Fotógrafo Adam Johnson

—Você é fotogénica(o)?

—I think everyone is photogenic. Just not everyone appreciates it the first time they see a photo of themselves. I'm the kind of person who grows to like photos of myself over time, rather than instantly loving them.

—Como se iniciou na indústria da fotografia?

—It just happened. I got married, bought a DSLR for my honeymoon, and became obsessed with it. I thought I was getting quite good, shot a friend's wedding (as a guest) and did a terrible job. So I went away, practised and studied super hard, bought better equipment then tried again. It went much better the second time and I was able to build a portfolio and website. 18 months later I quit my day job.

—Em sua opinião, quais são os componentes mais importantes para uma boa fotografia?

—If we are talking about a wedding photo then it's all about emotion. Light is my obsession, but a beautifully lit emotionless or 'mute' wedding photo is pointless. A photo has to speak for itself, it shouldn't need a caption or an explanation.

—Gosta de viajar?

—Of course. And I love that wedding photography is showing me more of the world than I would ever have seen without it.

—O que mais gosta na sua profissão?

—Freedom of expression. The more you shoot, the better you get, the more people hear about you and know about your work, the more freedom you are given to express yourself artistically. That and what I said about traveling in the last question!

—O que menos gosta na sua profissão?

—I am honestly grateful for this being my profession but of course, when you have young children at school, it can take its toll when you're out most weekends throughout the summer and not able to spend as much time with them as I would like.

—Qual será o futuro da fotografia?

—Who knows?! I just hope I'm able to change and adapt to however it changes. I truly believe there will always be a market for beautiful, well crafted photos – the technology and expectations may change but the product will not.

—O que há de especial para si, no género de fotografia em que se especializou?

—People. That's what it's all about. People and relationships. Being invited into a private world and asked to document it for a day.

—Como lida com as críticas?

—Badly. I do not like to be criticised. Often once it has sunk in I'm able to either reject or accept it and use it to improve, but I don't like it!

—Existem tendências na fotografia?

—Of course! I just prefer to ignore them.

—Quais deveriam ser os critérios considerados pelo cliente na escolha de um fotógrafo?

—If the photographer's photos of a total stranger's wedding can make you feel something in your heart and soul, you've found your wedding photographer.

—O que não é permitido de todo ao fotografar?

—There are no rules but I think each photographer will have their own principles or boundaries. If someone is crying because they are truly sad then I will not photograph them just to get that 'tear shot' that is so popular with wedding photographers these days. If I do not feel it is appropriate to shoot something, then I won't shoot it.

—Na sua opinião, que pessoa poderá ser o símbolo do século XXI?

—Can we answer this with 85 years of the century remaining?! I think there are so many medical and technological advances we will see in this century and I expect icons to be created in these areas.

—O quem pretende fotografar?

—Ben Folds, Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United.

—Tem tabus profissionais?

—Not that I know of!

—Com quem gostaria de fotografar?

—Annie Leibowitz, Joey L, James Nachtwey, Don McCullin, Richard Avedon... I love to shoot with other photographers, I think it's a good thing to do regularly.

—Com que se preocupa e porquê?

—I am a worrier. I worry about a lot of things! Professionally speaking I worry about becoming irrelevant, about getting stuck in a rut and left behind and nobody wanting me to take their wedding pictures!

—Qual foi o momento mais impressionante na sua vida?

—The births of my two children.

—Que personagem animada, literária ou de um filme gostaria de ser? Porquê?

—Peter Pan. I want to stay young and always fight pirates.

—Quem o inspira na sua vida e porquê?

—I don't know if they inspire me as such but my children are the reason that I do what I do and why I want to continually get better at it. I am inspired by anyone successful – in business, in photography, in sport, in life... Not in an arrogant way but I find my own successes an inspiration to keep trying harder and to achieve more.

—Como define o sucesso? Como o afere?

—For me, people booking me to shoot photos of them, plus the recognition of my work by my peers is probably my yardstick of success professionally. Happiness and contentment are signs of success in wider life.

—Gostaria mais de ser amado ou respeitado?

—I don't think it's possible for me personally to respect somebody I don't like, so I don't think you can be one or the other. I can quickly lose respect for someone who turns out to be a huge douchebag.

—Qual foi o maior erro que já cometeu a nível profissional?

—I don't remember. I know I've made mistakes but I'm pretty good about moving on from stuff.

—Quando vai viajar, o que leva consigo e porquê?

—My iphone, my kindle, my macbook, my camera and some earphones.

—Está arrependido de ter adquirido algum dos gadgets que possui? Porquê?

—I tend to sell stuff if it doesn't fit into my life or work after I buy it. I remember I once bought a weird step trainer off an infomercial on the TV, it was so rubbish!

—Como aprende a tirar fotos melhores?

—Taking pictures is the education. I'm quite analytical so if I see a photo I like I work out what I like and why... I do the same with my own photos, working out how I could've done better or what I could've done differently. I look at other photography a lot – in books, online, instagram and I think that seeps into my work.

—Que trabalho mais o influenciou como fotógrafo?

—I think a turning point for me was doing a workshop with Daniel Aguilar from Mexico.

—Qual é a coisa que mais gostaria de ter sabido quando começou a fotografar?

—That there were no rules!

—O que pretende transmitir com as suas fotos?

—I've no idea. Good stuff I hope.

—O que o motiva a continuar a fotografar?

—The thing I love about taking photos, or any creative pursuit I guess is that it's just that – a pursuit – and you can never catch the thing you're chasing, but you're constantly improving, or changing at least. It's not static, or limited, or constrained. I know I've not taken my best photo, and I may never take it, but I will always keep striving for it.

—Os seus pais deveriam ter sido mais ou menos rigorosos?

—No comment.

—Se pudesse regredir no tempo, o que faria de diferente?

—Nothing, I don't think of life this way. I got to this point in my life, a point in which I am extremely happy, because of the choices I made. I don't want to change anything.That, or I'd go back and invest in Apple before they invented the iPod.Or I could invent the iPod.

—O que pensa da vida nos outros planetas?

—Maybe, maybe not. I'm not concerned with it.

—Quem são os seus heróis?

—I have no heroes.

—A quem é que não respeita?

—An awful question.

—O que faz nos seus tempos livres?

—I play piano, play and watch football, watch TV shows and movies, go to the gym, spend time with friends and family, listen to music...I don't see life as spare time and work time. It's just life. I do all this stuff and I work, there's no split time. I work when I have to and I play whenever I can.

—Qual é o seu lado que o público nunca vê?

—The public? As opposed to who?

—Quando é que fica completamente satisfeito com o seu trabalho?

—I love my own work. I love seeing progression in my work. I love it when my clients are in love with the photos I give to them. Completely satisfied? Is this possible?

—Acredita nos papéis tradicionais reservados ao homem e à mulher?

—My parents got divorced when I was young. This has skewed my view of tradition in the home... I don't really know what traditional roles are – women raise children, cook and clean and men just earn the money? Then no, I don't believe in that. A family is the sum of its parts, not separate and distinct people or roles.

—Faz amigos com facilidade?

—Yeah I guess. I'm never the instigator, I'm shy so I tend to wait for people to make friends with me!

—Onde gostaria de viver?

—If I could have four homes I would have one in the UK, probably near where I live now, one in New York City, a rural house in Southern France and one somewhere in California! Not that I'm greedy.

—Qual foi a coisa mais estúpida que concordou em fazer?

—I'm not sure I've ever agreed to something stupid.

—Existe vida depois do casamento?

—I've been married 8 years... I'm still alive.

—Tem uma anedota favorita? Conte-nos.

—What's invisible and smells like carrots?Rabbit farts.

—Gosta de cães e gatos?

—Neither.

—A quem ou o que odeia?

—I hate wasps. Passionately.

—A melhor coisa na vida é:

—Family time.

—A coisa mais irritante na vida é:

—Traffic jams.

—Existe algo em seu redor que gostaria de mudar?

—I want to make my house bigger!

—O que gostaria de mudar em si próprio?

—I would like to break my iphone addiction!

—O que gostaria de mudar no mundo?

—Far too much to list. The world is a broken place.

—Pode dar algumas dicas para fotógrafos principiantes?

—You don't have to shoot every second of the wedding, you're not making a stop motion movie... Slow down, breathe, let your mind take in what is happening then tell the story with your photos. There are no rules.

—Caso os alienígenas viessem para a Terra, e fosse a primeira pessoa a encontrá-los, o que lhes diria?

—You will never feel satisfied after eating a McDonalds...

—Se fosse chamado para fazer um filme, que género escolheria?

—Slapstick comedy.

—Amanhã eu vou fazer...

—I'll go to the gym, do some editing, get ready for Saturday's wedding, kick a football with my children, eat food, drink coffee...