Fotograf Ed Mash

—Først og fremst, hvem vil du si er den beste fotografen i Exeter, Storbritannia? :)

—That's such a personal choice for clients. Here in Exeter there are different styles to choose, and different personalities. Clients should pick someone they're comfortable with on the BIG day

—Er du fotogen?

—Photographers don't appear in many pictures do they....i find it hard to judge an image of myself! I keep getting invited back to parties so I cant be that bad :)

—Hvordan ble du en del av fotografbransjen?

—Initially I only photographed weddings of close friends, and people I knew, but by personal recommendation the demand has grown....so I made the leap!

—Hva er de viktigste komponentene i et bra bilde etter din mening?

—I think a great photograph has resonance, and shares something with the viewer. Personally if it makes me say 'WOW' or smile, or conveys an idea then it's attractive.

—Er du glad i å reise?

—YES. I've travelled a great deal.....every continent except Antarctica....and I still have a thirst for those unusual out of the way places.

—Hva liker du best med yrket ditt?

—I love seeing the world through a lens, it brings me close to people, and the important events in their lives. It's a real privilege

—Hva liker du minst med yrket ditt?

—Missing a special moment.....you can see the image in your mind, and you know you haven't got it...its very disappointing.

—Hvordan ser fremtiden ut for fotografering?

—Technology is changing cameras, in the future the processing power of the computer will be more integrated into the camera body, with better colour processing, and skin tone rendition.

—Hva er det spesielle med den fotografisjanger du har spesialisert deg i?

—I love wedding photography, everyone is dressed up, smiling, and determined to have a great time. The atmosphere is exciting and clients are always happy to engage with the camera.

—Hvordan takler du kritikk?

—....I haven't received any so far from clients, but I did have a co worker who was brutally critical of everything I did. Its important to listen, be objective, and use it as a learning process.

—Finnes det noen trender innen fotografering?

—I think there is a tendency to use deep apertures, and sharpness as its an inherent part of the digital world. However I always appreciate a photographer who can skilfully handle a shallow aperture to tell the viewer exactly where to look (Sorry that was a technical answer!)

—Hva bør kriteriene være for en kunde som skal velge en fotograf?

—Choose a style of photography that speaks to you personally and best encapsulates your values. Also go for the best budget you can afford...a good photographer will make memories you'll look back on for the rest of your life.

—Hvilke ting er absolutt ikke tillatt under fotograferingen?

—Never force a situation...never make people feel uncomfortable, dress for the wedding and blend into the guests to capture those discreet moments.

—Hvilke detaljer, som vanligvis ingen ville lagt merke til, kan en fotograf fange opp?

—I think unnoticed details is a fault in a wedding photographer, great photographers are masters of seeing, rather than just looking.

—Hva påvirker bildets verdi? Hvilke elementer inneholder det?

—A valuable photo is very much of its time. It's not a wedding photo but Frank Cappas photo "falling Soldier" taken during the Spanish civil war stopped me in my tracks. It's a painful subject but it has always fascinated and haunted me at the same time, you think of the victim, the photographer standing in a war with a camera, and the soldier who fired the bullet.

—Hvilken person kan være symbolet på det 21. århundre etter din mening?

—There are so many.....Ghandi probably made the most significant difference to the largest amount of people, so numerically he's top of the list.

—Hvem kunne du tenkt deg å fotografere?

—No one springs to mind, but I'm confident I could draw out the best in anyone......so long as they wanted to work with me!

—Har du noen yrkesmessige tabuer?

—I don't believe you should step to far from reality in post production. IMHO over processed photo's don't stand the test of time.

—Hvem kunne du tenkt deg å fotografere sammen med?

—Working in a team, or with a partner can be immensely rewarding, I'm always happy working with talented people with ideas and enthusiasm.

—Hva bekymrer deg, og hvorfor?

—Its a worry trying to cover the increasing cost of, cameras, lenses, hard disk storage, and computers. Most clients are unaware of this. For instance at the last wedding I photographed my equipment totalled 25K (that said Ive got the best kit in the world, and that's to be expected on the big day)

—Hva er det mest imponerende øyeblikket i livet ditt?

—The birth of my first son.

—Hvilken animert figur, literær person eller filmkarakter ville du vært, og hvorfor?

—Great question! Put me down as Harry Potter, I like the glasses, and the wand would be very useful on shoots.

—Hvem inspirerer deg i ditt liv, og hvorfor?

—I don't think there's one person, but I'm also a painter, and so art, paintings, and ideas, have always been a constant source of inspiration.

—Hvordan definerer du suksess? Hvordan måler du graden av suksess?

—It's hard to quantify success but I have all the important things I need in my life already.

—Foretrekker du å bli likt eller respektert?

—I always strive for high end results so for me its more important to be liked for the person I am, and the body of my work. If people don't respect me there's not much I can do about it.

—Hva er den største tabben du noensinne har gjort på jobben?

—Missing THE shot!

—Når du skal ut å reise; hva tar du med deg, og hvorfor?

—When I was 23 a good friend gave me a copy of "Four Quartets" by T.S Eliot. Its slim and fits in every rucsac or camera bag. I only carry it when I'm travelling but its quixotic view of infinity constantly surprises me with its relevance in new locations.

—Er de noe blant dine gadgets du angrer på å ha kjøpt? Hvorfor?

—I don't like phone calls when I'm working so I have to say the mobile phone....I know that's heretical these days!

—Hvordan utdanner du deg for stadig å ta bedre bilder?

—Research is a big part of expanding your skill set. I'm constantly looking to develop and expand through experimentation with the camera or computer, or both.

—Hvem sitt arbeid har inspirert deg mest som fotograf?

—I think I'm influenced by many images rather than one photographer in person.

—Hva spesifikt skulle du ønske at du visste da du begynte å fotografere?

—More computer skills:)

—Hva ønsker du å formidle gjennom dine bilder?

—Intimacy and resonance are very important, but also a sense of place....images are like time capsules I want people to look back and feel connected with the images, again and again.

—Hva motiverer deg til å fortsette med fotografering?

—There's always a sense of the perfect shot being around the next corner, something more special, more romantic, more FUN.....so I keep searching.

—Skulle foreldrene dine ha vært mer eller mindre strenge?

—My parents were very relaxed and open minded in their guidance....so I guess a tiny bit more strictness might have been a good thing?

—Hva ville du ha gjort annerledes hvis du kunne reise tilbake i tid?

—I'm a very positive person and I think reflection on the past can be self absorbing so I prefer to embrace the future.

—Hva tenker du angående liv på andre planeter?

—Definitely...sadly due to deep time its going to be very hard to find.

—Hvem er dine helter?

—I've mentioned Ghandi but I'd happily add Leonardo Da Vinci, Einstein, Marie Curie, Dickens, Tesla, Jane Austen.

—Hvem har du absolutt ingen respekt for?

—The tiny minded despots who've sacrificed millions of lives in vain.

—Hva gjør du i fritiden din?

—Well the camera's always with me out walking, or at art galleries, meeting up with friends, and of course with my family. At home I love to cook, and my garden is a small oasis.

—Hvilken side av deg viser du aldri offentlig?

—Its always good to keep your professional side towards the public, but if I'm honest I'm a bit shy so I keep that well hidden.

—Når er du helt fornøyd med arbeidet ditt?

—Tough question......i need to learn to stop tweaking.

—Tror du på tradisjonelle manne- og kvinneroller?

—I'm not really a traditional person, and having had a very liberal background I trust other people to make the choices that are best suited to them and their perception of gender.

—Har du lett for å få nye venner?

—Yes I make friends easily and I'm very lucky in the friends I have, I still have all my school friends:)

—Hvor kunne du tenke deg å bo?

—I live in Devon so I'm spoilt by beautiful coastline in every direction, and two very different national parks. This is a great base for getting the work life balance just right. I'm happy right here.

—Hva er de teiteste du noensinne har gått med på å gjøre?

—So many things.

—Finnes det et liv etter bryllupet?

—Personally speaking I'm divorced so YES :)

—Har du en favorittspøk? Fortell.

—" I've gone on the Whisky Diet-I've lost four days already" Tommy Cooper

—Liker du hunder eller katter?

—Dogs

—Hvem eller hva hater du?

—The art of forgiveness means you don't have to hate anyone, it so unhealthy to carry that emotion around inside you.

—Det beste i livet er:

—Sharing

—Det mest irriterende i livet er:

—Climate change.

—Er det noe omkring du kunne tenkt deg å forandre på?

—Personally not much, but politics, world affairs, and the environment are concerns for me.... greater awareness and action by the majority would be a step in the right direction.

—Hva hos deg selv kunne du tenkt deg å endre på?

—I feel its better to work with what you've got.

—Hva i verden kunne du tenkt deg å endre på?

—A greater sense of balance with the environment.

—Kan du komme med noen gode råd til fotografer i startfasen?

—If you know where to point a camera, then its easy to learn the technical aspects as you progress. Until then trust your instincts, appreciate your own talent, and go and grab as much experience as you possibly can.

—Forestill deg at romvesener ankommer jorda, og at du er den første de treffer. Hva ville du sagt til dem?

—Watch out for the others!

—Hvis du ble spurt om å spille inn en film, hvilken sjanger ville den være?

—Science Fiction

—I morgen skal jeg...

—Put the house in order and get organised.