Photographer Gina Stef

—Ikaw ba ay photogenic?

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

—Paano ka nagsimula sa industriya ng photography?

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

—Ano ang mga mahahalagang bahagi ng isang magandang larawan sa iyong opinyon?

—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 :)

—Mahilig ka ba maglakbay?

—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.

—Ano ang pinakagusto mo sa iyong propesyon?

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

—Ano ang hindi mo gusto sa iyong propesyon?

—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!

—Ano ang magiging kinabukasan ng photography?

—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.

—Ano ang espesyal sa kategorya ng photography kung saan ka dalubhasa?

—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.

—Paano ka tumatanggap ng pagpuna?

—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.

—Mayroon bang mga trend ang photography?

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

—Ano ang dapat na pamantayan ng isang customer sa pagpili ng photographer?

—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.

—Ano ang mga bagay na dapat iwasan kapag kumukuha ng larawan?

—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.

—Ano ang mga detalye na kadalasan ay hindi napapansin na napapansin ng photographer?

—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.

—Ano ang mga umiimpluwensya sa kahalagahan ng isang larawan? Ano ang mga element nito?

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

—Sinong tao ang sumisimbolo sa ika-21 siglo sa iyong opinyon?

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

—Sino ang gusto mong kuhaan?

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

—Mayroon ka bang mga propesyonal na ipinagbabawal?

—Yes, to never disappoint our clients!

—Sino ang gusto mong makasama sa pagkuha ng larawan?

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

—Ano ang ikinababahala mo, at bakit?

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

—Ano ang pinakahanga-hangang pagkakataon sa iyong buhay?

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

—Kung ikaw ay isang kartun, libro o karakter sa pelikula, sino ang gugustuhin mong maging at bakit?

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

—Sino ang nagbibigay inspirasyon sa iyong buhay at bakit?

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

—Paano mo binibigyang kahulugan ang tagumpay? Paano mo tinitimbang ito?

—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.

—Mas pipiliin mo bang magustuhan o nirerespeto?

—Both, of course!

—Ano ang pinakamalaking pagkakamali ang nagawa mo sa trabaho?

—I made only small mistakes :)

—Kapag ikaw ay naglalakbay, ano ang dinadala mo at bakit?

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

—Mayroon ka bang kahilingan na hindi mo pa nabibili maliban sa mga gadget na mayroon ka? Bakit?

—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.

—Paano mo tinuturuan ang sarili mo na kumuha ng mas magagandang mga larawan?

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

—Kaninong mga gawa ang may malaking nagimpluwensiya sa iyo bilang photographer?

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

—Ano ang isang bagay na nais mong malaman noong nagumpisa ka sa pagkuha ng mga larawan?

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

—Ano ang nais mong sabihin sa iyong mga larawan?

—People are beautiful!

—Ano ang nag-uudyok sa iyo na ipagpatuloy ang pagkuha ng mga larawan?

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

—Ang iyong magulang ba ay dapat naging mas o hindi gaanong istrikto?

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

—Kung maaari mong balikan ang nakaraan, ano ang babaguhin mo?

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

—Paano naman ang buhay sa ibang mga planeta?

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

—Sino ang iyong mga bayani?

—Lebowski from "The Big Lebowski" film!

—Kanino ka walang respeto?

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

—Ano ang iyong ginagawa sa iyong bakanteng oras?

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

—Anong bahagi mo ang hindi nakikita ng publiko?

—I'd have to kill you...

—Kailan ka ganap na nasisiyahan sa iyong trabaho?

—Never!

—Naniniwala ka ba sa tradisyunal na mga papel para mga sa lalaki at babae?

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

—Mabilis ka ba makipagkaibigan?

—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.

—Saan mo gustong manirahan?

—San Francisco, some 50 years ago.

—Ano ang pinakamangmang na bagay na sinang-ayunan mong gawin?

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

—Mayroon bang buhay pagkatapos ng kasal?

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

—Mayroon ka bang paboritong biro? Sabihin mo sa amin.

—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!"

—Mahilig ka ba sa mga aso at pusa?

—Both, but mostly cats.

—Sino o ano ang iyong kinasusuklaman?

—Ignorance and arrogance together.

—Ang pinakamahalagang bagay sa buhay ay:

—Combining your hobby and your job.

—Ang pinakanakakainis na bagay sa buhay ay:

—Having a job and a hobby-job :)

—Mayroong ba sa iyong paligid na nais mong baguhin?

—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.

—Ano ang nais mong baguhin sa iyong sarili?

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

—Ano ang nais mong baguhin sa mundo?

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

—Maaari ka bang magbigay ng mga tip para sa mga photographer na nagsisimula pa lamang?

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

—Kung ang mga alien ay pumunta sa Earth at ikaw ang una nilang makikilala, ano ang sasabihin mo sakanila?

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

—Kung ikaw ay tatawagin upang mag-shoot ng pelikula, ano ang magiging kategorya nito?

—Some moody drama

—Bukas ako pupunta at gagawa...

—some portraits, for sure!