Fotograf Stephanie Kindermann

—Za prvé a především – koho můžete jmenovat jako nejlepšího fotografa ve vašem městě? :)

—Ha! There's a mad, crazy hoard of us.

—Jste fotogeničtí?

—Yes, and I'll tell you why – I have a high threshold for embarrassment. The less self conscious you are, the better you photograph.

—Jak jste se dostali do fotografického průmyslu?

—So here's the story – my father had been a wedding photographer and so I had my first little film disposables from about 5 years old. I’d shot probably thousands of rolls by the time I made it to photography college, but it was the moment where I was standing in the darkroom seeing that first image rise out of the chemical trays that I remember. Everyone else around me was fairly cool about the whole process but I couldn’t stop laughing with this electric thrill. This was the moment in my life where it became absolutely clear – I knew this is what I was going to do now. Weddings? Everyone loves a party. And a wedding is the best kind of party to shoot.

—Jaké jsou podle vás nedůležitější součásti dobré fotografie?

—Good visual narrative – all the elements needed to give you context.
The split second – at the high point of madness.
The feels – something that makes your heart hurt or leap.

—Cestujete rádi?

—I live for it.

—Co máte nejredši na vaší profesi?

—Learning the world's secrets.
I'll share some of them with you.
No one cooks better than a Greek mama or parties as hard as a Croatian groomsman. Vietnamese elders are the bravest karaoke singers, the French do the best cigar and whiskey bar (not to mention the cheeses) and that Ghanaians will crush any dance floor. Chinese door games can be a hair raising experience, and it is deeply moving it is to see Maori women sing a welcoming song to the bride.

—Co se vám líbí nejméně na vaší profesi?

—When the alternate drop arrives, the chicken is always overcooked. Always.

—Jaká je budoucnost focení?

—Wow this is cool, I hope it will be some sort of virtual reality with a fully rendered 3D capture from the entire day. You'll be able to bang on your head set and take a walk through the entire event from any time and angle.

—Co je výjimečného na žánru fotografií, na který se specializujete?

—Often having a professional photograph your family is a very rare event. With this in mind I always devote a lot of time and care to capture portraits of treasured people – grandparents, GREAT grandparents, brothers, sisters, children.

—Jak zvládáte kritiku?

—I walked through a lot of fire in my early years of learning to shoot, and I'm still here :) Think of my teacher as being that old guy from Kill Bill who strokes his beard a lot.

—Jsou nějaké trendy v oblasti focení?

—Yes, and they're mostly so cheesy. Things like making love hearts with your hands.... plz no!

—Jaké by měl mít zákazník kritérium při výběru fotografa?

—Love the work – don't employ your photographer then ask for an aesthetic from another artist!
Vibes! Would you want to drink a beer with them? Ideally you start the booking process with good vibes, and finish the wedding singing bad karaoke together.

—Co není dovoleno při focení?

—Hunger. Bride, groom, photographer and squad members should be loaded up with snacks. Picnic style canapes and champagne if you're fancy, sausage rolls and red bull if you're not.

—Jakých detailů, které obvykle projdou bez povšimnutí, si může fotograf všimnout?

—Ha! "Common people," love it.
One of my favourites is the tight-lipped, crazy-eyed stage-whispered threats of a parent to errant child – usually during a particularly tender moment during the ceremony.

—Co ovlivňuje hodnotu fotografie? Jaké jsou její prvky?

—The value in a photo is, I feel, in how valued the subject is in it.
For example, a wife will always love a portrait of her husband that has captured how she sees him. If he's a charismatic person, than a genuine laugh. If he's a quiet person, then a photograph of him unaware, relaxed and thoughtful.

—Kdo může být podle vás symbolem 21. století?

—Elon Musk. Billionaire, genius, puts a model car in his real car then launches it into space. What a legend.

—Co chcete fotit?

—People madly in love.

—Máte nějaké profesní tabu?

—I am a woman of no limits.

—S kým byste chtěli fotit?

—Jonas Peterson. He seems like a very relaxed, interesting fellow.

—Čeho se bojíte a proč?

—Mostly I have dreams where I've overslept my alarm and a bride is calling me, asking where I am, and I'm a 2 hour drive away. I guess that's my biggest worry.

—Jaký byl nejpůsobivější okamžik ve vašem životě?

—Once, driving home very late from a wedding (of course), I saw space junk or a comet or the worlds most massive shooting star – so bright it illuminated everything around me. It travelled directly down the line of the straight highway I was driving for a full 10 seconds before burning out. An exceptional moment.

—Pokud byste byli animovaná, literární nebo filmová postava, kdo byste byli a proč?

—Trinity from The Matrix. She was cool and wore latex before lip injections and enormous butts became the symbols of beauty.

—Kdo vás inspiruje ve vašem životě a proč?

—Jimmy Nelson, photographer and author of Before They Pass Away. His is a body of work that is truly exceptional and of historical value.

—Jak byste definovali úspěch? Jak ho měříte?

—Can't measure it but you can feel it – are you getting enough quality sleep? Are you eating well and sharing good wine with friends? Do you have leisure time with your loved ones, and does your work fill you with pleasure?

—Byli byste raději oblíbení nebo respektovaní?

—Not everyone will like you all of the time, but you should always conduct yourself in a way that people have no loss of respect for you.

—Jaká je největší chyba, kterou jste kdy v práci udělali?

—Working at a camera shop, shipped two very expensive video cameras to someone who turned out to be fraudulent. OOPS!

—Když cestujete, co si berete s sebou a proč?

—My husband, because he can read maps.

—Existuje něco, co byste si byli raději nekoupili z vašich pomůcek, které vlastníte? A proč?

—No, but people love to "gift" me their defunct camera gear. Please stop doing this baby boomer friends.

—Jak se vzděláváte, abyste pořidili lepší fotografie?

—I spend A LOT of time on lovely curation sites like this one.

—Čí práce vás ovlivnila nejvíce jako fotografa?

—Steve McCurry (again). Portrait photographer for National Geographic.

—Jedna věc, kterou byste si přáli vědět, když jste začínali s focením?

—That the rules don't actually matter, and only diminish the potential expression of true moments.

—Co byste rádi řekli skrze vaše fotografie?

—This is a mirror of your life in this moment.

—Co vás motivuje v dalším focení?

—I have no other talents. LOL, no I can cook quite well. But photographing is my true purpose.

—Měli vaši rodiče být méně nebo více přísní?

—Less. I was raised conservative Catholic. Not allowed to watch The Simpsons when you're 17... come on!

—Pokud byste se mohli vrátit v čase, co byste udělali jinak?

—I wouldn't bother going to study, and instead buy a great kit and apprentice myself out 3 years earlier instead. I did the ol' highschool > study > apprentice > professional route. But study is now a moot point with online resources like Linda.com.

—Co o životě na ostatních planetách?

—Oh jeez I hope so. Certainly spices things up.

—Kdo jsou vaši hrdinové?

—My colleagues, for lifting my heavy, heavy camera bag up and down stairs and into the car innumerable times.

—Pro koho nemáte žádný respekt?

—Paedophiles

—Co děláte ve svém volném čase?

—I punch through Netflix series like a karate master does bricks.

—Jakou vaši tvář nikdy neuvidí veřejnost?

—Lying around in pyjamas, no makeup, orange Dorito stained fingers, unshaved legs.

—Kdy jste zcela spokojeni s vaší prací?

—When a couple tells me they cried seeing the pictures. (With JOY).

—Věříte v tradiční role mužů a žen?

—There are definitely things men are better at, like being muscly and crushing rocks with their bare fists. And there are definitely things women are better at, like looking good in high heels and jean shorts.

—Získáváte snadno nové přátele?

—Yes

—Kde byste rádi žili?

—I'd love a couple of years in Istanbul. I'm a big fan!

—Co je ta nejhloupější věc, na kterou jste kdy přistoupili?

—To go on a VERY long bush walk, mere hours after getting home from a pub crawl.

—Existuje život po svatbě?

—YES! It just keeps getting better!

—Máte oblíbený vtip? Povězte nám ho.

—Any Gary Larson comic ever published. He might be the funniest man on earth.

—Máte rádi psy a kočky?

—Cats. I'm not embarrassed.

—Koho nebo co nenávidíte?

—Celery. Eww

—Nejlepší věc v životě je:

—Champagne and cheeses with friends.

—Nejotravnější věc v životě je:

—People farting next to you on flights.

—Existuje něco, co byste chtěli změnit?

—I'm about to try my hand at home renovation, in a very literal interpretation of that question!

—Co byste chtěli změnit na sobě?

—I would love to learn Chinese. And sign language. And also do some pottery. And learn to ride horses. Probably should exercise more too.

—Co byste chtěli změnit ve světě?

—Let's turn down the level of racism shall we, it seems to be gaining momentum instead of losing it.

—Máte nějaké tipy pro začínající fotografy?

—Sure! Don't train yourself out of -not- shooting things. Such as the weird, or awkward, or funny or embarrassing moments. These are some of the greatest photographs you could take!

—Kdyby přišli na naši planetu mimozemšťané a vy byste byli první osobou, se kterou se potkají, co byste jim řekli?

—I guess I'd ask them if they wanted to join us for lunch, I know a good place...

—Pokud byste měli natočit film, jakého žánru by byl?

—Whatever genre Monty Python calls itself.

—Zítra půjdu a udělám...

—EDIT! Pat my cat. Email clients! Poke around the fridge and hope for the best. Print some albums! Look at memes!