Fotograaf James Richardson

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

—The best photographer doesn't exist, only styles! Today there are so many photographers, and each one has their own style. As long as you work hard to constantly grow and push yourself then you will be happy, your clients will be happy and you will become a great photographer.

—Bent u fotogeniek?

—To be honest, no not really. That is why I hide behind the camera :P

—Hoe bent u beland in de fotografie-industrie?

—You could say that it was hidden away inside me for a long time. Without realising I have always had a camera to hand since I was little. Love my dads Canon 650 EOS and always used to take it off his hands. Never thought that it would turn out to be something that I loved doing.

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

—A good photo has to have life in it. If a photo does not have a penetrating look, or the calmness of a smile, then for me that photo is not natural enough and that is what I always look for in my wedding photos.

—Houdt u van reizen?

—I love new and unknown territories, this make you push your skills and ideas to the limits and keeps you improving. I have several trips lined up this year and cant wait to work somewhere new. And if it is for vacactional purpose, then without a doubt, but I can assure you that my camera will never leave my side.

—Wat vindt u het leukst aan uw beroep?

—The reaction when I hand my work in and the happiness it brings. I will love photography no matter what, and will always love it no matter what people say about my work. All photographers want to exceed their expectations, improve, update themselves, master new techniques, and we are very perfectionist when it comes down to our own work, so it is a fantastic feeling when others congratulate you on your efforts.

—Wat vindt u het minst leuk aan uw beroep?

—Nothing, I came from a financial work environment with a stressful background to something that I dreamt about doing for a long time. And when you manage to do something you dream about there will be some down moments but you remember what you are doing and why you are doing it, and that motivating crawls right back in and you thrive again.

—Wat ziet u de toekomst van fotografie?

—Well who knows, it is constantly changing and there are so many different styles and techniques to choose from. But hopefully, it will become less fictional and more natural.

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

—The atmosphere, the mood, the happiness, capturing of the moment that will be shown to every family member and friends, current and future. But more importantly you are immortalising a moment in someone's life which details can be forgot via thought but sealed in a photograph

—Hoe gaat u om met kritiek?

—Constructive criticism helps me improve, mature and evolve. There is always a positive way of looking at things, and criticism can be broken down and used in a positive manner.

—Zijn er bepaalde trends in fotografie?

—Right at this point in time in the trend of the sameday, where we process photos on the same day of the wedding before the dance. It have become very popular here in Spain.

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

—To select the photographer via his/her work and style and not the price, with out forgetting that they must connect.

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

—Pressure on the bride and groom. In order to take the best and most natural shots we need the bride and groom to be as relaxed as possible. And also mobile and table devises. There are numerous of occasions when the groom could not see the bride walking down the isle due to the amount of people leaning out with their phones and tables.

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

—I try to study the bride and groom before the wedding, assuring those personal gestures are captured so that when their friends and family see the photos, they recognise the naturalness of the image and the moment captured.

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

—There are so many things to cover for this question. But if i had to sum it up in one, the naturalness of the the photo is highly important.

—Wie wil u graag fotograferen?

—Everything I can see with my eyes, as long as I add my personal touch.

—Heeft u bepaalde taboes op professioneel vlak?

—No

—Met wie zou u graag fotograferen?

—Steve McCurry, Chema Madoz, Sebastiao Salgado, El Marco Rojo, Ramone El Marco Rojo.

—Waar maakt u zich zorgen over en waarom?

—I worry about not having enough time. There is never enough time in one day, but the important this is to make the most out of the time you have.

—Wat is het meest indrukwekkende moment van uw leven?

—When my little ones were born.

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

—Peter Parker, obvious right?

—Wie inspireert u in uw leven en waarom?

—My partner, she is always motivating my and pushing be to be better and do better in all aspects of my life.

—Hoe definieert u succes? Hoe meet u het?

—Success for me would be to continue capturing the best moments and continue to improving.

—Bent u liever graag gezien of gerespecteerd?

—Respected, first of all you understand who a person is then you respect them and then you start to like them for who they are.

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

—I try not to make any mistakes, but hey, we are not perfect. When I started as a wedding photographer, I forgot to check the wedding images after downloading them and had the auto delete after download turned on, resulting in deleting the whole ceremony and service photos. I thank lexar for their amazing recovery app.

—Wat neemt u mee op reis en waarom?

—My fujifilm x30 and my D750 with my 35mm f1.4 – Fuji is easy to store and lightweight. And my D750 because of its amazing quality for those special shots.

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

—I love all gadgets and never regret buying anything as I make sure I study everything before purchase.

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

—Workshops, seminars, and other photographer friends.

—Wiens werk heeft u het meest beïnvloed als fotograaf?

—There are so many photographers out there. I just try to learn from all and adapt my own style. But if I had to thank a specific photographer it would be El Marco Rojo.