup Anda?

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

—Jika Anda karakter kartun, buku, atau film, siapakah Anda dan mengapa?

—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.

—Siapa yang menginspirasi Anda dalam hidup dan mengapa?

—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.

—Bagaimana Anda mendefinisikan kesuksesan? Bagaimana Anda mengukurnya?

—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.

—Anda lebih senang disukai atau dihormati?

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

—Apa kesalahan terbesar yang pernah Anda lakukan di tempat kerja?

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

—Saat Anda akan bepergian, apa saja barang yang Anda bawa dan mengapa?

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

—Di antara gadget yang Anda miliki, adakah yang Anda harap tidak pernah Anda beli? Mengapa?

—a few items ...too numerous to mention

—Bagaimana Anda mengajari diri sendiri untuk mengambil gambar yang lebih baik?

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

—Karya siapa yang paling memengaruhi Anda sebagai fotografer?

—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.

—Apakah satu hal yang Anda harap Anda tahu saat mulai mengambil foto?

—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.

—Apa yang ingin Anda katakan dengan foto-foto Anda?

—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.

—Apa yang memotivasi Anda untuk terus mengambil gambar?

—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.

—Apakah orang tua Anda seharusnya lebih atau tidak terlalu ketat?

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

—Jika Anda dapat kembali ke masa lalu, apa yang akan Anda lakukan secara berbeda?

—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.

—Bagaimana tentang kehidupan di planet lain?

—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.

—Siapa saja pahlawan Anda?

—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

—Siapa yang tidak Anda hormati?

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

—Apa yang Anda lakukan di waktu luang?

—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.

—Sisi diri Anda manakah yang tidak pernah dilihat orang?

—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.

—Kapan Anda merasa benar-benar puas dengan pekerjaan Anda?

—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!

—Anda percaya akan peran tradisional untuk pria dan wanita?

—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.

—Anda mudah menjalin pertemanan?

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

—Di mana Anda ingin tinggal?

—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 ;)

—Hal terbodoh apa yang pernah Anda setujui untuk dilakukan?

—A nude shoot

—Adakah kehidupan setelah pernikahan?

—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!

—Anda punya lelucon favorit? Beri tahu kami.

—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!

—Anda suka anjing atau kucing?

—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!

—Siapa atau apa yang Anda benci?

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

—Hal terbaik dalam hidup itu:

—free!

—Hal paling menjengkelkan dalam hidup adalah:

—People who do not listen

—Adakah hal di lingkungan sekitar yang ingin Anda ubah?

—Yes, our incompetent government!

—Apa yang ingin Anda ubah dalam diri sendiri?

—I wish I had more time!

—Apa yang ingin Anda ubah di dunia ini?

—Evil

—Dapatkah Anda memberi kiat untuk fotografer yang baru saja memulai karier?

—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!

—Jika alien mendatangi Bumi dan Andalah orang pertama yang mereka temui, apa yang akan Anda katakan pada mereka?

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

—Jika Anda dipanggil untuk mengambil gambar film, apakah genrenya?

—A romance or a drama

—Besok saya akan pergi...

—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!