Fotograf Mark Wallis

—Er du fotogen?

—Not really, mainly because I pull stupid faces when I find myself on the wrong side of the camera.

—Hvordan blev du en del af fotografiindustrien?

—The old story of the couple with no money, an old uni friend with a decent camera and a firm agreement that there’d be no posed photos.

—Hvad er de vigtigste komponenter i et godt billede efter din mening?

—For me it’s all about the genuine moment, captured without any intervention by the photographer. A moment that would have happened even if the photographer wasn’t there. A moment of action, emotion, great light, etc.

—Elsker du at rejse?

—I do, but in comfort. I’m more of a city person than a wilderness person.

—Hvad kan du bedst lide ved dit fag?

—Working for myself and (kinda) gatecrashing parties.

—Hvad synes du mindre godt om ved dit fag?

—The assumption by some that I’m at the wedding to take control of everything and to take boring, posed photos of the guests.

—Hvordan ser fremtiden ud for fotografering?

—Not sure I even know what the ‘present’ of wedding photography is. I just do what I do and hope enough people each year want that.

—Hvordan håndterer du kritik?

—Depends who it’s coming from and how constructive it is.

—Er der nogen tendenser inden for fotografering?

—Always somebody doing something that everybody else copies until something else comes along. Trends get old quickly (see ‘couple in rain with flashgun’, etc.)

—Hvad bør kriterierne være for en kunde, der skal vælge en fotograf?

—Approach is key for me. They either want to just get on and enjoy their wedding and have a record of it, or they want to spend the day modelling for pieces of art or fashion photography (or somewhere in between). A connection with the photographer’s portfolio, and a desire to see themselves in those images, is a good guide.

—Hvilke detaljer, der som regel går ubemærket hen, vil en fotograf bemærke?

—I don’t think there is anything specific. A good wedding photographer will have an eye for a moment or an interesting composition or great light that most won’t have, but the key thing is that when you’re employed to shoot a wedding you approach it from a different angle to a friend or family member who is there to enjoy the wedding. I am paid to be observant. Plus, I see what the common people are doing. I’m there to photograph everybody, not just the couple.

—Hvilken person kan være symbolet på det 21. århundrede efter din mening?

—For me, whoever does the most to increase education and encourage the use of reason and logic in decision-making from the top to the bottom of social and political hierarchy.

—Hvem vil du gerne fotografere?

—Anybody that trusts me completely and who will ignore me.

—Har du nogen professionelle tabuemner?

—I won’t work for people or companies that I perceive to be helping to make the world a worse place.

—Hvem ville du gerne fotografere sammen med?

—Nobody. I like working alone.

—Hvad bekymrer du dig om, og hvorfor?

—Time and money and my misguided perception that I have a shortage of both.

—Hvad har været det mest imponerende øjeblik i dit liv?

—Completing this interview.

—Hvis du var en animeret figur, en fiktiv person eller en person i en film, hvem ville du så være, og hvorfor?

—Butthead from Beavis & Butthead, because he.. he… he. You said would. He.. he…

—Hvem inspirerer dig i dit liv, og hvorfor?

—I’m not good at absorbing or recognising inspiration.

—Foretrækker du, at folk kan lide dig, eller at de respekterer dig?

—Depends who is doing the liking and respecting.

—Hvad er den største fejl, du nogensinde har begået i dit arbejde?

—Running up the stairs of Marylebone Town Hall with a zoom lens precariously perched in a jacket pocket didn’t end well.

—Når du skal rejse, hvad tager du så med dig, og hvorfor?

—Clothes, money, phone, a camera of some sort.

—Er der noget, du ville ønske, du ikke havde købt blandt de tingester, som du ejer? Hvorfor?

—A Panasonic GF1 that I barely used and that my wife dropped and damaged after I’d had it for a couple of weeks. I don’t get on with cameras without viewfinders.

—Hvordan uddanner du dig selv til at tage bedre billeder?

—Take more pictures.

—Hvis arbejde har haft størst indflydelse på dig som fotograf?

—Nobody specific, but seeing in 2004/2005 that a documentary approach was a viable option for wedding photography was the push I needed to start doing it myself.

—Hvad vil du gerne fortælle med dine fotografier?

—The truth.

—Hvad motiverer dig til at fortsætte med at tage billeder?

—People keep paying me to come to their weddings.

—Burde dine forældre have været mere eller mindre strikse?

—My mum got it pretty much spot on.

—Hvis du kunne gå tilbage i tiden, hvad ville du så gøre anderledes?

—I would make better use of my enquiring mind and study science or engineering, so that I could be of more use to the world and future generations.

—Hvad med liv på andre planeter?

—Presumably, but we’ll wipe out life on our own planet before we make contact with life on others.

—Hvem er dine helte?

—I don’t really have any. They’d only ruin it at some point.

—Hvem har du ingen respekt for?

—Those who promote fear, intolerance and lies to feed their own greed.

—Hvad laver du i din fritid?

—I do DIY, or I play my ukulele, or I go to (mostly metal) gigs or I do a crossword.

—Hvilken side af dig viser du aldrig offentligt?

—Most of my sides. I’m a fairly private person.

—Hvornår er du helt tilfreds med dit arbejde?

—Dunno, it hasn’t happened yet.

—Tror du på de traditionelle mande- og kvinderoller?

—Like most traditions, best left in the past. Live and let live.

—Har du let ved at få nye venner?

—I really don’t. I’m friendly and approachable and I get on with most people, but I’ve been burnt too many times so I keep most people at a few arms’ length.

—Hvor vil du gerne bo?

—In a huge warehouse apartment in NYC, or in a cosy old manor house surrounded by a few acres, or on top of a hill in Scotland.

—Er der liv efter ægteskabet?

—It’s just a certificate and a great party. As you were.

—Har du en yndlingsvittighed? Fortæl den til os.

—“Some people like cats and some people don't. Apparently the Pope's a cataholic.” Milton Jones

—Kan du lide hunde eller katte?

—I prefer cats to dogs, but I don’t like the damage they do to your house, so am currently resisting my family’s desire to own one.

—Hvem eller hvad hader du?

—Overuse of hate.

—Det bedste ved livet er:

—Freedom. And Five Guy’s Bacon Cheeseburger, All The Way.

—Det mest irriterende ved livet er:

—Procrastination. And people constantly changing speed on the motorway when I’m using cruise control.

—Hvad vil du gerne ændre ved dig selv?

—I’d like to have more self-belief.

—Hvad vil du gerne ændre i verden?

—I’d like to ensure everyone gets a quality education and eradicate dependence on myth, legend and violence.

—Kan du give et par råd til de fotografer, som lige er startet?

—Take your own (decent) food, and wear comfortable shoes.

—Hvis nogle rumvæsner kom til jorden, og du var den første person, de mødte, hvad ville du så sige til dem?

—That I want a ride in their spaceship.

—Hvis du bliver spurgt, om du vil indspille en film, hvilken genre vil det så være?

—A very dark and gory horror film.

—I morgen tager jeg ud og...

—…something less boring instead.