Photographer Jo-Ann Stokes

—Ikaw ba ay photogenic?

—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.

—Paano ka nagsimula sa industriya ng photography?

—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!

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

—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.

—Mahilig ka ba maglakbay?

—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.

—Ano ang pinakagusto mo sa iyong propesyon?

—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.

—Ano ang hindi mo gusto sa iyong propesyon?

—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!

—Ano ang magiging kinabukasan ng photography?

—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.

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

—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"

—Paano ka tumatanggap ng pagpuna?

—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!

—Mayroon bang mga trend ang photography?

—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.

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

—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.

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

—Cheesy!

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

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

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

—The emotion, the impact of the image!

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

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

—Sino ang gusto mong kuhaan?

—My next bride!

—Mayroon ka bang mga propesyonal na ipinagbabawal?

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

—Sino ang gusto mong makasama sa pagkuha ng larawan?

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

—Ano ang ikinababahala mo, at bakit?

—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.

—Ano ang pinakahanga-hangang pagkakataon sa iyong buhay?

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

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

—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.

—Sino ang nagbibigay inspirasyon sa iyong buhay at bakit?

—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.

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

—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.

—Mas pipiliin mo bang magustuhan o nirerespeto?

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

—Ano ang pinakamalaking pagkakamali ang nagawa mo sa trabaho?

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

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

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

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

—a few items ...too numerous to mention

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

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

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

—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.

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

—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.

—Ano ang nais mong sabihin sa iyong mga larawan?

—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.

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

—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.

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

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

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

—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.

—Paano naman ang buhay sa ibang mga planeta?

—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.

—Sino ang iyong mga bayani?

—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

—Kanino ka walang respeto?

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

—Ano ang iyong ginagawa sa iyong bakanteng oras?

—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.

—Anong bahagi mo ang hindi nakikita ng publiko?

—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.

—Kailan ka ganap na nasisiyahan sa iyong trabaho?

—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!

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

—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.

—Mabilis ka ba makipagkaibigan?

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

—Saan mo gustong manirahan?

—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 ;)

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

—A nude shoot

—Mayroon bang buhay pagkatapos ng kasal?

—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!

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

—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!

—Mahilig ka ba sa mga aso at pusa?

—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!

—Sino o ano ang iyong kinasusuklaman?

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

—Ang pinakamahalagang bagay sa buhay ay:

—free!

—Ang pinakanakakainis na bagay sa buhay ay:

—People who do not listen

—Mayroong ba sa iyong paligid na nais mong baguhin?

—Yes, our incompetent government!

—Ano ang nais mong baguhin sa iyong sarili?

—I wish I had more time!

—Ano ang nais mong baguhin sa mundo?

—Evil

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

—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!

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

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

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

—A romance or a drama

—Bukas ako pupunta at gagawa...

—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!