Jurufoto Jo-Ann Stokes

—Adakah anda seorang yang 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.

—Bagaimanakah anda mula menceburkan diri dalam industri 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!

—Apakah komponen paling penting sekeping foto yang bagus menurut pendapat 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.

—Adakah anda minat mengembara?

—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.

—Apakah yang paling anda sukai mengenai kerjaya 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.

—Apakah yang paling anda tidak suka mengenai kerjaya 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!

—Apakah 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.

—Apakah yang istimewa dalam genre fotografi yang anda sedang mengkhusus?

—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"

—Bagaimanakah cara anda menangani kritikan?

—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 wujud sebarang trend 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.

—Apakah sepatutnya menjadi kriteria untuk seorang pelanggan memilih jurufoto?

—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.

—Apakah perkara yang patut dielakkan semasa penggambaran?

—Cheesy!

—Apakah perincian yang selalunya terlepas tanpa disedari namun boleh disedari oleh seorang jurufoto?

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

—Apakah yang boleh mempengaruhi nilai sekeping foto? Apakah elemen nilai itu?

—The emotion, the impact of the image!

—Siapakah individu yang boleh menjadi simbol abad ke-21 menurut pendapat anda?

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

—Siapakah yang mahu anda rakamkan dalam foto?

—My next bride!

—Adakah anda ada sebarang tabu profesional?

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

—Siapakah orang yang anda mahu merakam foto bersamanya?

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

—Apakah yang merisaukan anda, 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.

—Apakah detik paling mengesankan dalam hidup anda?

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

—Jika anda ialah karakter dalam kartun, buku atau filem, siapakah yang anda ingin jadi dan kenapa?

—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.

—Siapakah yang menjadi sumber inspirasi hidup anda 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.

—Bagaimanakah anda mentakrifkan kejayaan? Bagaimanakah 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.

—Mana satu yang lebih penting bagi anda, disukai atau dihormati?

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

—Apakah kesilapan terbesar yang pernah anda lakukan ketika bekerja?

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

—Apabila anda pergi mengembara, apakah yang anda bawa bersama anda dan mengapa?

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

—Adakah sesuatu yang anda harap anda tidak pernah beli antara banyak gajet milik anda? Mengapa?

—a few items ...too numerous to mention

—Bagaimanakah anda meningkatkan diri untuk merakam gambar yang lebih baik?

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

—Hasil kerja siapakah yang paling mempengaruhi anda sebagai jurufoto?

—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 perkara yang anda harap anda telah tahu ketika mula merakam 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.

—Apakah yang ingin anda sampaikan melalui 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.

—Apakah yang memotivasikan 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.

—Bukankah ibu bapa anda pada satu tahap patut bertegas?

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

—Jika anda boleh kembali ke masa lalu, apakah yang akan ada lakukan dengan cara berbeza?

—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.

—Bagaimanakah 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.

—Siapakah hero 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

—Siapakah orang yang anda tidak hormat kepadanya?

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

—Apakah yang anda lakukan pada masa lapang?

—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.

—Apakah sisi diri anda yang tidak pernah diketahui umum?

—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.

—Bilakah anda akan benar-benar berpuas hati dengan kerja 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!

—Adakah anda percaya dengan peranan tradisi bagi lelaki dan perempuan?

—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.

—Adakah anda mudah berkawan?

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

—Di manakah anda suka untuk 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 ;)

—Apakah perkara paling bodoh pernah anda bersetuju lakukan?

—A nude shoot

—Masih adakah kehidupan selepas perkahwinan?

—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!

—Adakah anda ada lawak kegemaran? Beritahu 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!

—Siapakah atau apakah yang anda tidak suka?

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

—Perkara terbaik dalam hidup ialah:

—free!

—Perkara paling menjengkelkan dalam hidup ialah:

—People who do not listen

—Adakah sesuatu di sekitar anda yang anda ingin ubah?

—Yes, our incompetent government!

—Apakah yang anda mahu ubah pada diri sendiri?

—I wish I had more time!

—Apakah yang anda ingin ubah di dunia ini?

—Evil

—Bolehkah anda berikan beberapa petua untuk jurufoto yang baru saja bermula?

—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 makhluk asing datang ke Bumi dan anda ialah orang pertama yang mereka temui, apakah yang akan anda beritahu kepada mereka?

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

—Jika anda dipanggil untuk penggambaran sebuah filem, apakah yang akan menjadi genrenya?

—A romance or a drama

—Esok saya akan pergi dan melakukan...

—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!