Fotograaf Chris Sansom

—Bent u fotogeniek?

—Hell no!

—Hoe bent u beland in de fotografie-industrie?

—To be completely honest I finished Film School and didn't want to make films, so I looked for a way to make a living from Photography and weddings just made sense. There wasn't a burning desire to be involved with weddings. I learned to build a website and offered cheap photography and within two weeks I'd shot my first wedding. During that time I saw Rangefinder magazine and read American Photo's 'Worlds top ten' list and I was completely inspired. When I shot the first wedding I was totally and utterly hooked, I just loved everything about it. Soon after Verity joined be and we never looked back.

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

—Composition, originality and light

—Houdt u van reizen?

—Yes, although until recently I've not done much!

—Wat vindt u het leukst aan uw beroep?

—Getting to do what I love with the person I love most in the world. What's not to like!?

—Wat vindt u het minst leuk aan uw beroep?

—Some of the attitudes we encountered when we first started out, with some people worrying more about what others are doing than themselves.

—Wat ziet u de toekomst van fotografie?

—Who knows! Everything seems to go full circle so I'm sure a lot of the techniques people are using now will still be popping up in the future.

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

—It's a day that is absolutely jam packed with photo opportunities. As photographers all any of us can ask for is a great moment or two and weddings provide a bounty of great moments. Not to mention the fact that everyones cheerful and it's just a flippin' awesome job!

—Hoe gaat u om met kritiek?

—We don't really get much criticism! Certainly not from clients, but if we did we would just try to rectify the situation any way that we could to ensure they still had a great experience. If it's criticism from peers, mentors or each other then we know they have our best interests at heart and try to take it on board so we can improve next time.

—Zijn er bepaalde trends in fotografie?

—Loads! Too many to list and a few that really wind me up. I won't start on those.

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

—They have to connect with their photographer and be comfortable sharing their day with them. They obviously have to love the photos too!

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

—Over here in the UK we're pretty reserved when it comes to the ceremony. Our officiants don't tend to like us getting too up close and personal so we have to be careful not to overstep any boundaries there. Oh and other suppliers trying to push you out of the way....but that's another story!

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

—Intimate moments between the bride and groom,

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

—Waaaaay to much to write down. From personal connection to technical skill. It all depends on who's judging it, I know most the photos I consider to be valuable aren't technically great, they just have emotional significance. Of course if you can get an emotionally significant photo that is technically sound then you're onto a winner!

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

—Haha that's a pretty odd one, I have no idea!

—Wie wil u graag fotograferen?

—I'd love to photograph Zach Braff!

—Heeft u bepaalde taboes op professioneel vlak?

—No

—Met wie zou u graag fotograferen?

—I'd love to go on a shoot with Ben and Erin Chrisman, Davina + Daniel, Two Mann Studios, they are all couples who've really inspired us. Oh and I'd love a day out with Emin Kuliyev, every day he posts some new awesome lens creation on Facebook, I'd just love to try out some of his exotic kit!

—Waar maakt u zich zorgen over en waarom?

—I don't really worry about anything, I'm not a worrier!

—Wat is het meest indrukwekkende moment van uw leven?

—I don't know really, hopefully there's lots to come!

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

—Totoro, because he's awesome.

—Wie inspireert u in uw leven en waarom?

—Photographically there are too many awesome people to list!

—Hoe definieert u succes? Hoe meet u het?

—Are people booking you? That's really all there is to it, everything else in terms of awards etc is lovely but not a measure of success.

—Bent u liever graag gezien of gerespecteerd?

—Liked

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

—Touch wood I haven't ever made any huge mistakes!

—Wat neemt u mee op reis en waarom?

—A camera because it's part of who we are!

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

—Not really, I love all of my gadgets!

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

—By watching films and looking at masters of photography outside of weddings. There's so much to learn from other fields of photography!

—Wiens werk heeft u het meest beïnvloed als fotograaf?

—Verity's, I see everything she shoots so that always affects me moving forwards.

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

—The less you see other wedding photographers work, the more you develop a unique style. And not to worry about anyone copying your shots!

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

—Nothing, it's about how the couple want their day to unfold and I want the photos to reflect that. Ok, it's in my style but it's their story so it should be their message.

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

—I just love taking photos!

—Hadden uw ouders strenger of minder streng moeten zijn?

—I really couldn't ask for a better life, so I'd say neither, I wouldn't want anything to change!

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

—I'd worry less about having the best kit. It really doesn't make a difference!

—Wat denkt u over leven op andere planeten?

—What about it? It has to exist somewhere and I'd love to see where!

—Wie zijn uw helden?

—I don't really have any heroes, lots of people I respect, but not particularly any heroes!

—Voor wie kan u geen respect opbrengen?

—Where I grew up there was a lot of closed-mindedness and intolerance so I don't have any respect for people like that!

—Wat doet u in uw vrije tijd?

—Take photos, train for Ninja Warrior and train and compete in Triathlons.

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

—The 'sitting at home and watching chick flicks with Verity' side

—Wanneer bent u helemaal tevreden over uw werk?

—Never! I love what we do but there's always things that you could improve on and that's what makes us strive to continue pushing ourselves professionally.

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

—No

—Maakt u gemakkelijk vrienden?

—Yes

—Waar zou u graag wonen?

—I absolutely love Yorkshire, but I would like to live in the Lake District one day, or possibly America!

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

—I have no idea!

—Is er een leven na het huwelijk?

—What an odd question! I love life after marriage!

—Heeft u een favoriete mop? Vertel ...

—Not really!

—Houdt u van honden of van katten?

—Both, but I prefer dogs!

—Wie of wat haat u?

—I don't really HATE anything!

—Het beste in het leven is:

—My wife!

—Het vervelendste in het leven is:

—There only being 24 hours in a day during wedding season

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

—No

—Wat zou u graag veranderen aan uzelf?

—Nothing really, I'm pretty comfortable with my flaws!

—Wat zou u graag veranderen aan de wereld?

—That's a pretty big one! A bit more financial equality around the world would be a good start.

—Kan u tips geven voor beginnende fotografen?

—Concentrate on what you're best at, looking at other photographers is great but you'll never make any headway until you produce something that's truly your own instead of rehashing old work.

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

—Leave, before the government locks you in a bunker!

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

—I'd like to shoot a comedy drama

—Morgen zal ik ... doen

—A triathlon, without any training at all since it's been a busy wedding season.