Fotograf Jo-Ann Stokes

—Är du fotogenisk?

—Unfortunately not ....but probably best that I am not because it makes me try extra hard to make my couples feel comfortable in front of the lens and capture beautiful photographs that they will love of themselves.

—Hur började du inom fotografi?

—Purely by accident to be honest! My trip into photography started by documenting my life, my kids and then into landscape photography. A friend saw my photos, told her friend who was getting married and they contacted me and asked me to do their wedding. I explained that I had never done a wedding but they were fine with that. I loved it ....and the rest ...is history! And my first clients are still one of my biggest fans!

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

—A photograph that touches your soul ...no matter the composition, the editing etc ...that makes for a good photo ...no actually, that makes for a "great" photo ....but if all you want is good ..then good composition, good lighting and good posing would make a good photo .....I continuously strive to take a "great" photo.

—Älskar du att resa?

—Do you seriously have to ask? I "love" to travel ...it feeds my soul, opens my eyes, enriches my life and makes me appreciate everything that God created for us.

—Vad gillar du mest med ditt yrke?

—The creativity ...if you can visualise it ....you can photograph it! The continious learning curve....there are new things to learn all the time! I am continiously challenged and excited by my profession.

—Vad gillar du minst med ditt yrke?

—The admin!! Wish we were taking photographs 100% of the time ...unfortunately its only a small portion of our workload. And selling myself ...I find it so hard to do!

—Hur kommer framtiden för fotografering att se ut?

—There will alwasy be a future for wedding photography ...people will continously fall in love and want to get married and start families of that I have no doubt ....I think how we photograph weddings will stay fundamentally the same ..but the way we grab our image might change. I see change coming in the fact that we will film the wedding and grab our photographs from the video ...and I am excited about that because a hair breadth of a second can make all the difference to an image.

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

—Wedding photography is special because it makes you forget all the bad things in the world for a few brief moments. It makes you believe that the world is all rosy, full of love and that there is bright future ahead and there is truth in fairytales and the "happy ever after"

—Hur hanterar du kritik?

—Well I am a creative ...so lets just say ...it can hurt! But I am also open-minded so I can take a step back and look at it through that persons eyes and see if their criticism is valuable. Good criticism is worth its weight in gold!

—Finns det några trender inom fotografering?

—There are always trends in photography! The question needs to be asked ..how will your images look in 30 years ...will the trend stand the test of time. Quality, timeless photography will never date.

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

—Initially the couple should love the photography ...it should speak to them. But the most important criteria is that you like your photographer and feel comfortable with them....you will spend a large part of your day with this person in your space ..its best that you like them.

—Vad är absolut inte tillåtet under fotograferingen?

—Cheesy!

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

—We can see moments that develop and are waiting for them to happen.

—Vad påverkar fotots värde? Vilka är dess element?

—The emotion, the impact of the image!

—Vilken person tycker du symboliserar 2000-talet?

—The co-founders of google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. And our very own, Nelson Mandela!

—Vem vill du fotografera?

—My next bride!

—Har du några professionella tabun?

—One or two ...nudity is not my thing!

—Vem skulle du vilja fotografera med?

—Thats a tough one ...Jose Villa, ..I love his pastel, airy, film look but I also love the dark, moody look from Susan Stripling.

—Vad oroar du dig över och varför?

—I worry about my children ...I am first and foremost a Mom! From a wedding photographers perspective ..that I lose a wedding due to faulty cards, crashing computers & harddrives. I have made every provision to safeguard my clients weddings but it is natural to worry about their images.

—Vilket är det mest imponerande ögonblicket i ditt liv?

—The birth of my sons. Everything else pales into insignificance in comparison to those moments.

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

—I am enjoying the character, Elizabeth McCord from Madam Secretary at the moment. She handles problems with intelligence, respect and sensitivity in very fragile situations.

—Vem är din inspirationskälla i livet och varför?

—My family inspire me ...they inspire me to be better...they inspire me to prove to them that life is for living and that you make your own destiny with the choices and decisions that you make. Every action has a reaction. Mistakes are not always bad as the experience it teaches you is sometimes more valuable that getting something 100% correct.

—Hur definierar du framgång? Hur mäter du framgång?

—A successful person is a person who has balance in their life! A happy marriage, family life & career ..is my definition of success! Only having a successful career with money in the bank ...can make for a very lonely/empty life.

—Föredrar du att vara omtyckt eller respekterad?

—Neither ....I would prefer to be loved!

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

—When I worked in banking ....I paid a rather large sum of money into the wrong persons account!

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

—My camera and a lens ...do I need anything more?

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

—a few items ...too numerous to mention

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

—I attend workshops, watch videos, practice, practice, practice!

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

—Many of my photographer friends have in their own small way influenced me. Each one has at some stage dropped a pearl of wisdom on my eager ears.

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

—I initially started to play around with a camera when i was a teenager ...I wish I had figured out then, that this was the career that I loved.

—Vad försöker du säga med dina fotografier?

—I am not big into props ....I prefer the people in my photographs to be the focal point. It is their essence, emotions that tell the story.

—Vad motiverar dig att fortsätta att ta bilder?

—I dont think there is anything that motivates me to continue to take photos ....I think it is an extension of who I am ...even when I dont have my camera with me ...I am still framing photos in my eye and taking a mental photo of a scene.

—Borde dina föräldrar ha varit mer eller mindre strikta?

—They were perfect. I like the way I turned out ...lol!

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

—Nothing ...if i went back in time to change anything ...then my outcome might be very different to where I am now ....and I kind of like where I am now. And if I had actually done photography from a teenager then my people skills would not have been developed. I believe there was a reason for only discovering my love for photography later on.

—Tror du att det finns liv på andra planeter?

—Possible ...but have no interest in finding out ...its bad enough controlling the human race that we have here ...we sure as heck dont need the headache of another race somewhere else.

—Vilka är dina hjältar?

—There are no heroes ....everyone is only human ...we all err on this road we call life. There are people who I respect i.e Nelson Mandela, FW De Klerk, Mother Theresa, Pope Francis, Thuli Madonsela

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

—Dictators, bad politicians, criminals, children and animal abusers! Our president, Jacob Zuma, Stupidity, Robert Mugabe.

—Vad gör du på fritiden?

—My hubby has a Harley Davidson motorbike and we often will go on road trips around the Cape and needless to say ...I take photos. I enjoy socialising with fellow photographers. I walk in a farm close to my house with my dogs.

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

—They dont see me stressed or worried. I show a calm face to the outside world and behind the scenes I make a plan. I also have a wicked sense of humour that I try to keep in check.

—När är du fullständigt tillfredsställd med ditt arbete?

—I wish I knew the answer ...then i would create a formula and stick to it ..but there again then I might end up being bored!

—Tror du på de traditionella mans- och kvinnorollerna?

—Yes and no ....I believe women can do anything they put their minds too ...but I also believe that men are traditionally the hunters and do not enjoy being the hunted. Let them enjoy the chase.

—Är det enkelt för dig att skaffa vänner?

—Very easily. I can chat to complete strangers wherever I am.

—Var skulle du vilja bo?

—If I couldnt live in Cape Town for whatever reason ...then I would go to the next extreme and live in London ...but only if I had a lot of money ;)

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

—A nude shoot

—Finns det ett liv efter äktenskapet?

—lol ...yes, definitely! I have done more and had more fun with my husband than with any other human being. He is the one who has my back, who I rely on, who I can be real with, who accepts me for who I am ...who will look after me when I am sick or sad ....to lend a Greys Anatomy line ..."he is my person" ...but yes there were times when I could have lovingly strangled his neck..he definitely still knows how to push my buttons!

—Har du ett favoritskämt? Berätta det för oss.

—Yes ..I do ...but I think it might be a bit too dirty for a wedding blog ...especially for people considering getting married ...lol! Only old married couples would find it amusing!

—Gillar du hundar eller katter?

—Dogs ...grew up with them all my life! My dad was allergic to cats ..so was never allowed to have one ....so not too sure if I would have loved cats more!

—Vem eller vad hatar du?

—People who are rigid and the world is black and white and do not see outside the box.

—Det bästa med livet är:

—free!

—Det mest irriterande med livet är:

—People who do not listen

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

—Yes, our incompetent government!

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

—I wish I had more time!

—Vad vill du ändra på i världen?

—Evil

—Kan du ge några råd till nya fotografer?

—Be unique ...find your own style ....do not be like sheep and copy everyone else! Trust in the way you see the world ..you will develop!

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

—If you know whats good for you ...turn around and run in the opposite direction

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

—A romance or a drama

—Imorgon kommer jag att...

—some food shopping, a maternity shoot, some editing ...watch our national rugby team , the Springboks play their first game at the Rugby World Cup 15 in England against Japan!