Fotograf Martina Lanotte

—Er du fotogen?

—I think the right question would be: do you feel awkward in front of the camera?
Absolutely! When it comes to have our own photo taken, photographers are the worst.

—Hvordan ble du en del av fotografbransjen?

—Photography has always been a big passion of mine, and during university I started working as assistant and second shooter for a wedding photographer in Perugia, Italy. I loved everything about it!

—Hva er de viktigste komponentene i et bra bilde etter din mening?

—Beside the nerdy stuff (composition and rules and blabla), a great photo needs to capture genuine emotions and tell a story that everybody can relate to. Technical perfection is important, but without emotional engagement it would only create empty images.

—Er du glad i å reise?

—Who doesn't? :)

—Hva liker du best med yrket ditt?

—I believe the best part of my job is when people thank me for giving them the photographs they wanted. Creating memories that they will be looking at, for years, is an honour for me.

—Hva liker du minst med yrket ditt?

—Being a photographer is not only shooting and editing, there is an entire world beyond that: we also have to reply to emails, find new clients, make phone calls, do our bookkeeping, our marketing strategy, take care of our website, not to mention the fact that we have to stay updated with trends and new technologies. We have to keep ourselves motivated all the time, because if we skip one of these things nobody is going to do it for us.
And I love my job as a whole, because each part makes it what it is.

—Hva er det spesielle med den fotografisjanger du har spesialisert deg i?

—The emotions involved in your wedding day make your wedding photographs more than “only” photographs: they soon become memories of one of the most important events of your life. As time passes, these images don’t become outdated – like fashion photos for example – but they turn into invaluable and priceless memories.

—Hvordan takler du kritikk?

—With time I’ve learned that being able to hear people’s opinions can improve every aspect of our life, from our relationships to our job. It’s important to focus on what is being criticised, without taking it personally.
Of course, I’m talking about constructive criticism: accusing people and pointing out their faults without giving suggestion will never bring anything good.

—Finnes det noen trender innen fotografering?

—Yes, there are trends. But a wedding usually brings traditions, and so wedding photography always keeps a sort of timeless vibe.
You'll never catch me with a black and white image where only the roses are red.

—Hva bør kriteriene være for en kunde som skal velge en fotograf?

—So many things, and I'm not sure I can even bring it down to a few sentences. However, beyond style and price, I'd say to look for an honest and trustworthy person.

—Hvilke detaljer, som vanligvis ingen ville lagt merke til, kan en fotograf fange opp?

—As I recently wrote in an article, a good wedding photographer should never neglect the details: people are always focused on the main events – ceremony, cake, dance – and they tend to overlook all the other little moments and details in between. And it's our job to freeze in time the little details.

—Når du skal ut å reise; hva tar du med deg, og hvorfor?

—A good book.
I grew up among books, and that's how I feed my soul.

—Hvordan utdanner du deg for stadig å ta bedre bilder?

—I love what I do so much that I spend my free time studying, doing courses and reading magazines. Winter, when the wedding season is a bit low, is the perfect time for doing that.

—Finnes det et liv etter bryllupet?

—LOL!

—Det beste i livet er:

—Food, love, pancakes.

—Kan du komme med noen gode råd til fotografer i startfasen?

—You can do anything, if you believe in yourself and work hard :)