Do you know the feeling of recognizing a photographer for one aspect of his work, and then discovering something new about him? A real delight! This is exactly how I felt when I asked Greg Finck to participate in Window or Aisle.
I knew Greg mostly for his beautiful Wedding Photography, as I keep following his posts on facebook and on his website and blog, amazed by the way he captures these French couples.
With the perfect back drop of a Parisian street or a French country side, his images of Wedding photography look like a scene from a French movie, seriously! I love the romantic feel in his pictures and I keep telling Greg that if I ever get engaged or married in Paris, he will be the one to capture it with his camera.
I was lucky to meet Greg in person. In one of my previous visits to Paris we met for a drink one afternoon in one of my favorite areas of Paris; down the hill of the Pantheon, overlooking Jardin du Luxembourg. Greg knows all the right locations in Paris and he can tell you when is the perfect time of the day to go there and take pictures. I followed some of his tips and found some new locations in the city of light.
For my column Window or Aisle? I asked Greg to share some of his recent travel shots. He just got back from Bali and captured it so well, that one can tell how much thought and passion Greg puts into his photography, whether it is a Wedding session or a Travel one. Looking at his blog is a real inspiration.
You don’t want to miss it.
Merci Greg!
Where are you from? I’m a French wedding photographer living in Paris, France. I’ve always loved wedding photography as it gives me the opportunity to live a unique moment in the life of two persons and to capture emotions I’m really sensitive to. A real blessing when you live in the world’s most romantic city!
Where did you study photography? Actually I didn’t study photography at school as it has been a passion since childhood and I kind of learned on the job. I always try to improve myself by reading books, following photographers who inspire me, or wandering in Paris streets to still more apprehend light, but I don’t have any academic degrees. Even though photographers need to master some basics, wedding photography needs to come from the heart first and to me, that cannot be taught at school!
What made you want to learn it? As a kid, I grew up by observing the world more than interacting with it. I never read any book but could spend hours looking at drawings or photos. I exclusively have a visual memory and some photos can mark me forever. So that’s something I’ve always wanted to do: capture people through the lens and retrace their emotions, fears or feelings. As years go by, I think I may still be more exposed to emotions, and that’s something I try to convey via my camera. To me a photograph is much more than just a picture.
If you weren’t a photographer, what would you do? I’m a photographer but photography is not my primary job. That’s a passion I do in parallel of a corporate job. Photography has become a major part of my personal balance, just like sport can be to some people. It really heals me and I need it!
Where do you get your inspiration from? I always arrive on a new wedding as it was the first one. I don’t want to compromise and photograph on the basis of certain habits, as it kills inspiration to me. I want to propose the best possible images to my couples so I try to inspire myself from the place, the mood, the love around, and I just let the flow do the rest. Once again, I really believe that wedding photography must come from the heart.
Where do you get your inspiration from? L.O.V.E. Period. Whether it is on a wedding, with a couple in the streets of Paris, or with kids playing… I love to photograph where there is love.
What are you working on right now? I am currently working on my 2012 wedding season, which lasts until end October. This implies covering a wedding every week-end and editing the rest of the week. Besides, I meet couples to book my 2013 wedding agenda… Tough period, but I just love it!
Window or Aisle? Window. I love to look at the sky, the clouds, and sometimes the incredible chains of mountains you can observe from a plane. People can wait long hours to climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower but some don’t look by the windows of a plane. I don’t get it.
