Climbing the Ladder Again - August Drakensberg Workshop

For the first time in over a year African Impact and myself ran a photography workshop that took us to the top of the Amphitheatre and the world famous Tugela Falls (one of the two highest waterfalls in he the world with a drop of 946m). For the past year we have only been doing workshops lower down in valleys of the Little Berg for various reasons. So it was with some excitement that I found myself approaching the chain ladder once more to reach the summit. This, after a sparrow's fart start to reach the viewpoint at the Witches by sunrise (requiring a walk in the dark of about an hour to an hour and a half depending on fitness). The photography as ever was fantastic, and the weather, amazingly, was dramatic without being uncomfortable. Perfect for a weekend of photography.  

Whither Do You Go?

The title of this essay could easily be rewritten as Software Woes. Of late, several software providers have been changing their product line quite dramatically, leaving photographers everywhere slightly befuddled, and somewhat poorer for the required financial outlay that they have to put forth. Adobe, Apple and Nikon are the biggest bombshell creators at the moment, but there is all likelihood that they will be followed by others shortly. So, what is the problem and what do you do to keep up with the myriad updates.

Contemplating The Wall - Notes on a Brief Architecture Workshop

Like most of the work that I do I have accidentally gravitated towards particular genres or types of photography. It's probably my OCD and control-freak personality that have sidled me into the world of architectural photography. It actually came as a surprise when a few weeks ago a recognised Durban wedding photographer approached me to put together an architectural workshop for a small group of advanced photographers (thank you Heidi). My first thought was, 'I'm not an architectural photographer am I?" It was only after looking through recent architectural work for clients that it struck me that it has actually become one of my specialities. So to the workshop....

Working with Muddied Light - Drakensberg Workshop

The Drakensberg like any other mountain, or for that matter anywhere in the world, varies seasonally with the type of light that the photographer is likely to encounter. Although winter can be extraordinary with thick blankets of crisp white snow covering the escarpment, it can also be dreary, hazy and flat in terms of lighting. This last weekend on a landscape workshop with African Impact was pretty much like the latter. No clouds, plenty of smoke in the air from the controlled burns and an infinity of haze. Does this mean you give up on the photography though? Hell no!