African Buffalo

My love for wildlife photography is no secret, and neither my big black hunt for the elusive African Buffalo, well elusive only to me. I have been to so many different Big 5 parks, from Etosha in Namibia, Zambia and eventually to the so called home of the buffalo, Kruger National Park. Still no joy in finding these magnificent beasts; yes I have seen them, usually in the distance, behind long grass or trees in the distance, or only a close up of their rear ends.

I got to spend the day in Kruger with my father in-law, a pretty uneventful day in terms of spotting wild life. After we did our rounds, the day was slowly coming to an end, so we decided to call it a day and head home.

As we exit the park, 200m or so, my father in-law points out some "cattle" grazing off the side of the road, jokingly commenting on the extended wild life sightings. However, surprise-surprise, they were no cattle, they were the elusive African Buffalo on the outside of the Big 5 park, 5 metres from the car! We found them, close enough for some awesome head shots, granted the time of day may not have been perfect, and the light was a bit harsh, but I did not care, I got to photograph my long awaited African Buffalo.

Working with Models

 As a lifestyle photographer, most of my images are unplanned, so having to suddenly work with models can be quite the mind shift. Letting nature take its course makes for easy shooting, and unintentional wonder shots; so the minute I have to work with a model, I tend to rely on my lifestyle instincts, but not forgetting there are some very important "model rules" to remember.

 Match the model to the role.Directs cast their actors according to the required role they need to fill, it would be pointless having Woody Allan cast for a role as a tough biker gang member, unless the purpose was for comic relief. In the same way it would be more suited for a fit, tanned blond model to be cast as a "surfer chick". You can have the most incredible model, but if she is not suited to the role, it would make for an unrealistic final product.

Silence is not always golden, communicate with your models. Rather arrange for the shoot to be an hour earlier, than rushing into the shoot without explaining the theme and concept behind the shoot. your models need to be properly briefed before you start, they need to understand the mood; will it be sunny and fun, shaded and serious, dark and moody or light and elegant. Before I mentioned the film director, and working with a model is no different, you need to explain their roles, the story behind the image.

Always have your camera ready, even after you have finished shooting, remember your models are most relaxed while the camera is not snapping away at them. You may just get the best photo while they are not looking or posing, be prepared for that candid moment when they burst out laughing at a private joke releasing their most natural reaction, the making for the perfect image. often the perfect photo is the one where the model was not striking a pose, but showed off her perfect, unintended smile.

Let it go a bit; you may be working with seasoned models, but even the most experienced models can struggle to relax in front of the camera. If you have to act out the role in a weird or funny manner to get the shot across, do it, because making a fool of yourself may just be what your model needs to make a fool of herself for that wanted photo. Never be afraid to show your human side, and never let your ego get in the way of your work.

regular breaks are a must. Often we are so caught up in the moment, everything is just working the way it should, but if you don't take your breaks, that perfection will be short lived, and replaced by moody cranky models. In the same breath, know your location surroundings and be aware of the elements. The sun and cold can destroy a shoot in second, have shade, have warmth and have plenty of water. Don't send your model in to the long grass before you checked it out yourself, there could be an uninvited reptilian guest waiting to be stepped on. Just saying, this is Africa after all.

Make use of your available light correctly, if you can not, then do not be afraid to make use of an alternative light source. Always have a reflector or umbrella at hand; I prefer natural light, but if the occasion calls for it, I make use of my reflector or flashgun and umbrella. No one wants to struggle keeping their eyes open facing direct sunlight, it will either come out squinty or your model will look like a rabbit staring at headlights.

At the end of the day, you need to look back and ask yourself if you, the crew and models had fun? You are not trying to save the world, you are just trying to create some art. Relax, stay professional and you will have an amazing shoot.

The Black Night

 
As a photographer you get to meet numerous influential people; being the photographer at a conference, live concert, or in this case following Mr. Gary Player, aka The Black Night around a golf course, while attending the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

At first it was quite intimidating, especially when you are in the presence of a man of his stature. However when the man you are photographing is 100% aware of who he is and what he has achieved, yet in the same breathe has the world of respect for every other human being who he comes in contact with; then suddenly that fear disappears.

“Work hard and never give up” he would say to every young kid that would ask for his autograph; as a young man he had to overcome many of his own obstacles, and what was clear while spending time with Mr. Player, was the fact that he had very little time for people who came with excuses for not achieving their dreams.

These are the 10 commandments Mr. Player lives his life by, which enabled him success achieved by very few.

1. Change is the price of survival.
2. Everything in business is negotiable, except quality.
3. A promise made is a debt incurred.
4. For all we take in life we must pay.
5. Persistence and common sense are more important than intelligence.
6. The fox fears not the man who boasts by night but the man who rises early in the morning.
7. Accept the advice of the man who loves you, though you like it not at present.
8. Trust instinct to the end, though you cannot render any reason.
9. The heights of great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but that while their companions slept were toiling upward in the night.
10. There is no substitute for personal contact.
    

Sharing time with The Black Night was a privilege, and in the same light it is my privilege sharing my photos of the day I got to spend with Mr. Gary Player.
For more information on The Black Night, please visit http://garyplayer.com/legend/the_man/

Documenting a photo shoot.

Photographing a photo shoot where the photographer is a photographic legend; a Priceless experience, and one you should soak up, because it does not come around very often.

In 2007 I had the incredible opportunity photographing a FHM cover shoot for China. I was however not the photographer, I only documented the shoot; and to my embarrassment am unable to remember the actual photographers name; for this I apologise.

This was one of the most rewarding experiences in my memory archive, and this piece is all about sharing some of the photos, what I experienced and learnt over those couple of days.

We were on location visiting a Elephant sanctuary, where the photographer was to photograph the actress / model while posing on an elephant. My job was to capture the shoot in a documentary fashion for a certain media publishing company.

Photographers are generally known for their fluctuating moods, and on meeting my subject for the first time, it seemed he was no different. Be kind though, because he was not as thought a terrifying primadonna, he just happened to be tired from travelling all the way from China.

In fact he was one of the kindest people I have ever worked with, a wikipedia of photographic knowledge. You may think I will be whipping out his top 10 tips, but it was nothing like that; he always kept it simple, used the available light to the best of its availability. He used time as if there was none, knew what he wanted to achieve before lifting his camera, and could see the end product before looking at the proofs. That was about it, and that is what I aim for with every shoot I now approach.

The biggest advise I can give when offered such an opportunity is this; stay out of the way, listen and photograph with confidence, as if you are that legendary photographer.

Signatures and bad light

Usually I do not paste my name all over my photographs as I find it rather tacky. However there are instances where signatures or watermarks are necessary.

In this instance it would be to protect the integrity of the performer rather than claiming ownership of the photographs. If a publicist would like to make use of the image, permission would be granted dependant on authorisation given or denied by the performer (or management)  

The gymnast photographed is Federico Molinari, Argentinian 2012 Olympic finalist. I have had the pleasure of photographing various performers / celebrities, but if there is one tip I can give it would be the following as per experience. In the past I used to work with a fellow photographer who had the terrible habit of asking the celebrity if they could have a photograph taken with them. This seems fairly harmless, right? in reality it is extremely unprofessional (unless asked by the performer / celebrity them-self)

The above images were taken at a gymnastics gala in Federico Molinari's home town of San Jorge, the lighting was arranged more for effect rather than clarity of subject.

Now initially I would be pretty much taken back as the available light would not be sufficient  for perfect clear images. However, the strong contrasting light from the left and hard shadows from the right, turned out to be a killer combination for the post processing hard light effect I ended up with.

Meaning, don't stress too much when your environment does not cater for your image expectations, as it may just lend itself to an even better result than you initially expected.

Lost generation...car and man

One of the things I truly love about Argentina is their collection of oldies; the streets are still alive with the remnants of a time almost forgotten. I would not go as far as saying it is their love for the auto-mobiles of old, but rather that they still allow them to roam the streets until their eminent extinction.

I came across this little dirt road littered with steel skeletons, once possibly the shining pride to some owners, probably themselves not with us any more. As you would expect, many of these old fossils were already becoming one with the environment, each complimenting the other. maybe they don't have a owner polishing and waxing them any more, but they sure have a bit of nature love happening.

What a time it must have been, before cars were merely about speed and comfort, but rather crafted works of art. Vehicles made with pride and patience, rather than run down an assembly line made with a one generation lifespan.

Today you have a vehicle stuffed with "pillows" to keep you safe, because if the little tin-can rolled you would be nothing more than a canned pilchard. Yet these die hard oldies would most probably roll off a cliff, dust themselves off while giving a grunt as the engine restarts and drive off into the sunset...

I guess this would be my tribute to the generations of old, even in their last moments they are beautiful, complimented by their surroundings, maybe forgotten by some, but definitely remembered by most. I know for a fact the old timers who drove these bad boys were tough as nails, representing 100% what they drove.

A lost generation; strong, bold, real, honest and something you could count on even in the toughest moments, car and man alike. Unlike the generation of today, comparing man and vehicle would have a rather bleak result, often only strong in appearance, meek, arrogant in behaviour and not really to be counted in even the least of times.

I share these photographs as a salute to the oldies of past...maybe to even be inspired and remember again what it means to be men with integrity and honour. 

Sport photography

I have had the awesome opportunity to photograph various forms of sport, and I hope I can shed a little light on some of the things I have learnt along the way.

The one thing I can say is that every sport has its own rules and that goes for the photographer as well. If it is your first golf tournament, ask the veteran photographers on site for some tips regarding the rules; for instance, don't release the shutter on the golfers back-swing or not using flash photography etc. The last thing you want is to be lambasted by a golfer for doing something ignorantly silly.

Ask, generally photographers are happy to share their knowledge.

Know your sport, if you know nothing of the sport, do some research...

The most important details I can give regarding the camera settings are as follows; Aperture Priority (2.8f if possible), Burst Mode (continual shooting) and ISO (400). The rest you may have to tweak as per the requirements of the shoot, depending on weather or if the shoot is indoors or outdoors.

Generally I shoot in RAW, however when it comes to sport I prefer JPEG, as it allows for a much quicker shutter release when shooting in continual mode. This comes in handy as well if the urgency of sending the images off to a publisher is at play.

Wait for action, and include the ball. For instance, as the surfer hits the lip of the wave, or is in mid air holding the rail, and in golf, trying to include the ball in the frame.

Most sport events do not allow unofficial photographers, so please, before rocking up to an event ready to shoot, first find out if you are permitted. You do not want to burn your bridges for future opportunities just because you were over zealous.