A visited the Bisley Nature Reserve near Pietermaritzburg to take photos of the bird life and wildlife. The day started out misty and a bit cool. I headed down to the bird hide only to find that it was under water so I walked around to the other side of the water hole. I was …
I was recently commissioned to take architectural photos of some property for Lightbodys. Lightbodys is a property company that buys and renovates derelict properties in Pietermaritzburg. Once complete they manage very affordable, quality inner-city accommodation in those properties. The alternative is shocking. I have added photos of slum type houses so that you can see …
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 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 …
It’s been a busy couple of weeks since I moved into my new studio and I am glad I finally have time to post a couple of articles. During last week I got a call from Neil Etheridge at CPS to come out and do a video shoot of a new baling machine that they …
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.