Fotograf Adam Johnson

—Sind Sie fotogen?

—I think everyone is photogenic. Just not everyone appreciates it the first time they see a photo of themselves. I'm the kind of person who grows to like photos of myself over time, rather than instantly loving them.

—Wie sind sind zur Fotografiebranche gekommen?

—It just happened. I got married, bought a DSLR for my honeymoon, and became obsessed with it. I thought I was getting quite good, shot a friend's wedding (as a guest) and did a terrible job. So I went away, practised and studied super hard, bought better equipment then tried again. It went much better the second time and I was able to build a portfolio and website. 18 months later I quit my day job.

—Was macht Ihrer Meinung nach ein gutes Foto aus?

—If we are talking about a wedding photo then it's all about emotion. Light is my obsession, but a beautifully lit emotionless or 'mute' wedding photo is pointless. A photo has to speak for itself, it shouldn't need a caption or an explanation.

—Reisen Sie gern?

—Of course. And I love that wedding photography is showing me more of the world than I would ever have seen without it.

—Was gefällt Ihnen an Ihrem Beruf am meisten?

—Freedom of expression. The more you shoot, the better you get, the more people hear about you and know about your work, the more freedom you are given to express yourself artistically. That and what I said about traveling in the last question!

—Was gefällt Ihnen an Ihrem Beruf am wenigsten?

—I am honestly grateful for this being my profession but of course, when you have young children at school, it can take its toll when you're out most weekends throughout the summer and not able to spend as much time with them as I would like.

—Was ist die Zukunft der Fotografie?

—Who knows?! I just hope I'm able to change and adapt to however it changes. I truly believe there will always be a market for beautiful, well crafted photos – the technology and expectations may change but the product will not.

—Was das Besondere an dem Fotografiegenre, auf das Sie sich spezialisiert haben?

—People. That's what it's all about. People and relationships. Being invited into a private world and asked to document it for a day.

—Wie gehen Sie mit Kritik um?

—Badly. I do not like to be criticised. Often once it has sunk in I'm able to either reject or accept it and use it to improve, but I don't like it!

—Gibt es irgendwelche Trends in der Fotografie?

—Of course! I just prefer to ignore them.

—Was sollten die Kriterien für Kunden bei der Wahl eines Fotografen sein?

—If the photographer's photos of a total stranger's wedding can make you feel something in your heart and soul, you've found your wedding photographer.

—Was ist bei Fotoaufnahmen strikt verboten?

—There are no rules but I think each photographer will have their own principles or boundaries. If someone is crying because they are truly sad then I will not photograph them just to get that 'tear shot' that is so popular with wedding photographers these days. If I do not feel it is appropriate to shoot something, then I won't shoot it.

—Welche Person verkörpert für Sie das 21. Jahrhundert am besten?

—Can we answer this with 85 years of the century remaining?! I think there are so many medical and technological advances we will see in this century and I expect icons to be created in these areas.

—Was würden Sie gern fotografieren?

—Ben Folds, Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United.

—Gibt es für Sie in Ihrem Beruf Tabus?

—Not that I know of!

—Mit wem würden Sie gern fotografieren?

—Annie Leibowitz, Joey L, James Nachtwey, Don McCullin, Richard Avedon... I love to shoot with other photographers, I think it's a good thing to do regularly.

—Worüber machen Sie sich Sorgen und warum?

—I am a worrier. I worry about a lot of things! Professionally speaking I worry about becoming irrelevant, about getting stuck in a rut and left behind and nobody wanting me to take their wedding pictures!

—Was war der eindrucksvollste Moment in Ihrem Leben?

—The births of my two children.

—Welche literarische Figur oder Filmfigur wären Sie gern und warum?

—Peter Pan. I want to stay young and always fight pirates.

—Wer inspiriert Sie in Ihrem Leben und warum?

—I don't know if they inspire me as such but my children are the reason that I do what I do and why I want to continually get better at it. I am inspired by anyone successful – in business, in photography, in sport, in life... Not in an arrogant way but I find my own successes an inspiration to keep trying harder and to achieve more.

—Wie definieren Sie Erfolg? Wie messen Sie ihn?

—For me, people booking me to shoot photos of them, plus the recognition of my work by my peers is probably my yardstick of success professionally. Happiness and contentment are signs of success in wider life.

—Gefällt es Ihnen mehr, wenn man Sie mag oder wenn Sie respektiert werden?

—I don't think it's possible for me personally to respect somebody I don't like, so I don't think you can be one or the other. I can quickly lose respect for someone who turns out to be a huge douchebag.

—Was war der größte Fehler bei Ihrer Arbeit?

—I don't remember. I know I've made mistakes but I'm pretty good about moving on from stuff.

—Was nehmen Sie mit, wenn Sie auf Reisen gehen und warum?

—My iphone, my kindle, my macbook, my camera and some earphones.

—Haben Sie Apparate oder Ausrüstung, die Sie lieber nicht hätten kaufen sollen? Warum?

—I tend to sell stuff if it doesn't fit into my life or work after I buy it. I remember I once bought a weird step trainer off an infomercial on the TV, it was so rubbish!

—Wie bilden Sie sich weiter, damit Ihre Bilder noch besser werden?

—Taking pictures is the education. I'm quite analytical so if I see a photo I like I work out what I like and why... I do the same with my own photos, working out how I could've done better or what I could've done differently. I look at other photography a lot – in books, online, instagram and I think that seeps into my work.

—Welche Arbeiten haben Sie als Fotografen am meisten beeindruckt?

—I think a turning point for me was doing a workshop with Daniel Aguilar from Mexico.

—Was hätten Sie auf jeden Fall wissen müssen, als Sie mit der Fotografie begannen?

—That there were no rules!

—Was möchten Sie mit Ihren Fotos zum Ausdruck bringen?

—I've no idea. Good stuff I hope.

—Was motiviert Sie weiterzumachen?

—The thing I love about taking photos, or any creative pursuit I guess is that it's just that – a pursuit – and you can never catch the thing you're chasing, but you're constantly improving, or changing at least. It's not static, or limited, or constrained. I know I've not taken my best photo, and I may never take it, but I will always keep striving for it.

—Hätten Ihre Eltern strenger sein müssen?

—No comment.

—Wenn Sie zurückschauen, was hätten Sie besser machen können?

—Nothing, I don't think of life this way. I got to this point in my life, a point in which I am extremely happy, because of the choices I made. I don't want to change anything.That, or I'd go back and invest in Apple before they invented the iPod.Or I could invent the iPod.

—Was halten Sie vom Leben auf anderen Planeten?

—Maybe, maybe not. I'm not concerned with it.

—Wer sind Ihre Helden?

—I have no heroes.

—Wovor haben Sie keinerlei Respekt?

—An awful question.

—Was tun Sie in Ihrer Freizeit?

—I play piano, play and watch football, watch TV shows and movies, go to the gym, spend time with friends and family, listen to music...I don't see life as spare time and work time. It's just life. I do all this stuff and I work, there's no split time. I work when I have to and I play whenever I can.

—Welche Seite Ihrer Persönlichkeit bleibt dem Publikum verborgen?

—The public? As opposed to who?

—Wann sind Sie mit Ihrer Arbeit in jeder Hinsicht zufrieden?

—I love my own work. I love seeing progression in my work. I love it when my clients are in love with the photos I give to them. Completely satisfied? Is this possible?

—Glauben Sie an die traditionellen Rollen von Mann und Frau?

—My parents got divorced when I was young. This has skewed my view of tradition in the home... I don't really know what traditional roles are – women raise children, cook and clean and men just earn the money? Then no, I don't believe in that. A family is the sum of its parts, not separate and distinct people or roles.

—Schließen Sie schnell Freundschaft?

—Yeah I guess. I'm never the instigator, I'm shy so I tend to wait for people to make friends with me!

—Wo würden Sie gern leben?

—If I could have four homes I would have one in the UK, probably near where I live now, one in New York City, a rural house in Southern France and one somewhere in California! Not that I'm greedy.

—Was war das Dümmste, auf das Sie sich je eingelassen haben?

—I'm not sure I've ever agreed to something stupid.

—Gibt es ein Leben nach der Heirat?

—I've been married 8 years... I'm still alive.

—Haben Sie einen Lieblingswitz? Erzählen Sie ihn.

—What's invisible and smells like carrots?Rabbit farts.

—Lieben Sie Hunde oder Katzen?

—Neither.

—Wen oder was hassen Sie?

—I hate wasps. Passionately.

—Das Beste im Leben ist:

—Family time.

—Das Ärgerlichste im Leben ist:

—Traffic jams.

—Gibt es etwas in Ihrem Umfeld, das Sie ändern möchten?

—I want to make my house bigger!

—Was würden Sie an sich selbst gern ändern?

—I would like to break my iphone addiction!

—Was würden Sie in der Welt ändern?

—Far too much to list. The world is a broken place.

—Haben Sie ein paar Tipps für angehende Fotografen?

—You don't have to shoot every second of the wedding, you're not making a stop motion movie... Slow down, breathe, let your mind take in what is happening then tell the story with your photos. There are no rules.

—Wenn Außerirdische auf der Erde ankommen und Sie sind die erste Person, die sie treffen, was sagen Sie zu ihnen?

—You will never feel satisfied after eating a McDonalds...

—Angenommen Sie erhalten den Auftrag, einen Film aufzunehmen. Welches Genre würden Sie für den Film wählen?

—Slapstick comedy.

—Morgen werde ich...

—I'll go to the gym, do some editing, get ready for Saturday's wedding, kick a football with my children, eat food, drink coffee...