Fotograf Gina Stef

—Är du fotogenisk?

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

—Hur började du inom fotografi?

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

—Vilka är enligt dig de viktigaste komponenterna för ett bra fotografi?

—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 :)

—Älskar du att resa?

—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.

—Vad gillar du mest med ditt yrke?

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

—Vad gillar du minst med ditt yrke?

—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!

—Hur kommer framtiden för fotografering att se ut?

—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.

—Vad är det speciella med den fotografigenre du specialiserar i?

—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.

—Hur hanterar du kritik?

—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.

—Finns det några trender inom fotografering?

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

—Vad bör kriterierna vara för en kund som ska välja en fotograf?

—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.

—Vad är absolut inte tillåtet under fotograferingen?

—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.

—Vilka detaljer kan en fotograf fånga som vanligtvis går obemärkta?

—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.

—Vad påverkar fotots värde? Vilka är dess element?

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

—Vilken person tycker du symboliserar 2000-talet?

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

—Vem vill du fotografera?

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

—Har du några professionella tabun?

—Yes, to never disappoint our clients!

—Vem skulle du vilja fotografera med?

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

—Vad oroar du dig över och varför?

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

—Vilket är det mest imponerande ögonblicket i ditt liv?

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

—Om du vore en animerad, litterär eller filmkaraktär, vem skulle du vara och varför?

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

—Vem är din inspirationskälla i livet och varför?

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

—Hur definierar du framgång? Hur mäter du framgång?

—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.

—Föredrar du att vara omtyckt eller respekterad?

—Both, of course!

—Vilket är det största misstaget som du har gjort på jobbet?

—I made only small mistakes :)

—Vad tar du med dig och varför när du är ute och reser?

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

—Äger du en gadget som du önskar att du inte hade köpt? Varför?

—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.

—Hur utbildar du dig själv för att bli en bättre fotograf?

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

—Vems arbete har haft störst inflytande över dig som fotograf?

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

—Finns det någonting specifikt som du önskar att du visste när du började fotografera?

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

—Vad försöker du säga med dina fotografier?

—People are beautiful!

—Vad motiverar dig att fortsätta att ta bilder?

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

—Borde dina föräldrar ha varit mer eller mindre strikta?

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

—Om du kunde resa tillbaka i tiden, vad skulle du göra annorlunda?

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

—Tror du att det finns liv på andra planeter?

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

—Vilka är dina hjältar?

—Lebowski from "The Big Lebowski" film!

—Finns det någon person som du inte har någon respekt för?

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

—Vad gör du på fritiden?

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

—Har du någon sida som du aldrig visar upp offentligt?

—I'd have to kill you...

—När är du fullständigt tillfredsställd med ditt arbete?

—Never!

—Tror du på de traditionella mans- och kvinnorollerna?

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

—Är det enkelt för dig att skaffa vänner?

—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.

—Var skulle du vilja bo?

—San Francisco, some 50 years ago.

—Vad är det dummaste som du någonsin har tackat ja till?

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

—Finns det ett liv efter äktenskapet?

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

—Har du ett favoritskämt? Berätta det för oss.

—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!"

—Gillar du hundar eller katter?

—Both, but mostly cats.

—Vem eller vad hatar du?

—Ignorance and arrogance together.

—Det bästa med livet är:

—Combining your hobby and your job.

—Det mest irriterande med livet är:

—Having a job and a hobby-job :)

—Finns det någonting runt omkring dig som du skulle vilja ändra på?

—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.

—Finns det någonting om dig själv som du skulle vilja ändra?

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

—Vad vill du ändra på i världen?

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

—Kan du ge några råd till nya fotografer?

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

—Om utomjordingar skulle komma till jorden, och du är den första personen som de träffar, vad skulle du säga till dem?

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

—Om du skulle bli tillfrågad att spela in en film, vilken genre skulle det vara?

—Some moody drama

—Imorgon kommer jag att...

—some portraits, for sure!