Fotograf Steve Grogan

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

—Oooooh crikey, that is a very good question. There are many that I admire from my home city, but I'll plump for Pete Farrell of Pixies in the Cellar. His eye for composition is just ridiculous!

—Är du fotogenisk?

—No. I absolutely hate having my photograph taken as I have a head like a thumb.

—Hur började du inom fotografi?

—If you'd have told me 5-6 years ago that I'd be a wedding photographer I'd have laughed at you. I believed that all wedding photography was contrived nonsense and it didn't appeal to me at all. However, once I'd photographed a couple of weddings as a second shooter I realised that wedding photography could be whatever you wanted it to be. So I took the plunge!

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

—For me it's all about the moment and composition. I'm not overly technical and don't stress about a little over/under exposure. The moment is so important to me.

—Älskar du att resa?

—Yes. I love it. Thankfully I've been able to travel rather a lot and being my own boss has enabled me to do more than ever.

—Vad gillar du mest med ditt yrke?

—Perhaps a little cliched, but I like the idea of leaving behind images for future generations to enjoy. Plus I get to work alongside some amazing people. I've made friends for life since I started out.

—Vad gillar du minst med ditt yrke?

—Of course, there is always going to be something. The only part I don't enjoy is doing the staged group photos, but that's only a tiny percentage of the wedding so I can live with that.

—Hur kommer framtiden för fotografering att se ut?

—I honestly have no idea. Who knows what the future holds?

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

—Wedding photographers have to deal with a myriad of changing lighting situations throughout the day. This is definitely one of the most challenging aspects, especially when there are restrictions placed on you by churches for example, where you are rarely allowed to add any flash.

—Hur hanterar du kritik?

—I take it on the chin. If it's unsolicited then I'll always question it, but any constructive feedback I get is valued as it'll help me to improve.

—Finns det några trender inom fotografering?

—A lot of weddings in the UK do follow a similar pattern, so it's quite easy for your images to eventually become repetitive.

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

—If I was looking for a wedding photographer then I'd obviously be looking for someone whose images connected with me in some way. Once you've established that you like the images then I would advise any future newlyweds to meet up with the photographer, go for a beer/coffee/cake, have a chat with them, see if you like them as they are going to be around for pretty much all of your day.

—Vad är absolut inte tillåtet under fotograferingen?

—For me, not much. I'd photograph anything if it happened at a wedding. Obviously, if someone objected for any reason then I'd stop. But I'd also use my common sense and gut feeling.

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

—One thing I learned quite early on was to step away from the couple for most of the day. There is so much going on around them that you can miss if you are too focussed on photographing just the couple. My couples seem to appreciate that I can show them images from moments they had no idea happened on their wedding day.

—Vad påverkar fotots värde? Vilka är dess element?

—Any photo can hold value to anyone. I've probably taken thousands of "average" simple photos that could be so valuable to my couples and their families/friends. For example, someone who has recently passed away. Those photos then become priceless.

—Vilken person tycker du symboliserar 2000-talet?

—Mark Zuckerberg, undoubtedly.

—Vem vill du fotografera?

—Easy one. I'd love to spend some time photographing and chatting with Sir Alex Ferguson.

—Vad oroar du dig över och varför?

—Yes, the constant wars all over the world. Utterly awful.

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

—Bananaman.

—Hur definierar du framgång? Hur mäter du framgång?

—Happiness is the only measure of success. People who equate money to success are totally missing the point, in my opinion.

—Föredrar du att vara omtyckt eller respekterad?

—A bit of both.

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

—I travel light.

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

—Practice, practice and practice. Take photos, thousands of them. And if you don't like them or they don't look right, figure out why that is, and then work on it. That's pretty much how I managed to become an established full-time professional. I lived and breathed photography until I was confident I'd reached a certain level of competency to be able to charge money for my work. Oh, and practice more. Did I mention practice?

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

—There are a few whose work I admire and these were inspiring for me when I was first dipping my toes into the world of wedding photography. Andrew Billington, Alan Law, Steven Rooney, Adam Johnson, Two Mann Studios & Pete Farrell are all wedding photographers that I admire. There are more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.

—Vad motiverar dig att fortsätta att ta bilder?

—The genuine love for what I do. Being surrounded by happy people is infectious and good for my soul. I rarely do negativity.

—Borde dina föräldrar ha varit mer eller mindre strikta?

—Possible more strict, especially at meal times as I have a lot of mental blocks to certain types of food.

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

—I'd probably have traveled more in my late teens/early twenties.

—Tror du att det finns liv på andra planeter?

—Based on the laws of probability, I'd say yes.

—Vad gör du på fritiden?

—With my family and friends plus lots of napping with my dogs, reading, traveling and being idle.

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

—My insecurities tend to be kept under lock and key. But I worry myself to sleep most nights.

—Är det enkelt för dig att skaffa vänner?

—Yes, I like to think so.

—Var skulle du vilja bo?

—Reykjavik, Iceland.

—Har du ett favoritskämt? Berätta det för oss.

—Why was the sand wet? Because the sea weed.

—Gillar du hundar eller katter?

—Dogs.

—Vem eller vad hatar du?

—Hate is a strong word. Wow. That's a hard one. Perhaps Donald Trump or Theresa May could fall into that category.

—Imorgon kommer jag att...

—I'm going out with some fellow photographers for drinks in Manchester. Our weekends tend to be during the week given what we do for a living.