Fotograaf Dory Chamoun

—Bent u fotogeniek?

—Ouff... even though I don't believe I am, I still have to say yes. The reason is that everyone has their photogenic side. Every person is unique and each uniqueness is beautiful. I have to follow what I preach because I know that I can capture the beauty in anyone I photograph.

—Hoe bent u beland in de fotografie-industrie?

—I have to say that my biggest influence since I was a child was my uncle. He always had a camera in hand, and therefore, so did I. I love life, and I love to show others the beauty in it. So in my career, I get to do that every single day. I have the privilege to be at everyone's important events and capture them through my eyes. I have the honour to be trusted by others for me to capture their personality and to later justify that trust. I simply love what I do.

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

—For you to see yourself in there. For you to, not only remember the moment captured, but the emotions you were feeling at that moment. I want my clients to look back at their photos and relive each special moment. For them to look back and say "Yes, that was us". To evoke that emotion all over again, wether it be laughter, love, passion and even sadness at times.

—Houdt u van reizen?

—Absolutely! We love in this world. The boundaries of my life are not only the city lines, province lines, country lines... but the whole planet we live on. I love to experience all cultures and way of life. When I travel to do a destination wedding or event, I make sure to capture everything starting from the moment we leave until the moment I get back. I want them to have their whole trip captured.

—Wat vindt u het leukst aan uw beroep?

—The fact that I can show my clients the beauty in what I see trough my lens. That I can tell a story of their special day. That I can make anyone feel beautiful and photogenic. The ability to ave someone look back at their wedding and cry, smile, laugh and feel every ounce of emotion they felt then. To show them what I see.

—Wat vindt u het minst leuk aan uw beroep?

—That I can't clone myself and be in more places. That I am always tempted to do more. It's hard for me to stop shooting. I always want to keep going. As mochas I love my work, I always want to push to do more.

—Wat ziet u de toekomst van fotografie?

—For now... drones, in terms of tech. But for the art of it, it the classic side of it will always remain. Trends come and go and come back again. I can't say exactly what will happen, but I know that for as long as it exists, people will always be people... there will always be emotions and there will always be light. Photography is light.

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

—I adapt to my clients. I am passionate in what I do and therefore it translates into my work. I am not only there to capture their moments, but I am also there to make them feel great. All my couples feel comfortable when I am around. I help them enjoy each moment.

—Hoe gaat u om met kritiek?

—As openly as I can. My ultimate goal is to offer the best I can to my couples. Needs change.. and if I don't listen and am open to it, then there is no point.

—Zijn er bepaalde trends in fotografie?

—Yes, tons... too many to list. By the time you read this, more new ones will start. But, since I am asked, here are a few. (smoke bombs, back lighting, fun shots, jump shots, candids will always be in)

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

—Meet your photographer. Sit down and chat with them. They will be with you for your whole day so having a good connection with them is key. They work will speak for itself, so now, speak with them.

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

—Hmmm... anything disrespectful I guess. I'm ok with having uncle bob shooting alongside of me. I will actually help adjust his camera so he can get better pictures. :)

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

—Well, the bride & groom are caught up in their moments. There day passes by so fast that they barely have a chance to focus on other things. A photographer will see something in a different light. A different angle. In doing so, he/she can bring out or emphasize more a story. There will always be the party shots that will be captures.
But overall, a whole story could happen in a fraction of a section and that, most people miss out on.

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

—Emotions and the story told.

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

—I honestly don't know how to answer this one. Sorry.

—Wie wil u graag fotograferen?

—Everything and everyone :)

—Heeft u bepaalde taboes op professioneel vlak?

—I've been doing it long enough and love it way to much to be affected by anything.

—Met wie zou u graag fotograferen?

—Anyone as passionate as me. (I will give a shoutout to Yervant. I love his work and love his sense of humour and passion in what he does. He LOVES photography and life itself.)

—Waar maakt u zich zorgen over en waarom?

—Missing a moment. That will always be there. I always strive to capture everything so it's normal to worry about missing something.

—Wat is het meest indrukwekkende moment van uw leven?

—I can't bring it down to one moment, or even a few. I want to have as many impressive moments as I can. Life is not about waiting for that one moment or measuring it up to everything else. It's about finding all the small moments that bring you joy.

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

—Superman... simply because I want to help and save anyone I can.

—Wie inspireert u in uw leven en waarom?

—My uncle. He grew this passion in me.

—Hoe definieert u succes? Hoe meet u het?

—By my client's reactions. By seeing the tears in their eyes, hearing their laughter. Seeing them tell everyone else that they have to go with me for their event.

—Bent u liever graag gezien of gerespecteerd?

—I can't choose. Sorry.

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

—Ouch! I don't know if this would count, but once had the wrong file setting for my pictures. It meant I had to edit more afterwards.

—Wat neemt u mee op reis en waarom?

—Everything! I can't have a moment where I will say "If only I brought..."

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

—Everything I bought, I have used and made the best of it.

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

—By letting my inner creative side talk. I also get inspired by going to work shops and watching the work of others.

—Wiens werk heeft u het meest beïnvloed als fotograaf?

—Yervant

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

—Not accurate to answer this at all because there will always be something to learn. Who I am today as a photographer was because of what I knew then and how I grew it from there.

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

—I want the story of that moment told. The emotions that were felt at that moment.

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

—I love life and always will.

—Hadden uw ouders strenger of minder streng moeten zijn?

—Same as a previous question, I am who I am know because of my past. No changes. :)

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

—Same answer as before as well. Nothing.

—Wat denkt u over leven op andere planeten?

—I believe in them. I am sure that we are far from being the only ones out there.

—Wie zijn uw helden?

—Anyone that helps make this world a better place.

—Voor wie kan u geen respect opbrengen?

—Same as before, anyone that helps make this world a better place.

—Wat doet u in uw vrije tijd?

—Socialize, play games, walk my dog

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

—hah hah... if I said it, then it defeats the purpose. ;)

—Wanneer bent u helemaal tevreden over uw werk?

—When my couples are overwhelmed in emotion and satisfaction.

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

—Nope.. we are all equal and should be open to doing anything we like.

—Maakt u gemakkelijk vrienden?

—Don't you feel like you are my friend already? :)

—Waar zou u graag wonen?

—Too many places to choose from... but I love Europe overall. I would love to travel all over the world.

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

—Wear a mankini in public for losing a bet.

—Is er een leven na het huwelijk?

—of course.

—Heeft u een favoriete mop? Vertel ...

—oh boy... I will fill this field in after. Too many to tell and choose from. Meet with me and I will tell you a few. Deal?

—Houdt u van honden of van katten?

—I love all animals and have a gorgeous Berner names Maximus.

—Wie of wat haat u?

—Nothing

—Het beste in het leven is:

—to enjoy it

—Het vervelendste in het leven is:

—not to enjoy it. lol

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

—hmmm... I would like a million dollars.

—Wat zou u graag veranderen aan uzelf?

—My weight.. I would like to lose weight.

—Wat zou u graag veranderen aan de wereld?

—Just to have everyone take a moment and realize that we are all connected. To stop fighting with each other. To do good deeds, to be selfless. To love and enjoy life.

—Kan u tips geven voor beginnende fotografen?

—Trust your eye

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

—I would probably crack them up and we would be best friends. I would tell them how amazing life is.

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

—Romantic-Action-Comedy... does that exist?

—Morgen zal ik ... doen

—more photos and editing and making people laugh... enjoy life.