Fotograaf Ed Gobina

—Ten eerste - wie beschouwt u als de beste fotograaf in Bergen, Noorwegen? :)

—This is a tough question to answer because when I look around I can hardly see any other wedding photographers in Bø i Telemark.

—Bent u fotogeniek?

—I have no idea as I am more often behind the camera rather than in front of it, so I will let you be the judge on this one.

—Hoe bent u beland in de fotografie-industrie?

—After shooting portraits for some years I thought it would be a great idea to try another venture and dive into something which I wasn't used to (wedding photography). I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself a little more so I decided to start searching for wedding gigs and after a while I finally landed one. It was an incredible feeling to follow the couple around for several hours and document the event. After that, I felt like I wanted to do a little more of this.

—Wat zijn volgens u de belangrijkste elementen van een goede foto?

—First and foremost, I would say EMOTION, then the STORY, and last but not least the COMPOSITION. If you have these three elements in your photo then it is hard for people not to fall in love with it.

—Houdt u van reizen?

—I love travelling. I feel like it is just another form of educating yourself and it is way better than sitting in a classroom. Travelling enriches you as a person and it opens your mind as you get to see how different and diverse the world is. It is a truly enriching experience.

—Wat vindt u het leukst aan uw beroep?

—Every time I work on a project, be it a wedding or any other type of photoshoot; and hand over the final product or photos to the client and see a genuine smile on their faces. This keeps me going knowing that you put a smile on a couple's face.

—Wat vindt u het minst leuk aan uw beroep?

—The business end of things is often a pain and this is the part that I dislike as I am the type who likes to focus more on the creative work.

—Wat ziet u de toekomst van fotografie?

—With the ever changing landscape in wedding photography it is hard to tell, but my guess is fewer people will be hiring professionals to do their wedding photography as everyone now has a smart phone that does a decent job and people aren't so willing to spend so much on photos. Just a handfull see the value in getting photos that will stand the test of times.

—Wat is er bijzonder aan het fotografiegenre waarin u zich specialiseert?

—The fact that you have everything sorted out in your head but you never know what to expect as it is a live event and things just keep unfolding till the end. There is no room for error and therefore no second takes or do-overs.

—Hoe gaat u om met kritiek?

—I try to channel that into something positive and try to build off of it and get better. I think the best way to deal with criticism is not to take anything personal.

—Zijn er bepaalde trends in fotografie?

—I think there is quite a few as in many other photography genres. Most of them are short lived so I like to look at them as trends since they come and go.

—Welke criteria moet de klant hanteren bij het kiezen van een fotograaf?

—I think it is important for them to find someone with a good balance of experience, knowledge(which can be seen from their previous work) and has the ability to stay incognito while covering the wedding. You want you a photographer to capture the best moments but same time you do not want them to be all over the place and take away the guests' experience.

—Welke details die vaak onopgemerkt gaan, kan een fotograaf vastleggen?

—The emotions of the guests. I think most at times we turn to focus too much on capturing the couple and forget about what is happening around the event with the other people.

—Wat beïnvloedt de waarde van een foto? Wat zijn de elementen ervan?

—In my humble opinion if there is emotion, a story, good composition and a well exposed frame; then that makes the recipe for a great photo.

—Welke persoon kan volgens u symbool staan voor de 21e eeuw?

—Peter Mckinnon! Not a wedding photographer at the time but he is one of those photographers whom if you are talking about photography, his name pops up.

—Wie wil u graag fotograferen?

—I really do not have a personal preference when it comes to shooting someone but more about the story.

—Heeft u bepaalde taboes op professioneel vlak?

—For me trying to be trendy is something I try to keep myself from. Just because something is cool and everyone is doing it doesn't mean I have to, so I try my best to stay away from trends.

—Als u een personage van een cartoon, boek of film was, wie zou u dan zijn?

—Hahahah not sure but I am a big fan of THE FLASH so I guest I would to become the flash if I could.

—Wie inspireert u in uw leven en waarom?

—My wife. Even though she isn't a photographer, the support I get from her is incredible. Matter of fact she bought me my first camera.

—Hoe definieert u succes? Hoe meet u het?

—This is one thing which in my opinion is hard to quantify. But I think for me one parameter I use to measure success is happiness.

—Bent u liever graag gezien of gerespecteerd?

—I would say respected.

—Wat neemt u mee op reis en waarom?

—I usually take my camera along. I hardly remember any trip that I haven't taken my camera even though sometimes it ends up staying in my bag the whole time because I just want to live and experience some of the moments myself. I take it because I just want to be prepared if need be.

—Hoe leert u bij om betere foto's te maken?

—By constant practice, reading and pulling inspiration from others.

—Wat doet u in uw vrije tijd?

—I try to do something which is totally unrelated to photography. Spending sometime with family and then playing football.

—Is er een leven na het huwelijk?

—Yes I do, I am a living proof :)

—Houdt u van honden of van katten?

—Dogs.

—Het vervelendste in het leven is:

—Ignorance.

—Wat zou u graag veranderen aan de wereld?

—I would love to change the way people treat each other. There is so much hate in the world right now.

—Kan u tips geven voor beginnende fotografen?

—Never stop learning and at the start of your career or your first weddings, try to play it safe and take the necessary shots before trying to go for something extra. One more thing that would save your life is planning. If your need to story board or write down your shots or plan, do so. You might be surprised at how much you forget and how fast time goes by.

—U wordt gevraagd om een film te maken, welk genre wordt het?

—Actions.

—Morgen zal ik ... doen

—Try and stay alive so I can motivate or inspire someone to so something meaningful.