Fotoğrafçı Laura Otoya

—Fotojenik olduğunuzu düşünüyor musunuz?

—Only whenever I'm not faking my smile ;)

—Fotoğrafçılık endüstrisine nasıl giriş yaptınız?

—I had always loved taking photos as a hobby but had no real knowledge on the subject. I was working at Citibank in one of those "dream jobs" that everyone wants only when they don't have it... I couldn't sleep, I dreamed with workflow diagrams (REALLY!) and I felt I just needed an escape. I bought my first semipro camera and registered into La Salle College. I took two courses and was just hooked, but never thought of pursuing photography as a career. After two years I met Gustavo (my fiancé and business partner) and since we both loved photography we took our cameras everywhere. Our friends began telling us that we took awesome photos and we should think about making it more than a hobby. We began investigating and went to a few weddings as second shooters until we felt ready to take on the responsibility on our own. We are both currently full time wedding photographers!

—Sizce iyi bir fotoğrafın en önemli bileşenleri nelerdir?

—Moment, emotion, light and composition.

—Seyahat etmeyi sever misiniz?

—I absolutely love to travel and hope to be able to see and photograph the world!

—Mesleğinizle ilgili en sevdiğiniz şey nedir?

—Every wedding implies an emotional surge that renews me. I absolutely enjoy getting to know every client, helping and providing any assessment they may need, before and during their wedding day. We have made quite a few new friends thanks to this profession!

—Mesleğinizin en zor tarafı nedir?

—There is way to much envy and nasty competition only based on pricing. Thankfully we have met a few collegues that share our view of being more human and friendly than competitive.

—Fotoğrafçılığının geleceği konusunda neler düşünüyorsunuz?

—Brides and grooms who previously made the mistake of thinking "I have a friend who owns a professional camera" or "My uncle Bob will take care of the photos" or "I found a photographer who is INCREDIBLY cheaper than you" or even "my friend who takes photos for National Geographic offered to take my photos at no charge" are now alarming their own friends and suggesting they should invest in a profesional and experienced wedding photographer. Clients are beginning to realize that investing millions in flowers it not worth it if you don't at least have good photos to remember them by. So... the future? I'd say its just bound to be brighter every day!

—Uzmanlaştığınız fotoğrafçılık türünü özel kılan şey nedir?

—The emotional component in the atmosphere that you can feel, capture and relive. As well as the amount of detail and effort that you know was put into making the day perfect... and knowing that you (or us in my case) are the ones responsible for making the couple and their family and friends be able to remember even more than what they were actually able to see.

—Eleştiriler karşısında yaklaşımınız nasıl oluyor?

—I try to receive it in a constructive way in order to improve. I would actually enjoy receiving more constructive criticism from colleagues.

—Fotoğrafçılığı ile ilgili yeni trendler var mı?

—I think there are several trends (some in fashion, others not so much) regarding the way you approach a wedding and there are also trends in the way images are edited and post-processed. None better than others, just different.

—Müşteriler fotoğrafçı seçerken ne gibi kriterleri göz önünde bulundurmalıdırlar?

—I believe they should just love their style and approach on weddings and feel connected and confident about their choice. If there is any reason to doubt, rethink.

—Fotoğraf çekimi sırasında kesinlikle izin vermeyeceğiniz şeyler nelerdir?

—Hmm... chewing gum? Wearing high heels? I don't know I guess anything that would be uncomfortable for your clients, their guests or even yourself.

—Bir fotoğrafçı diğerlerinin görmediği hangi detayları yakalayabilir?

—I would say the actions (emotional connection and complicity) between the bride and groom and the actions and reactions of the guests to whatever is going on. Practice makes us better observers in time.

—Fotoğrafın değerini belirleyen şey nedir? Ne gibi unsurları vardır?

—I believe in wedding photography there is value only when the photo is actually valuable for someone. The emotional component in the photo can make it even more valuable, and to some viewers, more or even less beautiful. You may have taken a photo that is your favorite of all times, but if the bride and groom divorce, the photo will have no value whatsoever to them and will loose sense even for you. You may take a regular portrait of the groom with his grandmother and then find out that grandma passed a few months after... that photo is invaluable to him and very valuable to you, but may be of no value to others. So elements? I guess the main one would be love.

—Sizce 21. yüzyılın sembolü kim olabilir?

—There's still more than 80 years left in the century lets give it more time ;)

—Kimi fotoğraflamak istersiniz?

—Happy and enamoured brides and grooms.

—Mesleğinizle ilgili tabularınız var mı?

—Nothing that I would consider a taboo comes to mind at the moment.

—Birlikte fotoğraf çekmek istediğiniz birisi var mı?

—There are a few renown wedding photographers that I would love to learn from and see, but I believe I already shoot with my favorite person in the world.

—Hangi konularda endişeleriniz var ve neden?

—I think I worry about the future that is meant to the following generations. I just see hatred, destruction and evil everywhere.

—Hayatınızda sizi en çok etkileyen an?

—Hmmm first thing that comes to mind was my engagement, it was at night on Charles Bridge in Prague with the view the Prague Castle. Totally surprising, romantic and impressive!

—Çizgi film, edebiyat veya sinema karakteri olsaydınız nasıl bir karakter olmak isterdiniz, neden?

—Captain Planet. I would just love to have the power to "bring pollution down to zero".

—Hayatınızda size ilham veren birisi var mı? Neden?

—My fiancé and my family. They are motors in my life and I want to always see them happy.

—Kısaca başarıyı tanımlar mısınız? Başarıyı nasıl ölçersiniz?

—Being able to live happily, peacefully and freely. Finding the joy in everything you do (specially for a living), and enjoying both the simple and the complex.

—Beğenilmeyi mi yoksa saygınlığı mı tercih edersiniz?

—Liked. I'd say most people that like you will respect you anyway. If respect is only a manifestation of hypocrisy, in the long run you inspire nothing.

—Bugüne kadar işinizle ilgili yaptığınız en büyük hatanız nedir?

—Hmm... I once sent an album off for printing and when I received it I realized that the bride had a black smudge on her cheek in the photo of the kiss. I went to look at the original photo and when I zoomed in I discovered that the black smudge was actually a huge mosquito. Of course I had to send it back and pay for the correction. I now zoom in to anything that I'm not so sure is a mole.

—Bir seyahate giderken yanınıza alacağınız şey nedir? Niçin?

—A very good smartphone. It holds all important information, allows you to use GPS applications, access the internet, communicate with loved ones and take (good-enough) daytime photos and video. I've never had to travel without additionally taking my camera but it ends up being "too much" when all you need is a selfie or a fellow tourist that can actually take a photo that is in focus.

—Kullandığınız cihazlar arasında keşke satın almasaydım dediğiniz bir cihaz var mı? Neden?

—While you learn what is truly important you spend on things you think you need. I would totally take back a few backdrops that I bought expecting to have extra time during the week to do lots of newborn photography. Whenever I need a backdrop I use different alternatives anyway.

—Daha iyi fotoğraflar çekmek adına kendinizi nasıl geliştiriyorsunuz?

—"Practice makes the master” and I do feel I learn more with every wedding we shoot. However we try to find time to do at least one professional workshop every year, read and investigate ways to improve and perfect technical knowledge, follow and analyze photos taken by other colleges (not only weddings), take online courses and watch good movies.

—Bir fotoğrafçısı olarak çalışmalarından en çok etkilendiğiniz kişi kimdir?

—Susan Stripling.

—Fotoğraf çekmeye başladığınızda bilmeyi istediğiniz en önemli şey nedir?

—No matter how much effort you put into a photo or how much heart you involve in making the image the best, "beauty still is in the eye of the beholder". You just can't suffer or take it personal if in the end it doesn't even make the photo album.

—Fotoğraflarınızda neleri anlatmak istersiniz?

—I just want my images to speak for themselves.

—Neler fotoğraf çekme arzunuzu motive ediyor?

—The value that so many clients give to our work and the fact that the value of many of them will increase even more during time. Reading the testimonial section in our blog is a permanent motivation!

—Ailem daha otoriter veya daha özgürlükçü olmalıydı diye hiç düşündünüz mü?

—They did their best and surely made mistakes like every parent, but bottom line is I always felt loved. I think they should have been just like they were because that's what has made me the person I am today.

—Geçmişe gidebilseydin neyi değiştirmeyi isterdin?

—I would have spent less on the unnecessary and more on experiences and travel.

—Diğer gezegenlerde de yaşam olduğunu düşünüyor musunuz?

—Seriously? NASA will surely answer this one better than I can.

—Herhangi bir kahramanınız var mı?

—I have considered my father my hero for as long as I can remember. Total admiration <3

—Kime saygı duymazsınız?

—People who treat you like crap just because they think they are in a "higher" place than you are.

—Boş zamanlarınızda neler yaparsınız?

—I try to spend more quality time with my friends and family. If there is singing involved, better yet!

—Diğer insanların hiç bilmediği farklı bir yönünüz var mı?

—Depends on the public... I am very sensitive but I don't show it much. A few wedding vows and speeches have made me cry in "public" recently.

—Şu ana kadar tam olarak tatmin olduğun bir çalışma oldu mu?

—Whenever we receive a call or message from the bride and groom expressing how happy they are with their photos.

—Kadınların ve erkeklerin geleneksel rolleri hakkında neler düşünüyorsunuz?

—I was born in a very traditional household but believe roles have changed for justifiable reasons.

—İnsanlarla hemen arkadaş olabilir misiniz?

—I consider myself a friendly person but I am not very good at being in contact with everybody. I've always hated spending hours on the phone (not even as a teenager that I actually tried). My true friends know they can count on me and I'm always there even if we don't see or speak to each other often.

—Nerede yaşamayı isterdiniz?

—A retirement in the Rosario Islands in Cartagena would be a dream come true. In the meantime I prefer to be someplace where I can travel for both work and pleasure easily. Bogotá is ideal in this case.

—Kesinlikle yapmayı kabul etmediğiniz en aptalca şey nedir?

—Go Bungee Jumping off a 130 meter viaduct near Cajamarca, Colombia.

—Evlilik sonrası hayat konusunda neler düşünüyorsunuz?

—If I didn't think so I wouldn't be getting married!

—Çok sevdiğiniz bir fıkra var mı? Eğer varsa bizimle paylaşır mısınız?

—I am so bad at jokes I can never remember any.

—Kedileri veya köpekleri sever misiniz?

—Both!!

—Kimden veya ne yapmaktan nefret edersiniz?

—Hypocrisy and superficiality.

—Hayatınızdaki en iyi şey:

—Having enough reasons to smile and laugh often.

—Hayatınızdaki en sinir bozucu şey:

—When you just feel 24 hour days aren't enough and there is nothing you can do about it.

—Çevrenizde değiştirmek istediğiniz bir şeyler var mı?

—Nope, just go with the flow.

—Kendinizde neyi değiştirmek isterdiniz?

—I would be a little less stubborn and a little more wild.

—Dünyadaki neleri değiştirmek isterdiniz?

—Lack of love, indifference, injustice, misery, envy and resentment.

—Fotoğrafçılığına yeni başlayanlar için birkaç ipucu verebilirsiniz?

—Start off as second shooters while you truly learn the dynamic of wedding photography... and don't just do it for the money.

—Uzaylılar dünyaya gelse ve onların karşısına çıkan ilk kişi siz olsanız, onlara ne derdiniz?

—I'd probably just stare (or hide) and be totally incapable of communication. Unless they look like ET.

—Sizden bir film çekmeniz istenseydi, bu ne tür bir film olurdu?

—Drama – hopefully taking place in an inspiring city like Prague.

—Yarın yapacağım...

—Tomorrow is saturday... take a wild guess!?