Fotograf Stephanie Kindermann

—Pre svega, koga biste naveli kao najboljeg fotografa u svom gradu? :)

—Ha! There's a mad, crazy hoard of us.

—Fotogenični ste?

—Yes, and I'll tell you why – I have a high threshold for embarrassment. The less self conscious you are, the better you photograph.

—Kako ste ušli u svet fotografije?

—So here's the story – my father had been a wedding photographer and so I had my first little film disposables from about 5 years old. I’d shot probably thousands of rolls by the time I made it to photography college, but it was the moment where I was standing in the darkroom seeing that first image rise out of the chemical trays that I remember. Everyone else around me was fairly cool about the whole process but I couldn’t stop laughing with this electric thrill. This was the moment in my life where it became absolutely clear – I knew this is what I was going to do now. Weddings? Everyone loves a party. And a wedding is the best kind of party to shoot.

—Šta smatrate da su ključni elementi dobre fotografije?

—Good visual narrative – all the elements needed to give you context.
The split second – at the high point of madness.
The feels – something that makes your heart hurt or leap.

—Volite putovanja?

—I live for it.

—Šta najviše volite u vezi sa svojim zanimanjem?

—Learning the world's secrets.
I'll share some of them with you.
No one cooks better than a Greek mama or parties as hard as a Croatian groomsman. Vietnamese elders are the bravest karaoke singers, the French do the best cigar and whiskey bar (not to mention the cheeses) and that Ghanaians will crush any dance floor. Chinese door games can be a hair raising experience, and it is deeply moving it is to see Maori women sing a welcoming song to the bride.

—Šta najmanje volite u vezi sa svojim zanimanjem?

—When the alternate drop arrives, the chicken is always overcooked. Always.

—Kakva će biti budućnost fotografije?

—Wow this is cool, I hope it will be some sort of virtual reality with a fully rendered 3D capture from the entire day. You'll be able to bang on your head set and take a walk through the entire event from any time and angle.

—Šta je posebno kod vrste fotografije koja je vaša specijalnost?

—Often having a professional photograph your family is a very rare event. With this in mind I always devote a lot of time and care to capture portraits of treasured people – grandparents, GREAT grandparents, brothers, sisters, children.

—Kako podnosite kritiku?

—I walked through a lot of fire in my early years of learning to shoot, and I'm still here :) Think of my teacher as being that old guy from Kill Bill who strokes his beard a lot.

—Da li u fotografiji postoje trendovi?

—Yes, and they're mostly so cheesy. Things like making love hearts with your hands.... plz no!

—Šta treba da budu kriterijumi kada klijent bira fotografa?

—Love the work – don't employ your photographer then ask for an aesthetic from another artist!
Vibes! Would you want to drink a beer with them? Ideally you start the booking process with good vibes, and finish the wedding singing bad karaoke together.

—Šta treba izbegavati kod snimanja?

—Hunger. Bride, groom, photographer and squad members should be loaded up with snacks. Picnic style canapes and champagne if you're fancy, sausage rolls and red bull if you're not.

—Koje najčešće neprimetne detalje primećuje fotograf?

—Ha! "Common people," love it.
One of my favourites is the tight-lipped, crazy-eyed stage-whispered threats of a parent to errant child – usually during a particularly tender moment during the ceremony.

—Šta utiče na vrednost fotografije? Šta su njeni elementi?

—The value in a photo is, I feel, in how valued the subject is in it.
For example, a wife will always love a portrait of her husband that has captured how she sees him. If he's a charismatic person, than a genuine laugh. If he's a quiet person, then a photograph of him unaware, relaxed and thoughtful.

—Za koju ličnost smatrate da bi mogla da bude simbol 21. veka?

—Elon Musk. Billionaire, genius, puts a model car in his real car then launches it into space. What a legend.

—Koga biste želeli da fotografišete?

—People madly in love.

—Da li za vas u poslu postoji nešto zabranjeno?

—I am a woman of no limits.

—Sa kim biste želeli da sarađujete?

—Jonas Peterson. He seems like a very relaxed, interesting fellow.

—Šta vas brine i zašto?

—Mostly I have dreams where I've overslept my alarm and a bride is calling me, asking where I am, and I'm a 2 hour drive away. I guess that's my biggest worry.

—Koji trenutak u vašem životu je bio najupečatljiviji?

—Once, driving home very late from a wedding (of course), I saw space junk or a comet or the worlds most massive shooting star – so bright it illuminated everything around me. It travelled directly down the line of the straight highway I was driving for a full 10 seconds before burning out. An exceptional moment.

—Koji lik iz crtaća, knjige ili filma biste bili i zašto?

—Trinity from The Matrix. She was cool and wore latex before lip injections and enormous butts became the symbols of beauty.

—Ko vam je životna inspiracija i zašto?

—Jimmy Nelson, photographer and author of Before They Pass Away. His is a body of work that is truly exceptional and of historical value.

—Šta za vas znači uspeh? Kako ga merite?

—Can't measure it but you can feel it – are you getting enough quality sleep? Are you eating well and sharing good wine with friends? Do you have leisure time with your loved ones, and does your work fill you with pleasure?

—Da li biste pre bili voljeni ili poštovani?

—Not everyone will like you all of the time, but you should always conduct yourself in a way that people have no loss of respect for you.

—Šta je najveća greška koju ste do sada napravili u poslu?

—Working at a camera shop, shipped two very expensive video cameras to someone who turned out to be fraudulent. OOPS!

—Šta nosite sa sobom na putovanja i zašto?

—My husband, because he can read maps.

—Da li ima nešto među vašim alatkama čiju kupovinu ste zažalili? Zašto?

—No, but people love to "gift" me their defunct camera gear. Please stop doing this baby boomer friends.

—Kako se edukujete da biste bolje fotografisali?

—I spend A LOT of time on lovely curation sites like this one.

—Čiji rad je najviše uticao na vas kao fotografa?

—Steve McCurry (again). Portrait photographer for National Geographic.

—Šta biste voleli da ste znali kad ste tek postali fotograf?

—That the rules don't actually matter, and only diminish the potential expression of true moments.

—Šta želite da poručite svojim fotografijama?

—This is a mirror of your life in this moment.

—Šta vas motiviše da se i dalje bavite fotografijom?

—I have no other talents. LOL, no I can cook quite well. But photographing is my true purpose.

—Da li mislite da su vaši roditelji bili premalo ili previše strogi?

—Less. I was raised conservative Catholic. Not allowed to watch The Simpsons when you're 17... come on!

—Da možete da se vratite u prošlost, šta biste uradili drugačije?

—I wouldn't bother going to study, and instead buy a great kit and apprentice myself out 3 years earlier instead. I did the ol' highschool > study > apprentice > professional route. But study is now a moot point with online resources like Linda.com.

—Šta mislite o životu na drugim planetama?

—Oh jeez I hope so. Certainly spices things up.

—Ko su vaši heroji?

—My colleagues, for lifting my heavy, heavy camera bag up and down stairs and into the car innumerable times.

—Prema kome nemate nimalo poštovanja?

—Paedophiles

—Kako provodite slobodno vreme?

—I punch through Netflix series like a karate master does bricks.

—Koji deo sebe nikada ne pokazujete javno?

—Lying around in pyjamas, no makeup, orange Dorito stained fingers, unshaved legs.

—Kad ste potpuno zadovoljni svojim radom?

—When a couple tells me they cried seeing the pictures. (With JOY).

—Da li verujete u tradicionalne uloge muškaraca i žena?

—There are definitely things men are better at, like being muscly and crushing rocks with their bare fists. And there are definitely things women are better at, like looking good in high heels and jean shorts.

—Da li lako sklapate prijateljstva?

—Yes

—Gde biste voleli da živite?

—I'd love a couple of years in Istanbul. I'm a big fan!

—Šta je najgluplja stvar u životu koju ste pristali da uradite?

—To go on a VERY long bush walk, mere hours after getting home from a pub crawl.

—Da li postoji život posle braka?

—YES! It just keeps getting better!

—Imate omiljeni vic? Prepričajte nam ga.

—Any Gary Larson comic ever published. He might be the funniest man on earth.

—Da li volite pse ili mačke?

—Cats. I'm not embarrassed.

—Da li postoji neko ili nešto što mrzite?

—Celery. Eww

—Najbolja stvar u životu je:

—Champagne and cheeses with friends.

—Najiritantnija stvar u životu je:

—People farting next to you on flights.

—Da li ima nešto u vašem okruženju što biste promenili?

—I'm about to try my hand at home renovation, in a very literal interpretation of that question!

—Šta biste promenili kod sebe?

—I would love to learn Chinese. And sign language. And also do some pottery. And learn to ride horses. Probably should exercise more too.

—Šta biste promenili u svetu?

—Let's turn down the level of racism shall we, it seems to be gaining momentum instead of losing it.

—Da li imate neki savet za fotografe koji tek počinju?

—Sure! Don't train yourself out of -not- shooting things. Such as the weird, or awkward, or funny or embarrassing moments. These are some of the greatest photographs you could take!

—Kad bi vanzemaljci došli na Zemlju i prvo sreli vas, šta biste im rekli?

—I guess I'd ask them if they wanted to join us for lunch, I know a good place...

—Kad bi vas zvali da snimite film, koji biste žanr izabrali?

—Whatever genre Monty Python calls itself.

—Od sutra ću da…

—EDIT! Pat my cat. Email clients! Poke around the fridge and hope for the best. Print some albums! Look at memes!