Fotograf Gina Stef

—Ste fotogenický?

—Yes I am, but only when i'm not posing.

—Ako ste sa dostali do fotografického priemyslu?

—I wanted to do something else with my photos, to bring more joy to happy couples.

—Aké sú podľa vás najdôležitejšie súčasti dobrej fotografie?

—It has to capture the moment. When the bride cries, when the groom laughs at her or when the people at the wedding just go crazy :)

—Máte radi cestovanie?

—Absolutely YES! We love meeting new and interesting couples and we're eager to take their photos in an unknown location. This is also a big challenge, to take improvised great photos of them in a place we've never been before.

—Čo máte najradšej na vašej profesii?

—Every wedding is a challenge and we love challenges! Meeting new people and "clicking" on their wedding ideas is great!

—Čo sa vám páči najmenej na vašej profesii?

—Sometimes it's the long hours of a wedding here in Romania that get to us, but after all if the newlyweds are still having fun at 2 a.m. in the morning, we'll hop in and have fun with them!

—Aká bude budúcnosť fotenia?

—Nowadays if you don't know Photoshop you're like dead in the water. Photography won't change much, as opposed to the way we as photographers will present the final result to our clients.

—Čo je výnimočné na žánri fotografií, na ktorý sa špecializujete?

—Before any event we always have butterflies in our stomachs and that's a good thing, because it pushes us further. We love the rush of the events and the general happiness of the people attending the wedding.

—Ako zvládate kritiku?

—We try to prevent it, usually we under-promise and over-deliver. If by any chance our clients are not fully satisfied, we communicate on what's wrong and we try to correct that.

—Sú nejaké trendy v oblasti fotografie?

—The vintage, chabby-chic trends are on fire! And we love them, all the decors give a wedding a great feel!

—Aké by mal mať zákazník kritérium pri výbere fotografa?

—On the initial meeting, they should analyze whether they "click" with the photographer. If you're not on the same mindset, then you might as well find another one.

—Čomu sa určite vyhnúť pri práci?

—It all comes down to common-sense. A wedding photographer is not (or should not) seek the tabloid-like, outrageous pictures. He/she should always comply with the client's wishes and demands.

—Aké detaily, ktoré zvyčajne prejdú bez povšimnutia, si môže fotograf všimnúť?

—It's that split-second facial expression on somebody's face, or some short event that nobody saw because they were focused on the bride and groom.

—Čo ovplyvňuje hodnotu fotografie? Aké sú jej prvky?

—I think it's all about the "feel". No matter how you composed it, no matter how blurry it is.

—Ktorá osoba môže byť podľa vás symbolom 21. storočia?

—It's difficult to assess, since social media is huge nowadays and everybody's a celebrity.

—Koho chcete fotografovať?

—We would like to shoot a tattooed open-minded rockers couple, in Moab, Utah :)

—Máte nejaké profesionálne tabu?

—Yes, to never disappoint our clients!

—S kým by ste chceli fotografovať?

—It would be a dream to shoot with Sergey Ivanov, Sal Cincotta or Aaron Nace!

—Čoho sa obávate a prečo?

—I always worry that we won't be able to satisfy all our clients' needs. But so far, so good.

—Aký bol váš najpôsobivejší okamih v živote?

—Traveling through the U.S. and admiring the cities, the breweries, the landscapes and all the beautiful people!

—Ak by ste boli animovaná, literárna alebo filmová postava, kto by ste boli a prečo?

—When I was little I looked like Betty Boop so...

—Kto vás vo vašom živote inšpiruje a prečo?

—I see inspiration all around, it's hard to pinpoint something.

—Ako definujete úspech? Ako ho meriate?

—I thing it's a sum of the opinions of the people who met you. If most of the opinions are great, you could consider yourself a successful person.

—Boli by ste radšej obľúbení alebo rešpektovaní?

—Both, of course!

—Aká je najväčšia chyba, ktorú ste kedy v práci urobili?

—I made only small mistakes :)

—Keď cestujete, čo si so sebou beriete a prečo?

—My husband, our cameras and leave behind everything else.

—Existuje niečo, čo by ste si boli radšej nekúpili zo zariadení, ktoré vlastníte? Prečo?

—Along the way there has been some trial and error, some gadgets failed and some we still have, but I guess we shouldn't have bought a Wii U console and a 2x extender.

—Ako sa vzdelávate, aby ste robili lepšie fotografie?

—Through inspiration on the web, brainstorming with friends and talks with clients.

—Koho práca vás ovplyvnila najviac ako fotografa?

—I wish Sergey Ivanov influenced me, but I couldn't rise to that level :)

—Jedna vec, ktorú by ste chceli vedieť, keď ste začínali s fotením?

—That "anything flies" if you have a story behind it.

—Čo by ste chceli povedať cez vaše fotografie?

—People are beautiful!

—Čo vás motivuje v ďalšom fotografovaní?

—The satisfaction of our clients and money, of course.

—Mali byť vaši rodičia menej alebo viac prísni?

—At times I wanted them to be less of a pain, but it turns out that I turned out just fine!

—Ak by ste sa mohli vrátiť v čase, čo by ste urobili inak?

—Listen to rock music earlier, read more and move to another city sooner.

—Čo tak život na druhých planétach?

—I can't wait to have an alien friend!

—Kto sú vaši hrdinovia?

—Lebowski from "The Big Lebowski" film!

—Kto nemá u vás žiadny rešpekt?

—People who don't have any hobby, any taste in anything, any opinion of their own.

—Čo robíte vo svojom voľnom čase?

—I love calligraphy and everything hand made, I try to do as much as I can, apart from editing photos.

—Akú vašu tvár nikdy neukazujte na verejnosti?

—I'd have to kill you...

—Kedy ste úplne spokojní s vašou prácou?

—Never!

—Veríte v tradičné role mužov a žien?

—I'm not a feminist, but no, I do not believe in these stereotypes.

—Získavate ľahko nových priateľov?

—I'd say that I do, but some would say that I keep to myself a lot. I only make friends with the people which inspire me and help me evolve, by having interesting argumentative conversations.

—Kde by ste radi žili?

—San Francisco, some 50 years ago.

—Čo je tá najhlúpejšia vec, na ktorú ste kedy pristúpili?

—I have a problem with saying "no" to things. But I'm working on that.

—Existuje život po svadbe?

—Of course. If you don't make a child right away. Or never.

—Máte obľúbený vtip? Povedzte nám ho.

—It's a photographers' joke, of course:
So there's a dinner party. A photographer's talking to the host. She says to him: "Mr. Photographer, I love your work! You must have a great camera!" The photographer doesn't respond. But at the dinner table, after taking a bite, the photographer says to the host: "Oh, this food is delicious! You must have a terrific oven!"

—Máte radi psy alebo mačky?

—Both, but mostly cats.

—Koho alebo čo nenávidíte?

—Ignorance and arrogance together.

—Najlepšia vec v živote je:

—Combining your hobby and your job.

—Najviac znepokojujúca vec v živote je:

—Having a job and a hobby-job :)

—Existuje niečo okolo vás, čo by ste chceli zmeniť?

—I would love it if the hobby would stay just hobby, not having to deal with contracts, invoices, bills to pay... This narrows the creativity, the whole "professional" side of photography.

—Čo by ste chceli zmeniť na sebe?

—I would like to learn to say NO and not bite more than I can chew.

—Čo by ste chceli zmeniť vo svete?

—If only money disappeared, people will start being people again.

—Môžete dať niekoľko tipov pre fotografov, ktorí práve začínajú?

—Take lots of photos, then analyze them and develop your own style. And most importantly, never stop!

—Keby prišli na našu planétu mimozemšťania a vy by ste boli prvou osobou, s ktorou sa stretnú, čo by ste im povedali?

—Most surely they won't understand a word, but I'll beg them to share some wisdom here on Earth!

—Ak by ste mali natočiť film, aký žáner by to bol?

—Some moody drama

—Zajtra pôjdem a urobím...

—some portraits, for sure!