Fotograf Stephanie Kindermann

—Först och främst - vem kan du nämna som den bästa fotografen i Brisbane, Australien? :)

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

—Är du fotogenisk?

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

—Hur började du inom fotografi?

—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.

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

—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.

—Älskar du att resa?

—I live for it.

—Vad gillar du mest med ditt yrke?

—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.

—Vad gillar du minst med ditt yrke?

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

—Hur kommer framtiden för fotografering att se ut?

—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.

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

—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.

—Hur hanterar du kritik?

—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.

—Finns det några trender inom fotografering?

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

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

—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.

—Vad är absolut inte tillåtet under fotograferingen?

—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.

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

—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.

—Vad påverkar fotots värde? Vilka är dess element?

—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.

—Vilken person tycker du symboliserar 2000-talet?

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

—Vem vill du fotografera?

—People madly in love.

—Har du några professionella tabun?

—I am a woman of no limits.

—Vem skulle du vilja fotografera med?

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

—Vad oroar du dig över och varför?

—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.

—Vilket är det mest imponerande ögonblicket i ditt liv?

—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.

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

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

—Vem är din inspirationskälla i livet och varför?

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

—Hur definierar du framgång? Hur mäter du framgång?

—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?

—Föredrar du att vara omtyckt eller respekterad?

—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.

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

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

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

—My husband, because he can read maps.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—Vad försöker du säga med dina fotografier?

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

—Vad motiverar dig att fortsätta att ta bilder?

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

—Borde dina föräldrar ha varit mer eller mindre strikta?

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

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

—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.

—Tror du att det finns liv på andra planeter?

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

—Vilka är dina hjältar?

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

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

—Paedophiles

—Vad gör du på fritiden?

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

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

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

—När är du fullständigt tillfredsställd med ditt arbete?

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

—Tror du på de traditionella mans- och kvinnorollerna?

—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.

—Är det enkelt för dig att skaffa vänner?

—Yes

—Var skulle du vilja bo?

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

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

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

—Finns det ett liv efter äktenskapet?

—YES! It just keeps getting better!

—Har du ett favoritskämt? Berätta det för oss.

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

—Gillar du hundar eller katter?

—Cats. I'm not embarrassed.

—Vem eller vad hatar du?

—Celery. Eww

—Det bästa med livet är:

—Champagne and cheeses with friends.

—Det mest irriterande med livet är:

—People farting next to you on flights.

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

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

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

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

—Vad vill du ändra på i världen?

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

—Kan du ge några råd till nya fotografer?

—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!

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

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

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

—Whatever genre Monty Python calls itself.

—Imorgon kommer jag att...

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