Fotograf Jo-Ann Stokes

—Czy jesteś fotogeniczny/fotogeniczna?

—Unfortunately not ....but probably best that I am not because it makes me try extra hard to make my couples feel comfortable in front of the lens and capture beautiful photographs that they will love of themselves.

—Co sprawiło, że zajmujesz się fotografią?

—Purely by accident to be honest! My trip into photography started by documenting my life, my kids and then into landscape photography. A friend saw my photos, told her friend who was getting married and they contacted me and asked me to do their wedding. I explained that I had never done a wedding but they were fine with that. I loved it ....and the rest ...is history! And my first clients are still one of my biggest fans!

—Jakie twoim zdaniem są najważniejsze czynniki decydujące o dobrym zdjęciu?

—A photograph that touches your soul ...no matter the composition, the editing etc ...that makes for a good photo ...no actually, that makes for a "great" photo ....but if all you want is good ..then good composition, good lighting and good posing would make a good photo .....I continuously strive to take a "great" photo.

—Kochasz podróże?

—Do you seriously have to ask? I "love" to travel ...it feeds my soul, opens my eyes, enriches my life and makes me appreciate everything that God created for us.

—Co najbardziej lubisz w swoim zawodzie?

—The creativity ...if you can visualise it ....you can photograph it! The continious learning curve....there are new things to learn all the time! I am continiously challenged and excited by my profession.

—Co najmniej lubisz w swoim zawodzie?

—The admin!! Wish we were taking photographs 100% of the time ...unfortunately its only a small portion of our workload. And selling myself ...I find it so hard to do!

—Jaka będzie przyszłość fotografii?

—There will alwasy be a future for wedding photography ...people will continously fall in love and want to get married and start families of that I have no doubt ....I think how we photograph weddings will stay fundamentally the same ..but the way we grab our image might change. I see change coming in the fact that we will film the wedding and grab our photographs from the video ...and I am excited about that because a hair breadth of a second can make all the difference to an image.

—Co wyróżnia rodzaj fotografii, którym się zajmujesz?

—Wedding photography is special because it makes you forget all the bad things in the world for a few brief moments. It makes you believe that the world is all rosy, full of love and that there is bright future ahead and there is truth in fairytales and the "happy ever after"

—Jak radzisz sobie z krytyk?

—Well I am a creative ...so lets just say ...it can hurt! But I am also open-minded so I can take a step back and look at it through that persons eyes and see if their criticism is valuable. Good criticism is worth its weight in gold!

—Czy w fotografii panują jakieś trendy?

—There are always trends in photography! The question needs to be asked ..how will your images look in 30 years ...will the trend stand the test of time. Quality, timeless photography will never date.

—Jakie kryteria powinien przyjąć klient przy wyborze fotografa?

—Initially the couple should love the photography ...it should speak to them. But the most important criteria is that you like your photographer and feel comfortable with them....you will spend a large part of your day with this person in your space ..its best that you like them.

—Co jest absolutnie niedozwolone podczas sesji?

—Cheesy!

—Jakie zwykle niezauważane szczegóły może uchwycić fotograf?

—We can see moments that develop and are waiting for them to happen.

—Co wpływa na wartość zdjęcia? Jakie są jego składowe?

—The emotion, the impact of the image!

—Jaka osoba może być twoim zdaniem uznana za symbol XXI wieku?

—The co-founders of google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. And our very own, Nelson Mandela!

—Co chcesz fotografować?

—My next bride!

—Czy masz zawodowe tabu?

—One or two ...nudity is not my thing!

—Z kim marzy ci się fotografować?

—Thats a tough one ...Jose Villa, ..I love his pastel, airy, film look but I also love the dark, moody look from Susan Stripling.

—Co cię martwi i dlaczego?

—I worry about my children ...I am first and foremost a Mom! From a wedding photographers perspective ..that I lose a wedding due to faulty cards, crashing computers & harddrives. I have made every provision to safeguard my clients weddings but it is natural to worry about their images.

—Jaka była najwspanialsza chwila w twoim życiu?

—The birth of my sons. Everything else pales into insignificance in comparison to those moments.

—Gdybyś był/była postaci z kreskówki, książki lub filmu, kto by to był?

—I am enjoying the character, Elizabeth McCord from Madam Secretary at the moment. She handles problems with intelligence, respect and sensitivity in very fragile situations.

—Kto inspiruje cię w życiu i dlaczego?

—My family inspire me ...they inspire me to be better...they inspire me to prove to them that life is for living and that you make your own destiny with the choices and decisions that you make. Every action has a reaction. Mistakes are not always bad as the experience it teaches you is sometimes more valuable that getting something 100% correct.

—Jaka jest twoja definicja sukcesu? Co jest jego miarą?

—A successful person is a person who has balance in their life! A happy marriage, family life & career ..is my definition of success! Only having a successful career with money in the bank ...can make for a very lonely/empty life.

—Wolisz, aby cię lubiano czy szanowano?

—Neither ....I would prefer to be loved!

—Jaki był twój największy bąłd zawodowy?

—When I worked in banking ....I paid a rather large sum of money into the wrong persons account!

—Co zabierasz ze sob w podróż i dlaczego?

—My camera and a lens ...do I need anything more?

—Czy masz jakiś gadżet, zakupu którego żałujesz? Dlaczego?

—a few items ...too numerous to mention

—Jak uczysz się robić lepsze zdjęcia?

—I attend workshops, watch videos, practice, practice, practice!

—Czyje prace miały na ciebie największy wpływ jako na fotografa?

—Many of my photographer friends have in their own small way influenced me. Each one has at some stage dropped a pearl of wisdom on my eager ears.

—Czy jest coś, o czym warto byłoby wiedzieć, zaczynając karierę w fotografii?

—I initially started to play around with a camera when i was a teenager ...I wish I had figured out then, that this was the career that I loved.

—Co chcesz przekazać poprzez swoje fotografie?

—I am not big into props ....I prefer the people in my photographs to be the focal point. It is their essence, emotions that tell the story.

—Co motywuje cię do dalszej pracy w fotografii?

—I dont think there is anything that motivates me to continue to take photos ....I think it is an extension of who I am ...even when I dont have my camera with me ...I am still framing photos in my eye and taking a mental photo of a scene.

—Uważasz, że twoi rodzice powinni byli być bardziej czy mniej surowi?

—They were perfect. I like the way I turned out ...lol!

—Mając możliwość cofnąć się w czasie, co być zrobił/zrobiła inaczej?

—Nothing ...if i went back in time to change anything ...then my outcome might be very different to where I am now ....and I kind of like where I am now. And if I had actually done photography from a teenager then my people skills would not have been developed. I believe there was a reason for only discovering my love for photography later on.

—Co myślisz o życiu na innych planetach?

—Possible ...but have no interest in finding out ...its bad enough controlling the human race that we have here ...we sure as heck dont need the headache of another race somewhere else.

—Kto jest twoim bohaterem/bohaterką?

—There are no heroes ....everyone is only human ...we all err on this road we call life. There are people who I respect i.e Nelson Mandela, FW De Klerk, Mother Theresa, Pope Francis, Thuli Madonsela

—Do kogo nie żywisz szacunku?

—Dictators, bad politicians, criminals, children and animal abusers! Our president, Jacob Zuma, Stupidity, Robert Mugabe.

—Co robisz w czasie wolnym?

—My hubby has a Harley Davidson motorbike and we often will go on road trips around the Cape and needless to say ...I take photos. I enjoy socialising with fellow photographers. I walk in a farm close to my house with my dogs.

—Jakiego aspektu twojej osobowości nie ujawniasz publicznie?

—They dont see me stressed or worried. I show a calm face to the outside world and behind the scenes I make a plan. I also have a wicked sense of humour that I try to keep in check.

—Kiedy twoja praca w pełni cię zadowala?

—I wish I knew the answer ...then i would create a formula and stick to it ..but there again then I might end up being bored!

—Czy wierzysz w tradycyjne role mężczyzny i kobiety?

—Yes and no ....I believe women can do anything they put their minds too ...but I also believe that men are traditionally the hunters and do not enjoy being the hunted. Let them enjoy the chase.

—Czy łatwo się zaprzyjaźniasz?

—Very easily. I can chat to complete strangers wherever I am.

—W jakim miejscu dobrze by ci się mieszkało?

—If I couldnt live in Cape Town for whatever reason ...then I would go to the next extreme and live in London ...but only if I had a lot of money ;)

—Jaki była najgłupsza rzecz, którą zgodziłeś/zgodziłaś się zrobić?

—A nude shoot

—Czy istnieje życie po małżeństwie?

—lol ...yes, definitely! I have done more and had more fun with my husband than with any other human being. He is the one who has my back, who I rely on, who I can be real with, who accepts me for who I am ...who will look after me when I am sick or sad ....to lend a Greys Anatomy line ..."he is my person" ...but yes there were times when I could have lovingly strangled his neck..he definitely still knows how to push my buttons!

—Masz ulubiony żart? Opowiedz go.

—Yes ..I do ...but I think it might be a bit too dirty for a wedding blog ...especially for people considering getting married ...lol! Only old married couples would find it amusing!

—Wolisz psy czy koty?

—Dogs ...grew up with them all my life! My dad was allergic to cats ..so was never allowed to have one ....so not too sure if I would have loved cats more!

—Kogo lub co nienawidzisz?

—People who are rigid and the world is black and white and do not see outside the box.

—W życiu najlepsze jest:

—free!

—W życiu najbardziej irytuje mnie:

—People who do not listen

—Czy jest wokół ciebie coś, co chcesz zmienić?

—Yes, our incompetent government!

—Co chcesz zmienić w sobie?

—I wish I had more time!

—Co chcesz zmienić w świecie?

—Evil

—Czy możesz udzielić kilka wskazówek początkującym fotografom?

—Be unique ...find your own style ....do not be like sheep and copy everyone else! Trust in the way you see the world ..you will develop!

—Jeżeli na Ziemię przybędą kosmici, a ty będziesz pierwszą osobą, która ich spotka, co im powiesz?

—If you know whats good for you ...turn around and run in the opposite direction

—Jeśli poproszono by cię o nakręcenie filmu, jaki byłby to gatunek?

—A romance or a drama

—Jutro pójdę i...

—some food shopping, a maternity shoot, some editing ...watch our national rugby team , the Springboks play their first game at the Rugby World Cup 15 in England against Japan!