I had Lia and Ané, along with their friend Mikhe, with me for a photoshoot. It was late afternoon and we were heading into the ‘golden hour’, that time of day when the shadows get long and the light warms, giving everything a golden glow.

It’s a time of day that is much favoured by photographers, not only because of the colour of the light but because the light also becomes ‘softer’ (the sun castes less-hard-edged shadows).  The photos worked really well: gorgeous colours and soft transitions from shadow to light. The perfect combination for great portraits.

I like playing with my photos though and I was soon experimenting with converting them to monochrome. I’ve always loved black and white photos and these just seemed to be begging for the treatment. Taking away colour allows all the other aspects of a photograph to show off. The shadows, the textures and the shapes all get their chance to grab our attention.  Just look how black and white brings out the beautiful forms of Ané’s face and neck when the colour is gone.

Taking the colours away allows us to see the details and enjoy other aspects of an image. Simplifying changes what is important and allows the viewer to appreciate different aspects of an image. We live in a world where colour is used to grab our attention. Just look at the difference between these next two photos of Ané with a backdrop of dead creeper branches. Suddenly, it’s all about the similar texture of her hair and the creepers. When there was colour, her hair was separate because of its colour.

We can get very philosophical about this because it applies to so many things in life. I find myself focussing on the most obvious aspects of a problem, person, object or event at the expense of other characteristics. I know I lose perspective and understanding by doing this but it’s how my mind works. It takes effort to prune back the layers and appreciate them for what they are, individually.

When things get complicated and we feel overwhelmed, it helps to peel the layers back so we can see what each layer is contributing. Getting rid of the obvious and the brightest gets us in touch with the structure of the thing.

Good luck and enjoy. Let me know in the comments how this applies to you.

Our model, Karma, chose to dress and use makeup in her interpretation of traditional afghan style. She was able to completely get into the role in spite of a difficult start. This is not an easy thing to do!

Thank you Karma!

(Noun) the state of being barred from one’s native country, typically for political or punitive reasons. Synonyms:     banishment, expulsion, expatriation, deportation

(Verb) expel and bar (someone) from their native country, typically for political or punitive reasons. Synonyms:     expel, banish, expatriate, deport, drive out, throw out, outlaw

Essentially, this shoot is about separation. Some people who are in exile live lives of luxury—think Napoleon—while others have horrific lives in refugee camps on the Horn of Africa or worse. However, they all have something in common and that is their forced separation from their homes, loved ones, treasures and special places. They are often unable to even contact loved ones for fear of being found or of causing harm to their people.

I love the range of emotions that Dalene brought to the shoot – from deep sadness to absolute joy.  I am so excited to see how this progresses!

Sisonke contacted me to do a ‘body parts’ shoot. What resulted was a really great nude shoot with her.

Thank you for looking

Apparently Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes books, firmly believed in fairies and went to great lengths to photograph them. I don’t know how much success he had but  there are certainly fairies around Pretoria and I have photos to prove it!  Enjoy these selections from recent fairy shoots we’ve done. Thank you models Rebecca Stewart, Staci-Leigh Howard, Ané van der Walt and Leah van der Walt!

But it got me thinking. About how incredibly clever we males are about decorating our women. In rural communities, where men still have horses, they actually have to go out, catch the horse, brush, comb and groom before they can add the finery and make it something that shows off the owner’s high status in society. Now, I don’t know much about rural women. Perhaps their men need to catch them before the decoration can begin, but the urban ones I know and the ones I saw in India are a particularly well-trained bunch. They are almost all self-decorating. They can be seen in the many exterior decorating shops measuring the feel and drape of textiles, matching colour schemes while ensuring that the whole picture adheres to the strict decorating rules, all laid down by the women who make the rules.

While all this self-objectification is happening, the men are free to sit back, undecorated, and observe while putting back a beer or three. Sometimes the men are called upon to put in an admonishing word to an errant, undecorated women but it is thankfully rare. The women do a very good job of it on their own! Of course, there are some men who are part of the whole decorating thing. But all real men know that these are overly traditional, arty or otherwise limp-wristed. Real men wouldn’t fall for that kind of nonsense. Tie-dye T-shirts for us! (Not so?)

So why all this Indian culture stuff now, 6 months after I should have got over it all and returned to being a proper westerner? It was all brought on by sitting at Fournos Bakery at the Grove yesterday, people-watching over a delicious salmon board.It is quite amazing how “In Pretoria, we decorate our women!” I’m not sure about the horses. And we do it the lazy way. Well, they do it for us. Pretoria ladies, even in the boring winter are well turned out. (It’s interesting that we use a horsey term for being well dressed!) In the fashion of the day, there are plenty of spandex-clad thighs and bums, peeping out from cheek-revealing tops, to keep the aesthetically-minded men happy all day. Our women are decorated. But so, it seems, are our horses!

Spandex on the fashionably decorated gee-gee. (Pic from Google)

The final verdict? The men of Rajasthan are honest about it. In the west, we would deny it. Either way, our women and our horses are well decorated.

Are you?

I was asked to take pics, including air-to-air from a Lambada, a small plane and motor glider. When I got there I realised how small. The 70-200 lens was way too big for the cockpit!

Then I discovered just how difficult it is to take pics of an aircraft from another aircraft when the two are not flying in pre-arranged formation. My pilot threw that little plane around the sky, causing my already-heavy camera to suddenly become unbearably heavy in twists and turns as we followed the gliders. I have never before in my life flown like that! It was awesome! I got some help from a pro aircraft photojournalist who was there to cover to event for a couple of magazines. After that the long lens stayed on the ground! But there were some successes – click on the first one to see the tow cable that’s just been released!

It wasn’t all about gliding, with powered flights also there for the students (and lucky onlookers). The most amazing was the 1947 model Ercoupe – a wonderful shining aluminium and canvas classic. The owner is a 21 year-old whose father bought it three years ago and refurbished it as a present for her. Now you know what to do for your kids’ big birthdays! The pilot and owner is petite, pretty and gives a perfect Amelia Earhart image when she stands on the wing of her shiny toy!

But the highlight of the day, of course was gliding. This was the real thing. And it was the real thing for wonderful, wonderful Linda! It is scary barrelling down the runway with your bum 6 inches off the tar. And it’s surprisingly noisy as the wind rushes by and the airframe creaks and groans. But it is so wonderful up there.

My flight was one of the last of the day. Although the air was totally devoid of any thermals, I think I got the best deal!

We are so blessed to be able to get out there and live life!

Patricia was a little nervous about what awaited her at the studio, I think. The result though, was that she left on a total high having had an absolute blast! We played with the black net and had her doing fun things before they had to leave to be in time for a soccer match – some things wait for no man!

I particularly like the antique black and white look on this one combined with Patricia’s very cool hat and quirky expression!

Some more – just click to view them:

Hayley and Riaan’s wedding photos are further back in this blog so it was really special to go out with them for some maternity pics just before Ethan made his appearance! This shoot was a very relaxed affair and a lovely stroll around in beautiful surroundings. Here is a couple more: