These days I find myself still shooting half in color and half in black and white. I still can't bring myself to just commit to one because I still feel that there is a need for each but what is strange for me is the fact that I am more inclined to lean towards black and white for landscapes. For the time being I will stick to this, my only concern is that they don't all start to look the same but I guess that is the challenge that we face when trying to be creative.
Read MoreDubai Street Photography
I spent a few days in Dubai, it was my first time not just transiting through the airport. Unfortunately we didn't get to do the desert safari this time. I would have loved to shoot a few portraits of the tribesmen and I am dying to try the roasted goat that is slow cooked in a hole in the ground and coved with sand.
For me the most interesting shots I got were at the souk. It is a pity that it is so geared towards tourists though, I would have liked to see more local people and even where the migrant workers to the country shop for their daily things. On the plus side, food all over was amazing and the weather was great. I have heard that summer is definitely a no go as temperatures go into the 50's and we are talking Celsius!
Have to say that I am loving the Fuji Systems more and more each day for travel photography. Besides the fantastic quality of the photos, the size and weight are great for saving your back and shoulders when you are out the whole day. So Well done FUJI and keep it up!
Be wary of strangers.
Hand held. I really need to get a travel tripod.
South African Bush Getaway
Continuing my time spent in South Africa, we took a little time to get out of the city into the countryside. One of the great things I love about SA is the fact that you can drive for 1 hour and be relatively isolated, no car horns honking, not a person in sight, just lots of blue skies, puffy white clouds and fresh air. Oh and depending where you go, lots of wild animals to be found in game parks.
Another normal day on the Highways in South Africa. Just kidding, the highways have much more traffic that this. Shot with a 35mm lens while steering with my elbows!!!
Always wanted to see what I look like behind the camera, scary stuff!
Huang Shan- Yellow Mountain Pt 2
For those of you who have never been to Yellow Mountain, here are a few tips. The cable car does not go all the way to the top no matter what your friends tell you so there will be plenty of hiking. This could cause severe shortness of breath and mocking by friends. It could also cause severe hunger in which case you are advised to eat the mocking friends if they do not throw candy bars at you. Also, the walls in the hotel are paper thin so take ear plugs if you want any sleep. The hike down is just as bad as going up. Don't let the fact that there are groups of 14 year old school girls passing you and giggling make you think any different. What was even more amazing to me were the men walking up the mountain while balancing about 80kgs on bamboo poles over their shoulders. This is the only way that everything gets transported 10km up the mountain. And when I say everything, I mean everything, from roof tiles to whole metal framed sliding doors with the glass inside to all the food and beverages that you have in the hotels.
As far as photography goes, I found it difficult to hold the camera up to my eye while constantly feeling the urge to vomit but I did manage to get a few good shots.
Lessoned learned from this trip... get fitter.
Huang Shan- Yellow Mountain Pt 1
Spent a night in Huang Shan city before heading up the actual mountain. The city wasn't really anything special to be honest, well not that we could find but the people are amazing friendly compared to Shanghai. I will split this post into 2 parts, the second post will be about the actual mountain.
Like a tsunami, the newer, bigger apartment blocks and offices engulf the older more traditional buildings.
Boudoir Shoot
South Africa, a whole lot more than just braaivleis and brandewyn!!!
I was really happy to have been able to line up a couple of shoots while on my holiday in Johannesburg, this was one of them.
I had an amazing time shooting with this lady and can't wait to go back and shoot more of the South African talent. Thanks to Y for putting in so much effort in preparation for our shoot, from all the beautiful pieces of lingerie right down to the french manicure and pedicure. I always give my best when shooting but whenever I see this much effort on the part of the model it inspires me to give even more.
South African Street Portrait
Aaaarrrghh, Ok so take two of my blog post because the little internet decided to delete my last post as I was finishing it.
Ok so lets start again. It's been a while since my last post. Life has been crazy busy with shooting and general life stuff. I also spent 3 weeks in South Africa on holiday and managed to organise a couple of shoots while I was there. I think most of my holiday snaps I will post on Instagram so look out for them.
I was cruising around Johannesburg looking for old 35mm cameras in old junk shops when I noticed this guy just hanging around outside one of them. I was immediately interested by his face and knew that I had to shoot his portrait. After talking for a while he agreed and we just carried on talking about life in general while I snapped away. Turns out he regularly goes to the local gym to lift weights with his daughter and on the day I saw him, he was just killing time waiting for her. Really nice guy and I was happy to have met him.
The black and white shots were down when I found myself on a construction site. I would have loved to spend a bit more time there shooting close up portraits of the workers but I wasn't able to that day, maybe next time.
Anyway, everyone meet Vic.
Shanghai Street Life In Color
Somewhere in Shanghai. Wandering the back alleys of the less flashy parts of Shanghai where the shiny store fronts that house the worlds top designer brands seem a million miles away but can in fact be found just a few streets away. here the old folk regard you with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion and the younger generation stare and giggle.
Shanghai Streets In Black & White
These days I am really trying hard to push myself to shoot for color but I keep going back to black and white. For me it has so much more depth but this is just my opinion based on my skill set. I think I would consider my color work less strong compared to my black and white work so I have to keep reminding myself to get out of my comfort zone otherwise 2 years from now I will still just be admiring the brilliant work of photographers such as Steve McCurry, JoeyL and Sue Bryce instead of raising my own skill level.
So shoot, shoot and shoot some more, and when you get tired and despondent, pick up your camera and carry on shooting.
Shanghai Streets In Color
Shooting street in Shanghai sometimes feels like cheating because there is so much of interest you barely have to walk 20 meters to find a subject but this too comes with it's own problems. I find it challenging to push myself to think of new themes, to look beyond the obvious street vendor shot right in front of me. At the end of the day we all add our own touch to each photo and view the scene slightly differently to everyone else no matter how many times it has been done before, this is how we differentiate ourselves. I am sure that is the goal of many photographers, when you take a shot of something that has been seen before but whoever is looking at it can recognise it's your work by the style of the photo.
The lesson to be learnt is keep pushing yourself, the harder you push the more you surprise yourself. Appreciate the failures, those are the building blocks from which you make success.
The rate at which Shanghai is expanding and modernising is impressive. It also makes for a great contrast, out with the old and in with the new. In a way though, it is sad to see all of these old buildings crushed to rubble.
