—Чиї роботи найбільше вплинули на вас, як на фотографа?

—Susan Stripling.

—Як ви опинилися у галузі фотографії?

—In 2004 I got a digital camera for Christmas, back when digital cameras weren't attached to every device. I was facinated with how you could freeze time, and then view the past later. I couldn't set it down. A few years later I shot my first wedding, fell in love with it and 10 years later have shot over 200.

—Чи ви фотогенічні?

—Sometimes... If I've gotten enough sleep and have a glass of wine or two

—Якими, на вашу думку, є найголовніші складові гарної фотографії?

—A moment. For sure. If it doesn't have this it's not worth remembering. After that, certainly lighting and composition go a long way.

—Чи любите ви подорожувати?

—Absolutely. We have traveled all over the world taking photos!

—Що вам більш за все подобається у вашій професії?

—I love that every weekend I get to be a huge part of someone's "most important day of their life."

—Що вам менш за все подобається у вашій професії?

—Crazy church ladies that force me to shoot from 100 feet away in the balcony during the ceremony.

—Як ви справляєтеся з критикою?

—I love it. As long as it is constructive it is one of the biggest gifts you can give to me.

—Яким буде майбутнє фотографії?

—More and more instant gratification. A one month turn around average for a wedding will turn into a day.

—Про що ви хвилюєтесь і чому?

—I've found that the energy I've wasted in the past on worrying about things was better spent on just doing what I was supposed anyway. No regrets. No fear.

—Що робить жанр фотографії, в якому ви знімаєте, особливим?

—The father of the bride that has never cried in public before. The look on the groom's face when he sees his bride for the first time. The uncle that doesn't normally drink is dancing up a storm on the dance floor.

—Якими для клієнта повинні бути критерії вибору фотографа?

—1. Style (what makes them special)
2. Personality (are they fun and friendly)
3. Value (are they fair and offer great products and services)

—Як ви опинилися у галузі фотографії?

—My background in Marketing and Advertising help me understand the power of story-telling. I was an amateur photographer and it was a simple hobby until I decided to take several photos during one of my friends' wedding. He ended up loving my photos more than the wedding photographer's and encouraged me to create a website. The rest is history.

—Чи ви фотогенічні?

—My beautiful wife Bao Han is much more photogenic than I will ever be.

—Якими, на вашу думку, є найголовніші складові гарної фотографії?

—1. Authenticity
2. Timing
3. Story-telling
4. Symmetry and framing
5. Light source

—Чи любите ви подорожувати?

—I have been fortunate to have travelled all over the world, learning about new cultures and its people.

—Що вам більш за все подобається у вашій професії?

—Making people feel special about themselves is the biggest reward. We want our clients to feel like stars because they are stars. We just help them get it out of them.

—Що вам менш за все подобається у вашій професії?

—When you love what you do, it's not a job anymore. We love every minute of what we do.

—Як ви справляєтеся з критикою?

—Life is constantly about learning. We learn every day, whether it's from a personal or professional point of view. We welcome constructive criticism that will help us grow as a company and as human beings.

—Чого слід уникати при фотозйомці?

—Anything goes, even though the crazy uncle with his iPad drives us crazy at times!

—Яким буде майбутнє фотографії?

—I want to believe that wedding photographers are in a great position to lead and manage the whole wedding day in the near future. They need to have a solid grasp of every event that will occur on that day and plan accordingly.

—Що робить жанр фотографії, в якому ви знімаєте, особливим?

—We are so fortunate to play a role in the union of two people that love each other and want to broadcast this to the world. We have the responsibility to capture these unique moments and offer them something they will cherish for the rest of their lives.

—Якими для клієнта повинні бути критерії вибору фотографа?

—1) Do you like the photographer's work? 2) Do you like the photographer? Simple as that.

—Як ви опинилися у галузі фотографії?

—In 2008, I was already doing amateur photography for a couple of year. To do something different for a change, I asked my uncle if I could photograph his wedding. It was his second marriage, they were not asking for a photographer, so there was little risk. I ended up liking it so much, that I decided to do it more.

—Чи ви фотогенічні?

—No! I much rather be behind a camera.

—Якими, на вашу думку, є найголовніші складові гарної фотографії?

—Above all, the photo has to have a certain impact. Wether that's an intense emotion, a good vibe, or just a spectaculair visual impact. After that comes the technical part. So a good lighting, composition, etcetera. But for me, the impact is the most important part, by far.

—Чи любите ви подорожувати?

—Yes, but with moderation though. I'd love to do 3-5 destination weddings a year. I don't think I'd enjoy doing 10, 15 or even more.

—Що вам більш за все подобається у вашій професії?

—It sounds like a horrible cliché, but it's true: Every wedding is different. You never really know what's going to happen. Surprises can happen at every moment. Besides that, I think it's a great honor to be asked to create lifelong memories for the people that are getting married. 5, 10, 25 or even 50 years after they get married, people still remember who took their wedding photos. It's pretty wonderful that you can be an important part in people's lives.

—Що вам менш за все подобається у вашій професії?

—Basically: The postprocessing. I have a horrible concentration when it comes to editing. I love editing my 50-75 favorites from a wedding, but after that, it gets hard for me to keep focused.

—Як ви справляєтеся з критикою?

—I try to extract what people really mean with their comments. Some people have difficulties in finding the right words to give feedback, sometimes making them sound rude. But I always try to figure out what's the real message there.

—Чого слід уникати при фотозйомці?

—'Allowed' is a big word. I'm not the one to say what's allowed or not. However, I don't like to unnecessarily intervene in a wedding. With the exception of the posed shots, I don't like having to tell people what to do, where to stand or how to look.

—Яким буде майбутнє фотографії?

—I think the future of wedding photography will be a further evolution of the direction it's going in right now. More journalistic stuff, more moments. But besides that: technical advances. Faster camera's, better low light capabilities, and other accessories like drones, light field cameras, and stuff like that, giving photographers even more tools to being creative.

—Що робить жанр фотографії, в якому ви знімаєте, особливим?

—I love many aspects of it. I love the fact that people are in a good mood, they take the time to look good as well. People get married in beautiful venues, and you as a photographer gets to be a part of so many people's special day. That's amazing.