Fotograaf Fiona Walsh

—Hoe bent u beland in de fotografie-industrie?

—I'd just finished my degree in Psychology and was looking for a job. It was just my fate that jobs were hard to come by as it made me look at doing something I was already enjoying as a hobby – photography. I started to explore the business side of getting it up and running, and was so grateful at my first yes to a request to shadow another photographer. I was hooked from my first wedding.

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

—Composition, expression, and light I would say. I love creating compositions and lighting effects in the frame and doing something different. But technicalities aside, the moment/the meaning is a pretty important component that makes up a good photo.

—Houdt u van reizen?

—I adore traveling. It shows me what else is going on in the world, I get to see moments between people, I get to see beautiful landscapes. traveling brings opportunity.

—Wat vindt u het leukst aan uw beroep?

—Stepping into a couples lives for just one day and being able to capture their connection. Hearing their joy when they see the images, showing them just how amazing they are.
I get so excited with couples in landscapes, especially sunsets. It feels as though the colours around them are putting on a show, a reflection of their emotions.

—Wat vindt u het minst leuk aan uw beroep?

—All the days in the office doing post production work takes me away from people, so it can be a little isolating at times.

—Wat ziet u de toekomst van fotografie?

—There's an interesting question, i was pondering this the other day. Who knows! Guests will probably have phone cameras with capabilities of my DSLR! But, there will always be a need for a wedding photographer. We see beyond what our eyes show us and give them something special; their story.

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

—Turning their emotions into a physical image they can look at, helping them feel closer to their most personal and meaningful feelings.

—Hoe gaat u om met kritiek?

—With patience. I put myself in their shoes to understand where their coming from.

—Zijn er bepaalde trends in fotografie?

—Sure. There are trends that come and go all the time. Trends in editing, trends in light effects, trends for capturing moments, capturing the natural behaviours of people around us, and maybe putting a different spin on how that's captured.

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

—Rapport. The photographer will be so close to them all day long, so they must feel comfortable and trust in the photographer.
I think they should look for someone with experience, with imagination, with patience, with passion for their wedding, and good editing skills! though i guess that last one is subjective!

—Wat is er totaal uit den boze bij het fotograferen?

—sometimes the officiant will prefer us not to photograph them when they are signing the register.
There isn't anything more that is specifically not allowed, it's just a matter of being delicate and knowing when and when not to shoot something.

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

—Technically, the way the light can fall on a person and enhance that moment. Same goes for the environment, such as reflections or a background that would complimentary.
Emotionally, we are part of their relationship in a closer way than a guest would. For some part of the day it is just us 3, so photographers get to witness a raw beauty in the way they love each other.

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

—Someone experiencing a moment that makes them feel so loved and so worthy.
Technically I love to use shallow depth of fields to make the image soft. I think this can add to the emotional value of a photo.
Beautiful landscapes, and architecture/patterns can influence the value too. So much can though!

—Heeft u bepaalde taboes op professioneel vlak?

—Nope

—Met wie zou u graag fotograferen?

—It would be fab to shoot with Two Mann Studios, and Ross Harvey!

—Waar maakt u zich zorgen over en waarom?

—Nothing really.

—Wat is het meest indrukwekkende moment van uw leven?

—Walking on hot goal (or is that the craziest?!)
Meeting and photographing Bill Clinton was pretty fun.Getting married felt pretty impressive, couldn't have felt any happier or want to be anywhere else.

—Wie inspireert u in uw leven en waarom?

—All the photographers being fearless to be creative and bring us and the couple a new way of seeing things.Tony Robbins is pretty awesome. Sly Stallone's story of his determination and belief that he will be an actor in the movies is an inspiring one.

—Hoe definieert u succes? Hoe meet u het?

—hmmm, well I think a person is successful is they're happy.With weddings, I'd say a wedding is a success if the couple love their images.

—Bent u liever graag gezien of gerespecteerd?

—Respected I guess. Feeling a sense of respect can affect your self esteem differently to feeling liked.

—Wat is de grootste fout die u ooit begaan heeft op professioneel vlak?

—Thankfully, and touch wood, there aren't any big ones. I just always aim to learn from each wedding. e,g., there are little ones like making sure batteries are new and such, cards are close by in reach, surveying the area to know where to stand during the ceremony etc. Once I was photographing a ceremony outdoors in gravel. Every step I took was loud and crunchy!

—Wat neemt u mee op reis en waarom?

—The camera is going to be a must, of course.Then:
Music! Because it enhances experiences. I even have an underwater mp3 player.

—Is er iets dat u liever niet gekocht had tussen de gadgets die u bezit? Waarom?

—no.

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

—Stay in touch with photographers, go on courses. Always look at what the light source is. Look for patterns and shadows.
Take my photos, finish, but then ask myself how else can I take this photo, how would someone else take this photo?

—Wiens werk heeft u het meest beïnvloed als fotograaf?

—Two Mann and Ross Harvey.

—Wat had u graag geweten toen u begon als fotograaf?

—the environment can be used to your advantage, no matter what it is.Have down right pure belief in yourself.

—Wat wil u graag zeggen met uw foto's?

—Look how beautiful life is. Soak in it.

—Wat motiveert u om foto's te blijven maken?

—To show people what life is like is you look out for it! It's beautiful, it's colourful, it's meaningful, it's fun.
Giving people life long memories in my images.

—Hadden uw ouders strenger of minder streng moeten zijn?

—neither

—Wat zou u anders doen als u in de tijd kon terugkeren?

—I wouldn't like to think about that. I don't believe in regret. You do what you do in that moment with the resources you have.
I believe in learning from each experience, moving forward and living in the now.

—Wat denkt u over leven op andere planeten?

—lol these are funny questions. Sure, I think there is life on other planets.

—Wie zijn uw helden?

—No heroes so to speak. lots of people who mean a lot to me, others that have inspired me.

—Voor wie kan u geen respect opbrengen?

—Those who are mentally and physically cruel to people and animals.

—Wat doet u in uw vrije tijd?

—Exploring landscapes with my camera, and watch movies.

—Welke kant van u krijgt het publiek niet te zien?

—If you knew that there wouldn't be a side anymore :)

—Wanneer bent u helemaal tevreden over uw werk?

—When all the elements come together in a photo to make it so satisfying. When creative ideas pan out. There's never a complete moment though or in that case I wouldn't be looking to better my work. I always want to grow.

—Gelooft u in een traditionele rolverdeling voor man en vrouw?

—Not really.

—Maakt u gemakkelijk vrienden?

—Yep, I'm so happy to have made friends at weddings whom I've never met before. I love the stories I learn about peoples lives after a wedding.

—Waar zou u graag wonen?

—italy or australia.

—Wat is het domste waarmee u ooit akkoord bent gegaan?

—there isn't one i can think of!

—Is er een leven na het huwelijk?

—Of course!

—Heeft u een favoriete mop? Vertel ...

—'Green men make me cross' (Darren Walsh)

—Houdt u van honden of van katten?

—Totally love both.

—Wie of wat haat u?

—the cold.

—Het beste in het leven is:

—Compassion.

—Het vervelendste in het leven is:

—Aging and illness.

—Is er iets rondom u dat u graag zou veranderen?

—Peace of mind comes when you just accept things the way they are that you cannot change.

—Wat zou u graag veranderen aan uzelf?

—nothing really!

—Wat zou u graag veranderen aan de wereld?

—More cures in illness.
More help for aged, and more unwanted and poorly animals.

—Kan u tips geven voor beginnende fotografen?

—believe in yourself.
Network.
Do it because it makes you happy.

—Als buitenaardse wezens naar de Aarde komen en u bent de eerste persoon die ze ontmoeten, wat zal u hen dan zeggen?

—lol oh my these questions! I'd see if they want to try some delicious snacks!

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

—romance

—Morgen zal ik ... doen

—swim underwater with my mp3 player! and then prep for a lovely wedding!