Fotógrafo Mark Wallis

—¿Es usted fotogénico(a)?

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

—¿Cómo empezó a trabajar en la industria de fotografía?

—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.

—¿En su opinión, cuáles son los elementos más importantes de una buena fotografía?

—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.

—¿Le gusta viajar?

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

—¿Qué le gusta más de su profesión?

—Working for myself and (kinda) gatecrashing parties.

—¿Qué le gusta menos de su profesión?

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

—¿Cuál será el futuro de la fotografía?

—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.

—¿Cómo gestiona las críticas?

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

—¿Existe alguna tendencia en la fotografía?

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

—¿Qué criterios debería tener en cuenta una persona a la hora de elegir a un fotógrafo?

—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.

—¿Qué detalles que normalmente no tenemos en cuenta puede un fotógrafo captar?

—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.

—En su opinión, ¿qué persona podría ser un símbolo del siglo XXI?

—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.

—¿A quién le gustaría fotografiar?

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

—¿Tiene tabúes profesionales?

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

—¿Con quién le gustaría fotografiar?

—Nobody. I like working alone.

—¿Qué le preocupa y por qué?

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

—¿Cuál ha sido el momento más impactante de su vida?

—Completing this interview.

—Si fuera un personaje de animación, literario o cinematográfico, ¿quién le gustaría ser y por qué?

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

—¿Quién le inspira en su vida y por qué?

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

—¿Qué prefiere, gustar o sentirse respetado?

—Depends who is doing the liking and respecting.

—¿Cuál es el mayor error que ha cometido en su trabajo?

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

—Cuando va de viaje, ¿qué lleva consigo y por qué?

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

—¿Se arrepiente de alguno de los gadgets que ha comprado? ¿Por qué?

—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.

—¿Cómo se forma para tomar las mejores imágenes?

—Take more pictures.

—¿A quién pertenece el trabajo que le ha influenciado más como fotógrafo?

—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.

—¿Qué desea decir con sus fotografías?

—The truth.

—¿Qué le motiva a continuar tomando imágenes?

—People keep paying me to come to their weddings.

—¿Cree que sus padres deberían haber sido más o menos estrictos?

—My mum got it pretty much spot on.

—¿Si pudiera volver atrás en el tiempo, qué haría de forma diferente?

—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.

—¿Qué piensa de la vida en otros planetas?

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

—¿Quiénes son sus héroes?

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

—¿Por quién no siente respeto?

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

—¿Qué hace en su tiempo libre?

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

—¿Cuál es su lado desconocido que la gente nunca quiere ver?

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

—¿Cuándo está complemente satisfecho de su trabajo?

—Dunno, it hasn’t happened yet.

—¿Cree en los roles tradicionales de hombres y mujeres?

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

—¿Hace amigos con facilidad?

—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.

—¿Dónde le gustaría vivir?

—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.

—¿Hay vida después del matrimonio?

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

—¿Tiene un chiste favorito? Cuéntenoslo.

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

—¿Le gustan los perros o los gatos?

—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.

—¿A quién o qué odia?

—Overuse of hate.

—Lo mejor de su vida es:

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

—Lo más molesto de su vida es:

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

—¿Qué le gustaría cambiar de usted mismo?

—I’d like to have more self-belief.

—¿Qué le gustaría cambiar del mundo?

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

—¿Podría ofrecer algunos consejos a los fotógrafos que empiezan?

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

—Si los extraterrestres llegaran a la Tierra y fuera la primera persona que encontraran, ¿qué les diría?

—That I want a ride in their spaceship.

—Si le llamaran como fotógrafo de una película, ¿a qué género pertenecería?

—A very dark and gory horror film.

—Mañana voy a hacer...

—…something less boring instead.