—Kokie turėtų būti kliento kriterijai, kad pasirinkti fotografą?

—First of all, it's important that the bride and groom identify themselves with the photographer and his work, the choice should be made by whether they consider he is the one who's worth recording their lifetime memories. Then, they should absolutely watch an entire wedding shot by the one they chose. I like being approached by future weds who know a thing or two about photography and who got their mind set on what they really want.

—Kaip jūs atsiradote fotografijos industrijoje?

—I started taking pictures in 2000 and shooting weddings in 2008. At first, I didn't want to do weddings, I thought it would diminish my work. But I started anyway and found the most challenging environment, I discovered that no matter what type of photography you do, you can always reinvent yourself and find new ways to tell a story. Especially when you meet extraordinary people all the time :)

—Ar esate fotogeniškas?

—I consider I ain't, but it so happens that on occasion some other photographer catches the good/bright sight of me.

—Jūsų nuomone, kokie yra svarbiausi geros nuotraukos komponentai?

—First & foremost, the people involved and their mood (if you're shooting people), then the light (I began ”seeing” the light after years of shooting) and the decisive moment. I don't agree that the quality of a photograph is not important, but it indeed comes in second after the feelings it produces.

—Ar mėgstate keliauti?

—So much that if it would be possible I would be traveling all the time.

—Kas šioje profesijoje Jums patinka labiausiai?

—The diversity – today I'm shooting a wedding, tomorrow a baptism, after tomorrow a concert, then a family portrait, a corporate event or some landscape. It's what keeps me connected all the time.

—Kas šioje profesijoje Jums patinka mažiausiai?

—Having too much to edit.

—Kaip susitvarkote su kritika?

—I'm all in for constructive criticism, don't like destructive one. That's why we're here on My Wed, right? To constantly learn from other photographers and document ourselves about where we are as wedding photographers. I, for one, would like to hear more criticism about my work and where to improve. Here's an idea: you could implement a section where each photographer could post one photo/week for critique :D

—Kokių dalykų turi būti vengiama fotografuojant?

—Getting in front of the photographer.

—Kokia bus fotografijos ateitis?

—I think it is constantly evolving and that we'll always see changes for the good. We'll always have trends that come and go, the important thing is to know who you are and do what you really like, not necessarily follow the hype.

—Kuo ypatingas fotografijos žanras, kuriame jūs specializuojatės?

—Oh, everything about it is special. I must admit I suffer when someone refers to it as a banality, thinking that ”real artists” don't do wedding photos. Special is meeting new people, seeing new places or facing new challenges. Besides war photography, I find it the most challenging type, you get to meet all kinds of situations during one day: different light every minute, you get to shoot outdoors and indoors, in plain sun or in the shadow of a tree/building, inside a cave or on a mountain top etc. etc. Need I say more?

—Kokie turėtų būti kliento kriterijai, kad pasirinkti fotografą?

—1) Do you like the photographer's work? 2) Do you like the photographer? Simple as that.

—Kaip jūs atsiradote fotografijos industrijoje?

—In 2008, I was already doing amateur photography for a couple of year. To do something different for a change, I asked my uncle if I could photograph his wedding. It was his second marriage, they were not asking for a photographer, so there was little risk. I ended up liking it so much, that I decided to do it more.

—Ar esate fotogeniškas?

—No! I much rather be behind a camera.

—Jūsų nuomone, kokie yra svarbiausi geros nuotraukos komponentai?

—Above all, the photo has to have a certain impact. Wether that's an intense emotion, a good vibe, or just a spectaculair visual impact. After that comes the technical part. So a good lighting, composition, etcetera. But for me, the impact is the most important part, by far.

—Ar mėgstate keliauti?

—Yes, but with moderation though. I'd love to do 3-5 destination weddings a year. I don't think I'd enjoy doing 10, 15 or even more.

—Kas šioje profesijoje Jums patinka labiausiai?

—It sounds like a horrible cliché, but it's true: Every wedding is different. You never really know what's going to happen. Surprises can happen at every moment. Besides that, I think it's a great honor to be asked to create lifelong memories for the people that are getting married. 5, 10, 25 or even 50 years after they get married, people still remember who took their wedding photos. It's pretty wonderful that you can be an important part in people's lives.

—Kas šioje profesijoje Jums patinka mažiausiai?

—Basically: The postprocessing. I have a horrible concentration when it comes to editing. I love editing my 50-75 favorites from a wedding, but after that, it gets hard for me to keep focused.

—Kaip susitvarkote su kritika?

—I try to extract what people really mean with their comments. Some people have difficulties in finding the right words to give feedback, sometimes making them sound rude. But I always try to figure out what's the real message there.

—Kokių dalykų turi būti vengiama fotografuojant?

—'Allowed' is a big word. I'm not the one to say what's allowed or not. However, I don't like to unnecessarily intervene in a wedding. With the exception of the posed shots, I don't like having to tell people what to do, where to stand or how to look.

—Kokia bus fotografijos ateitis?

—I think the future of wedding photography will be a further evolution of the direction it's going in right now. More journalistic stuff, more moments. But besides that: technical advances. Faster camera's, better low light capabilities, and other accessories like drones, light field cameras, and stuff like that, giving photographers even more tools to being creative.

—Kuo ypatingas fotografijos žanras, kuriame jūs specializuojatės?

—I love many aspects of it. I love the fact that people are in a good mood, they take the time to look good as well. People get married in beautiful venues, and you as a photographer gets to be a part of so many people's special day. That's amazing.

—Kokie turėtų būti kliento kriterijai, kad pasirinkti fotografą?

—Three things: portfolio, personality, and of course, budget.

—Kaip jūs atsiradote fotografijos industrijoje?

—My wife's idea. We photograph the nature, when we were hiking – eventually my wife started to photograph people – finally our friend took us to photograph her wedding in Mexico – and this is how I started my journey with wedding photography.

—Ar esate fotogeniškas?

—I don't feel like a photogenic person.

—Jūsų nuomone, kokie yra svarbiausi geros nuotraukos komponentai?

—moment, composition and light. You have to have those three elements in order to have perfect photo.

—Ar mėgstate keliauti?

—Yes – I love traveling. So far I lived in three different countries and in two different continents. I was born in Poland, lived for 6 years in USA and finally moved to Canada, where I am living today.

—Kas šioje profesijoje Jums patinka labiausiai?

—I am dealing, most of the time, with happiness and love during the day of wedding. I am in constant movement – meeting different people. The life looks like the box of chocolates – you never know what kind of clients you get :)

—Kas šioje profesijoje Jums patinka mažiausiai?

—Uncertainty of the future bookings.

—Kaip susitvarkote su kritika?

—I am handle very well constructive criticism – criticism helps my development of being better photographer.

—Kokių dalykų turi būti vengiama fotografuojant?

—I don't see that kind of things.

—Kokia bus fotografijos ateitis?

—Difficult to say – maybe the future will be screenshot from the video coverage. For sure there will be more and more competitiveness with the guests capturing the moments through their better and better phones and their ability to instantly share those photos on all social media platforms.

—Kuo ypatingas fotografijos žanras, kuriame jūs specializuojatės?

—In few hours the photographer needs to capture the story of love between the bride and groom, connection to their friends, and nurture of their parents.