Adapt or Die

Well, that sounds a bit gloomy right? Adapt or die. Thing is, we need to constantly evolve as photographers and creatives. Good isn't good enough and and if it ever is you know you're in trouble. We need to constantly push ourselves to be better.

I meant to blog about this much sooner, however I've been going non-stop since the beginning of August. This has been really good for my confidence and it's also been flexing my creativity and I think this specific shoot was the main catalyst for getting me off my ass and creating again.

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My favourite image of the day..

In mid August my friend Karien and her husband came from Dubai to visit family and friends. She had reached out to me some time during June about doing a shoot with her and of course I immediately said; yes. I wanted to do something a little more conceptual than the usual portraiture stuff and I knew she'd be keen.

I had a very specific concept in mind, but I quickly realized that I was going to have to approach the idea differently. My initial concept wasn't going to pan out and I needed to adapt it slightly. As a photographer this happens more often than you might think. You have a pretty solid idea in your head/written down/drawn up, but there are so many variables at hand and often times you need to make a judgment call and kinda hope for the best.

We were running slightly late and I had to skip the location for the first image idea I had. This was okay, because I really wanted to make the image at the top of the page. Here's what went into the retouch.

Speaking of retouch; click here to see the details about my upcoming workshop. Please note: Dates might be changing for the workshop.

Here are several more images from the day including some scribbles of what I was thinking in terms of how/where/when I wanted to shoot etc.

I really wanted to shoot the selection of above images with Karien enveloped by branches and leaves and ivy, however it just wasn't possible, so again, some adaptation was needed and I am really stoked with the final results.

I always feel it's essential to have something written down or drawn on a piece of paper/napkin or whatever, just to get your initial idea out there. From there it will change shape or remain exactly as you envisioned it. The point is; sometimes you'll go in with an initial idea and come out the other end with something completely different.

Adapt or die as they say.

PS: Go view Karien's work here. She's awesome!

Thanks for reading.

Workshop

For the past few months, I've been throwing the idea of hosting a workshop around in my gray matter, a.k.a. my brain.

Today I am very proud to announce that I'll be hosting a workflow and retouching workshop right here in Hatfield, Pretoria at StorySpace Studios on the 10th of October. PLEASE NOTE: Dates have since changed to the 22nd of October to accommodate attendees.

This will be a one day workshop and we'll be focusing on and discussing workflow and retouching.

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NOTE: You'll need to have a basic knowledge of Lightroom and Photoshop and also own the software.

We're going to start from when your shoot finishes, to you sitting down behind your keyboard and importing into Lightroom to retouching and backing up. I'll be discussing how I name folders, make selections, RAW conversions, Custom vs Purchased presets.

In Photoshop, we'll be going through frequency separation, dodging and burning, skin toning, color toning and sharpenin, as well as some other tips and tricks I've learnt over the years.

I'll also be going into the the tools I use, from graphic tablets to screen calibrators, and I'll discuss how I backup my work. We'll also be touching on colour spaces and which one to choose when saving your work.

The cost of the workshop is a R1800, however if you are one of the first five people to sign up you'll only be paying R1500, so get clicking on the link below to grab a little discounted rate.

Click here to make your booking.

Please note there are only 12 spaces available. Also, do not fret. If someone drops out, you might still be lucky enough to get a spot.

So, that's it. Easy, right? I look forward to teaching you the tips and tricks I have picked up over the years and I hope you look forward to learning from me.

Thanks for reading

Failure

Sometimes, as a photographer - or just as a person - you'll set out with the best intentions to create something and fail miserably. You'll get behind your computer, download the images and your heart will sink. All that effort, planning and time for nothing; or was it for nothing?

That "failure" is a valuable lesson. I know it never feels like it, but sorting through old photos I found one such instance - out of a deep well of failures or shall we call them; lessons? This particular one stuck with me though as it was for my series "Arguing with Myself" which I captured at a stage where I was experiencing a lot of inner turmoil and unease.

I basically had to beat my negativity and self-doubt down, tie them up, lock them in a room and swallow the key; to go out and make these photos. They weren't comfortable and I never intended for them to be anything but uncomfortable to go out and make.

Recently I wanted to recreate this painting by artist Mark Maggiori.

Do yourself a favour and click on the image to view more of his work.

I am not sure how it happened, but I think my friend Gerhard Uys shared one of his paintings on Instagram and I was immediately drawn to it, so I got in touch with him and suggested that we should go out and make some cool photos of him as a cowboy. Editors note: Did I mention he f**king loves Cowboys?

So, eventually after months of trying to find a location, a horse and a time, that suited everyone involved we finally shot it in middle July. We all woke up really early, drove out to Hartebeespoort Dam, got the horse saddled up and drove out to the spot, set up for the shot and... I'd love to say; nailed the image, however that would be a lie.

Another shoot, another lesson learnt.

Here's the unretouched version of the failed recreation.

That's a pretty subpar image right? Heck, subpar is putting it kindly. It's shit. I am fully intent on going back and nailing it though. I have a different spot I want to shoot at and I think it'll work.

However, it wasn't a total waste. Right before we packed up the sun was shining through the trees to our left and lighting up the tall grass and I grabbed several portraits that I am pretty happy with and I am glad I took the time to shoot them, but the one that eluded me will be captured. Mark my words.

Thanks for reading

Winter

I am not going to lie. This winter was a tough one. It wasn't particularly cold or anything, but I was flying by the seat of my pants in regards to my work. I questioned my decisions. I doubted my abilities. I made it out alive though.

When I am not creating work, I tend to not want to create work; if that makes sense. I believe I am a hack and that this has all just been a fluke up until now and I should just go back to working some desk job.

Then I remember that I've pretty much only been on this full-time photographer train for just over a year and for five months of said year I was interning with Zack Arias. It takes a lifetime to build a career and I've not even made a ripple in this pool. Hell, I am not even in the pool, yet.

Roughly a month ago I decided enough was enough; I needed to shoot new work. Just for myself. I needed to grease the gears and shake off the dust. On that first shoot I could feel I was out of sync. I wasn't as confident in myself as I had been, but I was shooting again and that felt pretty damn good.

Here's some images from the shoot with my friend Annicia. Thanks for sitting in front of my camera.

Thanks for reading