Nhiếp ảnh gia Steve Grogan

—Trước tiên - ai là người bạn cho là tốt nhất nhiếp ảnh gia trong Manchester, Vương Quốc Anh? :)

—Oooooh crikey, that is a very good question. There are many that I admire from my home city, but I'll plump for Pete Farrell of Pixies in the Cellar. His eye for composition is just ridiculous!

—Bạn có ăn ảnh không?

—No. I absolutely hate having my photograph taken as I have a head like a thumb.

—Bạn bước chân vào nghề chụp ảnh như thế nào?

—If you'd have told me 5-6 years ago that I'd be a wedding photographer I'd have laughed at you. I believed that all wedding photography was contrived nonsense and it didn't appeal to me at all. However, once I'd photographed a couple of weddings as a second shooter I realised that wedding photography could be whatever you wanted it to be. So I took the plunge!

—Theo ý kiến của bạn, những thành phần nào là quan trọng nhất của một bức ảnh đẹp?

—For me it's all about the moment and composition. I'm not overly technical and don't stress about a little over/under exposure. The moment is so important to me.

—Bạn có yêu thích du lịch không?

—Yes. I love it. Thankfully I've been able to travel rather a lot and being my own boss has enabled me to do more than ever.

—Điều bạn thích nhất trong nghề của mình là gì?

—Perhaps a little cliched, but I like the idea of leaving behind images for future generations to enjoy. Plus I get to work alongside some amazing people. I've made friends for life since I started out.

—Điều bạn không thích nhất trong nghề của mình là gì?

—Of course, there is always going to be something. The only part I don't enjoy is doing the staged group photos, but that's only a tiny percentage of the wedding so I can live with that.

—Tương lai của nghề chụp ảnh sẽ như thế nào?

—I honestly have no idea. Who knows what the future holds?

—Bạn có chuyên môn đặc biệt về thể loại ảnh nào?

—Wedding photographers have to deal with a myriad of changing lighting situations throughout the day. This is definitely one of the most challenging aspects, especially when there are restrictions placed on you by churches for example, where you are rarely allowed to add any flash.

—Thái độ của bạn trước những lời phê bình như thế nào?

—I take it on the chin. If it's unsolicited then I'll always question it, but any constructive feedback I get is valued as it'll help me to improve.

—Có bất kỳ xu hướng nào trong ngành nhiếp ảnh không?

—A lot of weddings in the UK do follow a similar pattern, so it's quite easy for your images to eventually become repetitive.

—Khách hàng nên có tiêu chí nào để lựa chọn nhiếp ảnh gia?

—If I was looking for a wedding photographer then I'd obviously be looking for someone whose images connected with me in some way. Once you've established that you like the images then I would advise any future newlyweds to meet up with the photographer, go for a beer/coffee/cake, have a chat with them, see if you like them as they are going to be around for pretty much all of your day.

—Cần tránh những điều gì khi chụp ảnh?

—For me, not much. I'd photograph anything if it happened at a wedding. Obviously, if someone objected for any reason then I'd stop. But I'd also use my common sense and gut feeling.

—Những chi tiết nào thường bị bỏ qua mà một nhiếp ảnh gia lại để ý?

—One thing I learned quite early on was to step away from the couple for most of the day. There is so much going on around them that you can miss if you are too focussed on photographing just the couple. My couples seem to appreciate that I can show them images from moments they had no idea happened on their wedding day.

—Cái gì ảnh hưởng tới giá trị của một tấm ảnh? Giá trị gồm các yếu tố nào?

—Any photo can hold value to anyone. I've probably taken thousands of "average" simple photos that could be so valuable to my couples and their families/friends. For example, someone who has recently passed away. Those photos then become priceless.

—Theo ý kiến của bạn người nào có thể là biểu tượng của thế kỷ 21?

—Mark Zuckerberg, undoubtedly.

—Bạn muốn chụp ai?

—Easy one. I'd love to spend some time photographing and chatting with Sir Alex Ferguson.

—Bạn lo lắng điều gì, và tại sao?

—Yes, the constant wars all over the world. Utterly awful.

—Nếu bạn là một nhân vật trong một bộ phim hoạt hình, một cuốn sách hay một bộ phim thì bạn muốn là ai và tại sao?

—Bananaman.

—Bạn định nghĩa thành công là gì? Bạn đo lường thành công như thế nào?

—Happiness is the only measure of success. People who equate money to success are totally missing the point, in my opinion.

—Bạn muốn được yêu thích hay được tôn trọng?

—A bit of both.

—Khi đi du lịch, bạn mang theo những thứ gì và tại sao?

—I travel light.

—Bạn tự học cách chụp ảnh như thế nào?

—Practice, practice and practice. Take photos, thousands of them. And if you don't like them or they don't look right, figure out why that is, and then work on it. That's pretty much how I managed to become an established full-time professional. I lived and breathed photography until I was confident I'd reached a certain level of competency to be able to charge money for my work. Oh, and practice more. Did I mention practice?

—Tác phẩm của ai gây ảnh hưởng nhiều nhất với bạn khi làm nhiếp ảnh gia?

—There are a few whose work I admire and these were inspiring for me when I was first dipping my toes into the world of wedding photography. Andrew Billington, Alan Law, Steven Rooney, Adam Johnson, Two Mann Studios & Pete Farrell are all wedding photographers that I admire. There are more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.

—Động lực nào khiến bạn tiếp tục chụp ảnh?

—The genuine love for what I do. Being surrounded by happy people is infectious and good for my soul. I rarely do negativity.

—Bố mẹ bạn nên nghiêm khắc hơn hay bớt nghiêm khắc đi?

—Possible more strict, especially at meal times as I have a lot of mental blocks to certain types of food.

—Nếu bạn có thể du hành ngược thời gian, bạn sẽ làm điều gì khác đi?

—I'd probably have traveled more in my late teens/early twenties.

—Cuộc sống trên các hành tinh khác như thế nào?

—Based on the laws of probability, I'd say yes.

—Bạn làm gì trong thời gian rỗi?

—With my family and friends plus lots of napping with my dogs, reading, traveling and being idle.

—Khía cạnh nào trong con người bạn mà người ngoài không bao giờ thấy?

—My insecurities tend to be kept under lock and key. But I worry myself to sleep most nights.

—Bạn có dễ dàng kết bạn không?

—Yes, I like to think so.

—Bạn muốn sống ở đâu?

—Reykjavik, Iceland.

—Bạn có câu đùa yêu thích nào không? Hãy kể cho chúng tôi.

—Why was the sand wet? Because the sea weed.

—Bạn thích chó hay mèo?

—Dogs.

—Bạn ghét ai hay cái gì?

—Hate is a strong word. Wow. That's a hard one. Perhaps Donald Trump or Theresa May could fall into that category.

—Ngày mai tôi sẽ đi làm...

—I'm going out with some fellow photographers for drinks in Manchester. Our weekends tend to be during the week given what we do for a living.