I recently came across Anouschka Rokebrand's photography on the Avenue blog and knew I had to reach out to her for an interview and also to profile her work here on decor8. To my joy, she was thrilled to take part and her interview came out so nice - so inspirational - that I couldn't wait another day to share it. It's time to meet the lovely Anouschka and to drool over her work along with me. Sound like a good way to begin the day?

Anouschka Rokebrand is the talented lady behind Anouschka Rokebrand Photography and the delightful blog under the same name. Born in The Hague, she currently lives in Boskoop, The Netherlands and loves how centrally located and close to the large cities in her country that she is - which is really helpful to her business. She has a real love for her profession (and her clients) and this passion really shines through in her work. Instead of just looking at pretty photos, I thought I'd give you some more to think about so I've asked her some questions about her job with the aim to inspire all us - particularly, those of you who are looking to broaden out your own photography skills and explore doing it for a living. Want to listen in on our conversation? First, some eye candy...

What do you love about your job?

AR: Oh gosh, this is my dream job, no kidding. I LOVE working with couples and capturing one of the most special days in their life. I realize every time I hand over a wedding album to one of my couples, that that's another heirloom that will be passed down for generations to come. I love the social aspect of it and the creative aspect of it.

How long have you been a photographer?

AR: I've been photographing since I was little but I officially launched my business in 2006.

What are your goals when you are on a shoot?

AR: Capturing the authenticity, the emotions, the details as beautifully as possible. I want my couples to be able to relive their day moment for moment when they are viewing their images. I want to create heirlooms for them.

Do you also do the styling or do you work with stylists?

AR:  For weddings either my couples or their stylist will style the venue. For editorial shoots I work with a stylist. For styled wedding shoots I either work with a stylist or style it myself. On weddings I will do a bit of styling though, especially during the getting ready part. I love styling their details like shoes, jewelry, perfume etc. Plus I will take away the hideous salt and pepper shakers from a dining table before shooting it.

Do you contribute to magazines and books or are you mostly shooting for private clients?

AR: I mostly shoot for private clients, however, I'm incredibly blessed that a lot of my weddings do get published either on wedding blogs or in magazines or both.

What do you use to shoot?

AR: I'm a Canon girl and I shoot with the 5D Mark III, a camera I absolutely adore to bits. I shoot with prime lenses and I adore every one of them. My favorites are the 50 mm and the 135 mm because I love the bokeh and colours in both so much. I mostly use these two lenses during an engagement shoot.

Do you have favorite photographers?

AR: Yes I do! I adore Jose Villa, Jasmine Star, KT Merry and Jana Williams. I'd hire any of them for my own wedding in a heartbeat (shame I'm already married!)

Your photos are joyful, are very natural and capture a lot of light. Have you always shot this way or did it require a lot of training first?

AR: I've developed my style over the years and it took a lot of practice to get the look and feel I wanted in my photos. I love light and airy photos and I adore sun flare. However, living in The Netherlands we don't always get beautiful sunlight during shoots ;) I'm very happy with where my style currently is.

How did you find your aesthetic?

AR: By attending workshops (Jose Villa and Jasmine Star amongst others) and through Pinterest. I know that might sound silly but when you start pinning photos that you love and start looking at what it is you love about them when you see them all together on a pinboard, you start to find the style you really love. You start seeing similarities between the photos you've pinned (certain light, certain posing styles etc). So I also started reviewing my own photos and trying to figure out why I would love photo A more than photo B for instance. That helped me a ton to develop my style to where it is today. Fashion photography and magazines are also a great source of inspiration for me.

How did you learn photography?

AR: Photography school, workshops (both in the US and in The Netherlands) and a lot of practice, practice, practice :)

Any tips for new photographers?

AR: Try to find YOUR own voice and style. Don't feel you have to copy someone else to be successful. Be you, develop your own style. I get so many questions from photographers who are just starting out about how I edit my photos, how I designed my website because they want theirs to look exactly the same. Trust me when I say, you don't want that. What works for someone else won't necessarily work for you. Use what makes you unique: YOU, your eye, your vision. That's what sets you apart from anyone else. :)

And finally, how has blogging helped your photography career?

AR: I love blogging! It takes a lot of time but I love doing it. It has helped me connect with other vendors and my brides are very dedicated to reading it and keeping up to date with what's happening in my business and life. I love that! It helps us connect even more. I've also heard from other vendors that they received new business thanks to a link on my blog and I love that aswell! I love to give credit where credit is due and if that provides more work for amazing vendors, that makes me very happy!

Now we can take some reader questions. Would anyone like to ask Anouschka a question about her work?

Thank you so much Anouschka for being here on decor8 with us today, I admire your work so much and am happy to have met you! And readers, if you PIN anything in this post, please credit Anouschka Rokebrand with a link to her website on Pinterest. Thank you!

(images: Anouschka Rokebrand)