—Kādi ir kritēriji, kas klientam jāņem vērā, izvēloties fotogrāfu?

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

—Kā tu nokļuvi fotogrāfijas jomā?

—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.

—Vai Tu esi fotogēnisks?

—No! I much rather be behind a camera.

—Kuri, Tavuprāt, ir svarīgākie labas fotogrāfijas elementi?

—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.

—Vai Tu mīli ceļošanu?

—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 Tev vislabāk patīk savā profesijā?

—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 Tavā profesijā Tev patīk vismazāk?

—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.

—Kā Tu uztver kritiku?

—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.

—No kā fotogrāfējot būtu jāizvairās?

—'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.

—Kāda būs fotogrāfijas nākotne?

—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.

—Kas ir īpašs fotogrāfijas žanrā, kurā specializējies?

—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.

—Pirmkārt un galvenokārt - kurš Tavuprāt ir labākais fotogrāfs Tavā pilsētā? :)

—Well, it all depends on who you ask.
What is the best car in the world ? Everyone just sees things differently and especially in photography which is an art in itself, where everything is subjective, ask 10 people this question and probably you will get 11 different answers ! :)

—Kādi ir kritēriji, kas klientam jāņem vērā, izvēloties fotogrāfu?

—If there is one thing I always encourage newlyweds to do when looking for a wedding photographer is to pay very good attention to the portfolios and see which style would suit them and most importantly when meeting a wedding photographer – have him show a full wedding coverage and not get "fooled" by the best 2-3 photos everyone uploads online.

—Kā tu nokļuvi fotogrāfijas jomā?

—It was back in 2007 I think ... photography was already a hobby for me and as I already had a "decent" DSLR kit ( by those times' standards ) a friend of mine ( who was a videographer ) asked me to go with him and shoot some christenings. I was scared as hell thinking I have a huge responsibility but everything went well and then I moved to weddings, still shooting for him as I didn't have any portfolio. The next year I started going solo and ... 10 years later here we are.

—Vai Tu esi fotogēnisks?

—Never :)

—Kuri, Tavuprāt, ir svarīgākie labas fotogrāfijas elementi?

—Besides the basic technical stuff – composition and message/feeling are by far the key elements of an attractive wedding photograph.

—Vai Tu mīli ceļošanu?

—Sure, who doesn't ?
Although I shot quite a few after wedding session abroad with just the bride and groom, I would love to be able to shoot a full destination wedding sometime.

—Kas Tev vislabāk patīk savā profesijā?

—Happiness in the client's eyes when they look at their wedding photos for the first time.

—Kas Tavā profesijā Tev patīk vismazāk?

—Hmm tough one...
If I'd had to choose, it would probably the fact that I have to refuse some clients that reeeeealy want me as their wedding photographer, because I already booked their wedding date for someone else.

—Kā Tu uztver kritiku?

—I embrace it – it's the only way we move up the ladder.

—Kāda būs fotogrāfijas nākotne?

—Probably not much would change – no matter how advanced the cameras will get. A strong and great wedding image from the 50s is still great today so I can only image – the things that bring value to an image will stay constant over time.

—No kā fotogrāfējot būtu jāizvairās?

—Photography is an art – no doubt about that and I find it unacceptable for a client to give the photographer exact and strict examples of they want their wedding images to look like, by bringing photos from other photographers around the world and setting stirct guidelines and boundaries regarding their own images. A photographer should be hired if you liked his own style, not to reproduce someone else's work.

—Pirmkārt un galvenokārt - kurš Tavuprāt ir labākais fotogrāfs Tavā pilsētā? :)

—Rolf Vendis – according to LKFA.lv awards 2018

—Kādi ir kritēriji, kas klientam jāņem vērā, izvēloties fotogrāfu?

—Listen to your heart, and just imagine your self on my photos ;)

—Kā tu nokļuvi fotogrāfijas jomā?

—It was a point to start, so I've been recommended, and it was good first experience

—Vai Tu esi fotogēnisks?

—Yes I am! Because I know how to get a stunning picture, and I can show and teach it to my clients!

—Kuri, Tavuprāt, ir svarīgākie labas fotogrāfijas elementi?

—The most important is to send a message that you will feel the atmosphere of that day.

—Vai Tu mīli ceļošanu?

—​Yes! I can travel all year, but only if I’m with my family. Travelling with them is the most valuable thing for me.

—Kas Tev vislabāk patīk savā profesijā?

—People, that see my pictures are saying – WOW! you got that image for us! That's wonderful! Thank you!

—Kas Tavā profesijā Tev patīk vismazāk?

—Deadlines, I'm trying my best that it won't get me in frustration. Also, I’m getting better and better every time.

—Kā Tu uztver kritiku?

—I'm open for crytics.

—Kāda būs fotogrāfijas nākotne?

—I hope that I will be involved in it!

—No kā fotogrāfējot būtu jāizvairās?

—Always smile! remember it!