Fotograf Chris Loneragan

—În primul rând, pe cine puteți numi cel mai bun fotograf în Sheffield, Regatul Unit? :)

—There are some amazing wedding photographers in Sheffield catering to all styles and budgets, but the best wedding photographer is subjectively the one that clicks best with the wedding couple and works hard to tell the story of their day. I hope that could be me!

—Sunteți fotogenic?

—No! Like many of my clients I echo the statement, "We hate having our photo taken!" For me it is about achieving a relaxed natural look, and I can only do that by chatting and laughing with my clients before I take their photographs. Everyone is photogenic and everyone has a visual story to tell – if I can capture something hidden within you ("love" maybe) then I will have captured a great image for you to treasure.

—Cum ați ajuns în industria fotografiei?

—I have been a keen photographer since winning a competition at the age of 14. As a grown up I shot for stock agencies and for fun until a family member asked me to take some 'extra' photos at their wedding in addition to their professional wedding photographer. Mine were at least as good and well received as the professional's and so I struck out offering my services for free until I felt confident enough to tackle a wedding for money. Over 100 weddings later I have a strong and successful wedding photography business.

—Care sunt cele mai importante componente ale unei fotografii bune, după părerea dvs?

—Light, composition, natural moments, minimal posing, a story to tell.

—Vă place să călătoriți?

—Yes. I have travelled all over the world.

—Ce vă place cel mai mult la profesia dvs?

—I love the speed and quick thinking required when photographing a wedding. There is a massive sense of achievement in producing images that couples love without spending a huge amount of time, sometimes none at all, planning and executing them.

—Ce vă place cel mai puțin la profesia dvs?

—I hate selling, but it is a necessary evil of the business. I would rather just shoot weddings!

—Care va fi viitorul fotografiei?

—Pretty much the same as it is now. Technology will change, but it isn't the thing that makes wedding images.

—Ce este special la genul de fotografie în care sunteți specializat?

—Interpersonal relationships with clients. A wedding photographer is a friend, a counsellor, an assistant, a go-between, and a photographer.

—Cum răspundeți criticilor?

—Professionally on the outside, badly on the inside. It depends what the criticism is though – anything deserved makes me stop and think, and change and grow where necessary.

—Există tendințe în fotografia?

—Yes, but you don't have to follow them!

—Care ar trebui să fie criteriile după care un client să aleagă un fotograf?

—The personality of the wedding photographer and whether or not they like their images. Always meet for a chat and ask to see real weddings – in my opinion you should steer clear of photographers that just show images from styled shoots or portfolio building workshops as the real skill is in producing images in the pressure situation of a real wedding.

—Ce lucruri sunt complet nepermise când fotografiați?

—I have witnessed other photographers being divas and shouting at or belittling wedding couples and their guests.

—Ce detalii de obicei neobservate de alții pot fi observate de un fotograf?

—Hidden hand holds, fleeting expressions, laughing children – too many to list. Details like rings and flowers are obvious and should be covered as a matter of course.

—Ce influențează valoarea fotografiei? Care sunt elementele ei?

—A truly valuable image tells a story. A great photo will do this with perfect composition, focus, exposure and subtle editing.

—Pe cine doriți să fotografiați?

—I love shooting everybody.

—Aveți tabuuri profesionale?

—No.

—Cu cine ați vrea să faceți fotografii?

—Annie Liebowitz.

—Care este cel mai impresionant moment din viața dvs?

—The birth of my daughter.

—Cine vă inspiră în viață și de ce?

—My wife is my art critic and muse.

—Cum definiți succesul? Cum îl măsurați?

—Happy clients.

—V-ar plăcea să fiți mai degrabă plăcut sau respectat?

—Respected.

—Cum vă pregătiți pentru a face fotografii mai bune?

—Constant practice and collaborative critique.