攝影師 Fede Guendel

—您上相嗎？

—Good one! Ana and I often get asked by other photographers from all over the world to pose for them for their portfolios in Paris. Not sure if that means that we are photogenic, we are just different and that is always fun to photograph.

—您如何開始從事攝影行業？

—My wife has had a wedding photography business in Austria before we even met and I was working in fashion photography. Once we tied the knot and moved to Paris it was just a natural thing for me to join forces with her and now we work as a tandem. Every single photo we deliver gets shot by either of us, color corrected by Ana and then skin retouched by me to the fashion photography standard.

—您認為一張好照片裡最重要的元素有哪些？

—As an avid cinema lover I'm fascinated with capturing emotion in a cinematographic way. The true connection read in the photograph in one frozen in time moment for me is what makes a good photograph. It has to tell a story and reflect the character of people in it. If it we up to me I wouldn't care for the backdrop, but working in Paris it's a fine line between architecture vs the couple in it. Still discovering my way to tell the best narrative while also focussing on the backdrop to it.

—您熱愛旅行嗎？

—Yes! Being from Costa Rica I have lived in Sweden, Canada, the US, Austria and now France, my wife is Russian and she lived in Italy, Germany and Austria before we met. In between the two of us we speak 6 languages, so traveling is a way of live for us and we enjoy it immensely.

—您最喜歡這個職業的哪個部分？

—That's an easy one – making people happy!

—您最不喜歡這個職業的哪個部分？

—Time! The reality of the fact that time is a finite resource and catering mostly to travellers we often have to say no to a couple who otherwise would be a perfect fit because another perfect fit has already booked their date. I think saying no in general is the hardest thing for me as a wedding professional!

—攝影的前景如何？

—In the past wedding photography has been a narrow field but now with the advancement of technology and wider variety of choices there are so many paths to develop. Film photography has made a big and luxurious comeback. Social media and search engine optimisation have made it more difficult to shine with just the photos and make us work that much harder on being great marketers too. What my hope is that in the sea of voices and choices it would still be possible for each bride to connect with her perfect storyteller of a photographer, but how only future will show.

—您擅長的攝影類型有什麼特別之處？

—A wedding is a special moment for me when a couple come together in a celebration of what makes them different, defines their choices as individuals and shows all the points two people connect and blend in their unique way. Capturing all the little details and emotions of what makes that couple different from any other couple is what makes wedding photography as epitome of a lovestory magical for me.

—您如何應對批評？

—To quote a comedian "I was raised up to be an insult navy seal" – nothing gets under my skin. I don't mind any opinion and I will always try to get constructive criticism from it.

—攝影有什麼潮流？

—My favorite two are the return of film photography and the return of the vintage film looks driven by the creations of VSCO and MastinLabs.

—客戶選擇攝影師的標準有哪些？

—The very first one – can they see themselves as the people in the photos in the portfolio of this photographer. Second, when they talk to the photographer can they see him/her as potentially being one of their group of friends. This defines whether they like what the photographer has to offer skill-wise and whether the chemistry to capture that is present.

—拍攝時應該避免哪些事項？

—It's a totally situational question – as a wedding photographer I pretty much need to be there and capture what unfolds and not be too intrusive. Not allowed is probably just asking me to hold my camera and play with it LOL.

—通常不會被注意，但攝影師卻能留意的細節有哪些呢？

—Details! Hands holding during the ceremony, mom crying during the vows, the flower girl staring at the bride with an open mouth – those kind of details. During the wedding the guests are so focused on the couple, that what unfolds around them often goes unnoticed to their eyes.

—什麼事物會影響照片的價值？它包含了哪些因素？

—The emotion, the composition, the location – in that order! Yes, the location doesn't matter as much as catching a cinematic and real emotion.

—您認為哪個人可以被視為21世紀的代表人物？

—In a society as diverse as ours I can't name one particular person because that would be too restrictive. I would rather point out a modern day nomad, a boho bride, a Kinkfolk reader – that's the symbol of going back to our roots, appreciating simple and healthy way of life and of love.

—您想拍誰？

—My client. The couple who choose me for my style and my personality and who I feel like they fit well with me.

—您有任何職業禁忌嗎？

—Yes, client poaching. There are plenty of clients for all of us.

—您想和誰一起拍攝？

—I'm a happy man, as I'm already shooting with my perfect partner.

—您會擔心什麼？為什麼？

—The answer is always – time. There is too little of it and always too much to do.

—您人生中印象最深刻的一刻是什麼？

—Getting a callback for a job interview in the team of Rankin, who is one of my fashion photography idols.

—如果您是個卡通、小說或電影角色，您想成為誰？為什麼？

—Christopher Nolan's Interstellar is a metaphorical letter from him to his daughter. In the movie, McConaughey's character Cooper goes through time and space to save his daughter as well as keeping the promise he made to her.
I'd like to believe that I would be Cooper – go through time and space for my family and keep my promise.

—誰能在生命中激發您的靈感？為什麼？

—Bruce Lee, because he had a really inspirational world view.

—您如何定義成功？您會怎麼衡量它？

—Success for me is not having unhappy clients. As long as it's down I now that I'm doing something right.

—您是希望被喜愛或是被景仰呢？

—Respected.

—您在工作上犯過最大的錯誤是什麼？

—Forgetting the name of the bride's mom. Embarrassing!

—當您要去旅行時，您會帶什麼？為什麼？

—Passport, medicine kit, camera gear, change of clothes. I'm simple this way.

—在您擁有的物品中，有任何您希望沒買過的嗎？為什麼？

—Nope.

—您如何學習拍出更好的照片呢？

—Look, look, and look. Wedding blogs and favorite photographers help me to identify what I gravitate towards the most.

—身為攝影師，誰的作品對您影響最大？

—My wife and Ivan Troyanovsky. As they are friends it's really – being a part of that creative group that puts cinematography first.

—哪件事是您希望從開始拍照時就知道的？

—That answering emails and managing business is taking up more time than the actual picture taking. Having been prepared for that I would have an easier road.

—您想用自己的照片說些什麼？

—For me it's not what I want to say but what I want the captured moment to say – I want my photo to end up on the wall in my couple's house and for them to tell their grandchildren all the stories about their wedding day when they ask.

—讓您持續拍照的動力是什麼？

—My wife – seeing her passion for it and being able to be alongside her in our life and our work. There is no other thing I'd rather be doing.

—您的雙親應該更加或是更不嚴厲呢？

—I wasn't really raised by a full family, rather my life has taught me and I wouldn't change a thing.

—如果能回到過去，您會有什麼不同舉動呢？

—So far so good.

—您對在其他星球上的生命有什麼看法呢？

—Sure :)

—誰是您的英雄？

—Bruce Lee, Valentino Rossi, my wife.