Fotograaf Mark Wallis

—Bent u fotogeniek?

—Not really, mainly because I pull stupid faces when I find myself on the wrong side of the camera.

—Hoe bent u beland in de fotografie-industrie?

—The old story of the couple with no money, an old uni friend with a decent camera and a firm agreement that there’d be no posed photos.

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

—For me it’s all about the genuine moment, captured without any intervention by the photographer. A moment that would have happened even if the photographer wasn’t there. A moment of action, emotion, great light, etc.

—Houdt u van reizen?

—I do, but in comfort. I’m more of a city person than a wilderness person.

—Wat vindt u het leukst aan uw beroep?

—Working for myself and (kinda) gatecrashing parties.

—Wat vindt u het minst leuk aan uw beroep?

—The assumption by some that I’m at the wedding to take control of everything and to take boring, posed photos of the guests.

—Wat ziet u de toekomst van fotografie?

—Not sure I even know what the ‘present’ of wedding photography is. I just do what I do and hope enough people each year want that.

—Hoe gaat u om met kritiek?

—Depends who it’s coming from and how constructive it is.

—Zijn er bepaalde trends in fotografie?

—Always somebody doing something that everybody else copies until something else comes along. Trends get old quickly (see ‘couple in rain with flashgun’, etc.)

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

—Approach is key for me. They either want to just get on and enjoy their wedding and have a record of it, or they want to spend the day modelling for pieces of art or fashion photography (or somewhere in between). A connection with the photographer’s portfolio, and a desire to see themselves in those images, is a good guide.

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

—I don’t think there is anything specific. A good wedding photographer will have an eye for a moment or an interesting composition or great light that most won’t have, but the key thing is that when you’re employed to shoot a wedding you approach it from a different angle to a friend or family member who is there to enjoy the wedding. I am paid to be observant. Plus, I see what the common people are doing. I’m there to photograph everybody, not just the couple.

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

—For me, whoever does the most to increase education and encourage the use of reason and logic in decision-making from the top to the bottom of social and political hierarchy.

—Wie wil u graag fotograferen?

—Anybody that trusts me completely and who will ignore me.

—Heeft u bepaalde taboes op professioneel vlak?

—I won’t work for people or companies that I perceive to be helping to make the world a worse place.

—Met wie zou u graag fotograferen?

—Nobody. I like working alone.

—Waar maakt u zich zorgen over en waarom?

—Time and money and my misguided perception that I have a shortage of both.

—Wat is het meest indrukwekkende moment van uw leven?

—Completing this interview.

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

—Butthead from Beavis & Butthead, because he.. he… he. You said would. He.. he…

—Wie inspireert u in uw leven en waarom?

—I’m not good at absorbing or recognising inspiration.

—Bent u liever graag gezien of gerespecteerd?

—Depends who is doing the liking and respecting.

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

—Running up the stairs of Marylebone Town Hall with a zoom lens precariously perched in a jacket pocket didn’t end well.

—Wat neemt u mee op reis en waarom?

—Clothes, money, phone, a camera of some sort.

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

—A Panasonic GF1 that I barely used and that my wife dropped and damaged after I’d had it for a couple of weeks. I don’t get on with cameras without viewfinders.

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

—Take more pictures.

—Wiens werk heeft u het meest beïnvloed als fotograaf?

—Nobody specific, but seeing in 2004/2005 that a documentary approach was a viable option for wedding photography was the push I needed to start doing it myself.

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

—The truth.

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

—People keep paying me to come to their weddings.

—Hadden uw ouders strenger of minder streng moeten zijn?

—My mum got it pretty much spot on.

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

—I would make better use of my enquiring mind and study science or engineering, so that I could be of more use to the world and future generations.

—Wat denkt u over leven op andere planeten?

—Presumably, but we’ll wipe out life on our own planet before we make contact with life on others.

—Wie zijn uw helden?

—I don’t really have any. They’d only ruin it at some point.

—Voor wie kan u geen respect opbrengen?

—Those who promote fear, intolerance and lies to feed their own greed.

—Wat doet u in uw vrije tijd?

—I do DIY, or I play my ukulele, or I go to (mostly metal) gigs or I do a crossword.

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

—Most of my sides. I’m a fairly private person.

—Wanneer bent u helemaal tevreden over uw werk?

—Dunno, it hasn’t happened yet.

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

—Like most traditions, best left in the past. Live and let live.

—Maakt u gemakkelijk vrienden?

—I really don’t. I’m friendly and approachable and I get on with most people, but I’ve been burnt too many times so I keep most people at a few arms’ length.

—Waar zou u graag wonen?

—In a huge warehouse apartment in NYC, or in a cosy old manor house surrounded by a few acres, or on top of a hill in Scotland.

—Is er een leven na het huwelijk?

—It’s just a certificate and a great party. As you were.

—Heeft u een favoriete mop? Vertel ...

—“Some people like cats and some people don't. Apparently the Pope's a cataholic.” Milton Jones

—Houdt u van honden of van katten?

—I prefer cats to dogs, but I don’t like the damage they do to your house, so am currently resisting my family’s desire to own one.

—Wie of wat haat u?

—Overuse of hate.

—Het beste in het leven is:

—Freedom. And Five Guy’s Bacon Cheeseburger, All The Way.

—Het vervelendste in het leven is:

—Procrastination. And people constantly changing speed on the motorway when I’m using cruise control.

—Wat zou u graag veranderen aan uzelf?

—I’d like to have more self-belief.

—Wat zou u graag veranderen aan de wereld?

—I’d like to ensure everyone gets a quality education and eradicate dependence on myth, legend and violence.

—Kan u tips geven voor beginnende fotografen?

—Take your own (decent) food, and wear comfortable shoes.

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

—That I want a ride in their spaceship.

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

—A very dark and gory horror film.

—Morgen zal ik ... doen

—…something less boring instead.