Fotograf Ruud Claessen

—Är du fotogenisk?

—No! I much rather be behind a camera.

—Hur började du inom fotografi?

—In 2008, I was already doing amateur photography for a couple of year. To do something different for a change, I asked my uncle if I could photograph his wedding. It was his second marriage, they were not asking for a photographer, so there was little risk. I ended up liking it so much, that I decided to do it more.

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

—Above all, the photo has to have a certain impact. Wether that's an intense emotion, a good vibe, or just a spectaculair visual impact. After that comes the technical part. So a good lighting, composition, etcetera. But for me, the impact is the most important part, by far.

—Älskar du att resa?

—Yes, but with moderation though. I'd love to do 3-5 destination weddings a year. I don't think I'd enjoy doing 10, 15 or even more.

—Vad gillar du mest med ditt yrke?

—It sounds like a horrible cliché, but it's true: Every wedding is different. You never really know what's going to happen. Surprises can happen at every moment. Besides that, I think it's a great honor to be asked to create lifelong memories for the people that are getting married. 5, 10, 25 or even 50 years after they get married, people still remember who took their wedding photos. It's pretty wonderful that you can be an important part in people's lives.

—Vad gillar du minst med ditt yrke?

—Basically: The postprocessing. I have a horrible concentration when it comes to editing. I love editing my 50-75 favorites from a wedding, but after that, it gets hard for me to keep focused.

—Hur kommer framtiden för fotografering att se ut?

—I think the future of wedding photography will be a further evolution of the direction it's going in right now. More journalistic stuff, more moments. But besides that: technical advances. Faster camera's, better low light capabilities, and other accessories like drones, light field cameras, and stuff like that, giving photographers even more tools to being creative.

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

—I love many aspects of it. I love the fact that people are in a good mood, they take the time to look good as well. People get married in beautiful venues, and you as a photographer gets to be a part of so many people's special day. That's amazing.

—Hur hanterar du kritik?

—I try to extract what people really mean with their comments. Some people have difficulties in finding the right words to give feedback, sometimes making them sound rude. But I always try to figure out what's the real message there.

—Finns det några trender inom fotografering?

—All the time. But me personally, I try to not let trend be the main thing in my photography. Trends are a nice touch, but I want my photography to be timeless.

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

—1) Do you like the photographer's work? 2) Do you like the photographer? Simple as that.

—Vad är absolut inte tillåtet under fotograferingen?

—'Allowed' is a big word. I'm not the one to say what's allowed or not. However, I don't like to unnecessarily intervene in a wedding. With the exception of the posed shots, I don't like having to tell people what to do, where to stand or how to look.

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

—A good wedding photographer can see beauty in many things, and has a better eye for good light, and good compositions. And also: a photographer is aware of what's going on and can respond quickly when something happens.

—Vad påverkar fotots värde? Vilka är dess element?

—Not only is beauty in the eye of the beholder, but the same thing is true for value. A photograph that might not seem like much to a photographer or ti someone who wasn't there, can be the couple's favorite for many reasons. Never make assumptions.

—Vilken person tycker du symboliserar 2000-talet?

—I can't look into the future. Sorry ;-)

—Vem vill du fotografera?

—Kind, fun and creative people that I have a great chemistry with.

—Har du några professionella tabun?

—Not really. Except for stuff that's prohibited by law, off course.

—Vem skulle du vilja fotografera med?

—Too many to mention.

—Vad oroar du dig över och varför?

—Sometimes I worry about the future. What will happen if I don't get any more bookings? But I think that every professional thinks that way every now and then. On the other side, it helps me improve and stay on my toes.

—Vilket är det mest imponerande ögonblicket i ditt liv?

—I can't name just a single one. There are thousands of great moments that are impressive in their own ways.

—Hur definierar du framgång? Hur mäter du framgång?

—Success to me is finding a perfect balance by doing what you love, making a good living out of it, but also having time to live. Because even though I just love shooting weddings, I wouldn't want to shoot 60 weddings a year and have no personal time left.

—Föredrar du att vara omtyckt eller respekterad?

—Liked by my clients, respected by my colleagues.

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

—Not that many, luckily! I once accidentally switched from RAW to TIFF during a wedding. That was a pain in the ass. It cost me a lot more work to process the images, but the clients were happy.

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

—A small but versatile camera kit. Definitely some analog cameras. And off course, the traveling essentials.

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

—Nope.

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

—I do mentoring with photographers who are amazing in the aspects of photography that are my weakest points.

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

—I've never been inspired by certain photographers. I like to look at individual photographs, and analyse what I like about them.

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

—I never thought that photography can be this exhausting! But in a good way.

—Vad försöker du säga med dina fotografier?

—When looking at my photographs, I want people to feel what they felt when the moment was actually happening.

—Vad motiverar dig att fortsätta att ta bilder?

—Getting great feedback from customers, and seeing myself grow and becoming a better photographer.

—Borde dina föräldrar ha varit mer eller mindre strikta?

—They have been perfect.

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

—I would push myself more and especially sooner. It took about 5 years before I started taking myself and my photography really serious. But since I started doing that, I have improved so very much. I wish I'd done that sooner.

—Tror du att det finns liv på andra planeter?

—Nah. There's tons of places for me to explore on this one.

—Vilka är dina hjältar?

—Everybody who believes in something, in themselves, and work hard to achieve that.

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

—People who are arrogant, and bring other people down.

—Vad gör du på fritiden?

—Cooking, eating, movies, riding my oldtimer bike, and some an occasional cigar.

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

—I think a lot of people see me as 'the funny guy'. However, I do have a very serious side. I'm a very contemplative person, and I can be fascinated by almost anything.

—När är du fullständigt tillfredsställd med ditt arbete?

—When one of my own photographs really moves me. When I think: Wow, did I capture that? When it makes me feel proud that I've created these images.

—Tror du på de traditionella mans- och kvinnorollerna?

—Absolutely not.

—Är det enkelt för dig att skaffa vänner?

—Quite easily. Although sometimes, at first I stay in the background a bit more. I like to evaluate people before I connect to them.

—Var skulle du vilja bo?

—Tough question. I've always enjoyed living in the Netherlands, but lately, this feeling of joy has diminished quite a bit. Not because of the horrible weather, but mainly because of the political climate, the discontent of society, the tension. There's a lot going on, a lot of frustrations among a lot of people, causing the general atmosphere to be a lot less relaxed, in my opinion.

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

—In photography...or... ;-)

—Finns det ett liv efter äktenskapet?

—Certainly. When it's a good marriage, it enriches your life a lot. A bad marriage can bring you down by an equal amount though.

—Har du ett favoritskämt? Berätta det för oss.

—I can't. It's too gross.

—Gillar du hundar eller katter?

—I own both. Although I've always considered myself as more of a dog person, I can thoroughly enjoy the relaxed but also stubborn attitude of cats. They have a mind of their own, which I can relate to.

—Vem eller vad hatar du?

—I hate it when people aren't real. Off course, everybody has skeletons in their closet. But too many people pretend to be something their not. Relating to that: I also really dislike how much we're being lied to. In advertising, in politics, in a lot of things. There's very little sincerity and authenticity left.

—Det bästa med livet är:

—Love, good company, good food, sex and friendship.

—Det mest irriterande med livet är:

—Having to type VERY long interviews. Sorry, had to do it ;-)

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

—Yes, quite a few things. But that doesn't mean that I'm not happy!

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

—I'd like to be more patient, and to be able to focus better.

—Vad vill du ändra på i världen?

—Total cliché, but peace. There's too much anger, aggression and frustration. Terrorism, war, mass shootings. Things that are making the world ill. I wish that the world would chill a bit more.

—Kan du ge några råd till nya fotografer?

—Be confident, but don't want too much too fast. Take your time to educate and train yourself. Being a good photographer is hard. You don't become one in a year, but that's a trend I'm seeing. People doing a couple of workshops and styled shoots, and calling themselves a professional wedding photographer after that. Workshops and photoshoots are absolutely nothing like shooting a real wedding. So take the time to develop the skills that are needed for doing that.

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

—I'd love to tell them about planet Earth. And I'd love to hear where they're coming from, and also how they got here.

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

—Probably something artsy, even though I hate that term. I love movies like The Grand Budapest Hotel.

—Imorgon kommer jag att...

—shoot a wedding!