5 minutes with... German Wedding Photographer Bina Terre

Well hello there! I hope you’ve had a lovely weekend! We are officially in winter here in New Zealand, but have had such beautiful clear crisp days of late that I’m not hating it! Auckland is notorious for super rainy winters (think Portland, Seattle!) so it’s a welcome respite before the inevitable rainy days! Which in turn means more productive days – it’s hard to be inside getting work done when the sun is finally weak enough to actually sit outside in it!

With that being said, today’s “5 minutes with…” post is with German wedding photographer BINA TERRÉ. Photography, travel and love are three of Bina’s favourite things, and she travels throughout Europe capturing beautiful weddings. She loves to meet new people and to be around them on one of their most special days. “The best thing about my job is that almost everyone is or should be happy on that day and that they spread so much love. What could be better?” We couldn’t agree more! We’re thrilled to have her be a part of the MAGNOLIA ROUGE VENDOR GUIDE. Read on to learn more about her…

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BECOME A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER? I started to photograph people and fashion when I first attended a wedding as a second shooter. At that moment, I was unaware that this is going to be my dream job. I thought it was really, really exhausting and I was afraid of the responsibility this job involves. Besides, German weddings at this time were been really traditional and that wasn’t me and my vision. Some months later I had a fashion shoot and it was pretty cool, but it wasn’t creative at all. I had to photograph the dress for the fashion designer, the hair for the stylist, and the model was posing, posing, posing, without any emotions. This was the moment I really knew: I need creative space and mostly I need real emotions in my pictures. And where could I have found them better then capturing a wedding. I still think that weddings are a huge responsibility, to capture memories for a lifetime. But I got used to it and I’m getting so much back. When my couples contact me after viewing the pictures for the first time and they’re beyond happy – that’s the moment I miss with more commercial shoots. And that’s what makes this job so perfect to me.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR PATH TO GET THERE: I studied communication designs and had to buy a camera for this. I loved photo editing before but I wasn’t used to a professional camera. I started to photograph more. then to study and I received my Bachelor of Arts with a thesis about… photography of course. I started to photograph weddings while studying, first as an assistant, afterwards as the main photographer.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE? Storytelling, moving, emotional. I love wind blowing in the hair, flowers and dress. Sunset and bright, happy colours.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT WEDDINGS? It’s always a happy place. There is only room for love and joy. It’s a gift to share this with people in love und to capture these moments for a lifetime.

SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE WITH US AND TELL US WHY: I love this picture cause it was such an amazing day and the spot is just awesome. I’ve been travelling to Spain for 17 years now cause we have a small “Casa” in Altea. I always knew that this place was amazing but last year, while searching for a great location, I found what felt like the quietest place on earth. We were all alone and I was amazing that I hadn’t found this place before. It was just harmony, and I thought that this could be a place where I would love to marry some day. Who knows, maybe I will…

CAN YOU RECALL YOUR FAVOURITE WEDDING EXPERIENCE? I don’t have on particular experience, but I always getting emotional when the couple says their vows to each other or while parents say their speeches. It’s so interesting cause it seems like you get to know them so much better in this short time (and sometimes you get to know some funny facts about them!)

ASIDE FROM FAMILY & FRIENDS, THREE THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: Animals. I love being surrounded by cats, dogs, anything cute! Traveling. Exploring, getting to know new cultures, places. Growing my experiences and memories. Sweets. I love dessert. When I go to a restaurant, the dessert is what I’m first looking for.

WHERE WOULD WE USUALLY FIND YOU ON A SUNDAY MORNING? Probably travelling home from a wedding or lying in bed doing nothing at all.

HOW WOULD YOU SPEND YOUR IDEAL DAY OFF? With my family and friends. At the beach and diving in the sea in summer. Walking in the forest or skiing in the alps in winter. Exploring new places and looking for new adventures.