I had the opportunity to do a portfolio portrait shoot with KD, an up and coming Hip-Hop Artist from Pietermaritzburg. Thanks Collinz Zulu (Ooh Snap Studios) for the referral.
So I decided to go for a slightly grungy look since some of these may be used for album covers and other publications. Anyway, it’s something I don’t often get the opportunity to do. Let me know what you think of the results.
I was honoured to be asked to be the official wedding photographer at the wedding of Bryce and Megan Todd that was held on 17 January 2015. What a brilliant wedding! The whole wedding was held at Makiti Wedding Venue near the Cradle of Humankind and it was nicely organised and the facilities were great. …
I don’t rate myself as an architectural photographer but last weekend I had the pleasure of staying at, what may be, the most luxurious accommodation I have ever stayed at. Eagle Nest is an amazing place. It’s like a luxury hotel but with a few major differences. They also offer full-time accommodation in bachelor suites …
I had the pleasure of photographing some knives for Hennie van Brakel from Hilton Knives this morning. Hennie has been a professional knife maker since 1998 and has sold knives all over the world. Hennie’s specialities include art knives and folders with occasional hunters and skinners. He does his own designs but also makes Hunters, …
The portrait photographer does not have many challenges but there is one big one that affects everyone involved with portrait photography. It’s never about where you focus, lighting setups or poses, it is all about relaxing your client.
Not too many people are natural models that just get in front of a camera and glow. Most people are like me and hide when a camera is pulled out. Most people instinctively become self-conscious when faced with the lens because, face it, we all have our little insecurities.
I took a day off to spend some time with some good mates from Round Table in The Netherlands on a trip to Durban. Obviously the camera came along.
From Pietermaritzburg our first stop was at the valley overlooking KwaXimba. This is a spot I found when I was working in Cato Ridge and I have been back there quite a lot. Not too many people know about this place because it’s a little off the beaten track but the view is breath-taking. This is basically the start of the Valley of a Thousand Hills.
If you are a professional photographer or even someone looking for photography services you have, no doubt, checked other photography rates online. You have most likely been faced with a huge range of rates for the same services. Having come from a construction project management environment I know how important it is to take all factors into account and get your price right.
When I started selling my services I also check what other photographers were charging to get an idea of what I should be doing. I soon realised that most of the photographers that I looked at had no idea how to run a business let alone price their services. I’m talking about the people that are at the low end of the rates scale. These are people that make a living from photography? I quickly stopped letting other people’s rates influence me.
There will always be clients searching for and willing to accept the lowest price, no matter how low it is. They are usually also the clients that accept poor quality or are disappointed when they see their photos.
It’s always nice for a commercial photographer to have a return customer. In this case it was Patrick Morewood from Pyga Mountain Bikes. The first photos that I took on the previous shoot; I used a black background to give the photos a moody atmosphere. The photography was done at Camera Studio in Pietermaritzburg.
This time around we used a white background because the photos are to be used mainly for their new website. Photography on a white background can be pretty challenging for a photographer especially when the subjects of the photos have a glossy finish and thin elements. Another issue to look out for is chromatic aberration that you can encounter due to the bright background contrasting with the darker edges. Initially there was a little aberration which I adjusted for.
I have spent a lot of time researching the laws affecting photographers and the photographed public in South Africa. As it happens there are not that many photography laws to note. I will go through the really important ones that affect photographers and people being photographed. It is really important, especially for South African Photographers, …
Photographer Pietermaritzburg. This is my all new website on local South African servers. My international site stevenmcgregor.com will stay on for my oversees clients. I decided to get this website up and running to promote my business locally so feel free to browse around and I will keep adding content to the blog. I am a professional photographer …