About Us – the Vanity Fair Way

We are Jaan Sokk and Sigrid Butlers – a husband/wife, photographer/assistant and… a team in many other ways.

To photoghraph anyone or anything, you are choosing not a “photography business”, but the person(s). A team of 2, in our case.
Instead of bothering you with details of which school we went to, you can learn more about us as humans, if we answer the same stuff that Proust once asked. And what you can find in Vanity Fair nowadays.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
[Jaan] Knowing that my close ones are happy and always having something creative in the works. And having something to look forward to.
[Sigrid] Waking up on summer mornings when the rays of sun touch my face and knowing that I have no plans for the day to come. Seeing someone I love happy and smiling after opening a gift from me.

What is your greatest fear?
[J] Getting bored. I’m all for knowing one thing about everything rather than everything about one thing. I’m a sponge for knowledge.
[S] Loneliness.

Which living person do you most admire?
[J] Anyone I spend enough time with to find out what it is about them that I admire. Really!
[S] Our doxie Rosin.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
[J] When I nag like an old woman -> I have high expectations.
[S] Inability to say “no”

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
[J] When others don’t have as high expectations as me.
[S] Hypocrisy.

What is your greatest extravagance?
[J] I stand like a stork on one foot sometimes when making coffee or cooking.
[S] Books on my shelf that I have bought but never read.

What is your favourite journey?
[J] The one I started with Sigrid 19 years ago. And the one we started in 2013 when we shot our first wedding together.
[S] The one I started 19 years ago with Jaan

On what occasion do you lie?
[J] When I’m not sure what the truth is.
[S] When I don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
[J] My left eyebrow.
[S] My posture, maybe.

Which living person do you most despise?
[J] Despise is too strong a word…
[S] I do not have time for negative feelings.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
[J] “Does that make any sense?”
[S] “Kuuled, vä?”

What is your greatest regret?
[J] No real point in regretting, there is always a thing or 2 to learn from every mistake.
[S] Not saying exactly what I meant, when I had the chance.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
[J] Sigrid and our 2 cute kiddos.
[S] I thought it was Jaan, but that was before I met my kids.

When and where were you happiest?
[J] When Björn and Britta were born. And when Sigrid said “yes” to me on a hot summer morning.
[S] When my babies were born and I had them in my arms.

Which talent would you like to have?
[J] Being able to remember everything. And travelling in space-time without limitations.
[S] Being able to play the piano.

What is your current state of mind?
[J] I am ready to tackle anything I encounter.
[S] Peaceful.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
[J] I would try to convince myself that there are, well… nice ways of getting people to move their [bottom] and just do the stuff that needs to be done.
[S] I wish I could take life less seriously.

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
[J] Nothing.
[S] They’re perfect the way they are.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
[J] Having my 2 wonderful kids.
[S] Pulling my act together and starting to assist Jaan at photoshoots.

If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
[J] A titmouse or some other birdie. Because they don’t migrate for winter and can look at the world from above.
[S] A ladybug – I like dots!

What is your most treasured possession?
[J] I would say it’s my camera, but I’m currently “in the middle of things”, so it’s my Crumpler bag with everything in it.
[S] My engagement ring.

Where would you like to live?
[J] Where the summers are warm and the winters are cold.
[S] In Paris, in an artsy studio apartment.

What is your favourite occupation?
[J] The one I have at any given moment.
[S] Reading.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
[J] Sincerity and being straight to the point.
[S] Honesty

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
[J] The same.
[S] Openness.

What do you value most in your friends?
[J] That they leave no problem unsolved, when asked or needed.
[S] Their humour.

Who are your heroes in real life?
[J] 4-year-olds – for being able to learn how to unlock an iPad in such a short span. And Taylor Swift for having the guts to turn down Spotify.
[S] People working with children with disabilities – they have to have a big heart.

What is it that you most dislike?
[J] Posts containing only hashtags.
[S] Stupidity.

How would you like to die?
[J] Too early to start thinking about it.
[S] Quickly.

What is your motto?
[J] That saying “It can’t be done” is the same as saying “You can’t prove it can be done”.
[S] “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” (Forrest Gump)

Jaan & Sigrid