Canon EOS 7D. Tamron 24-70mm. Panoramic stitch of 6 images. 1/125th sec @ ISO 200 |
Dec 21, 2015
Nov 4, 2015
Picture a Week (PAW). Wk 36: Dr. Dan Parker. Department of Zoology and Entomology
Oct 30, 2015
Picture a Week (PAW) Week 35: Prof. Barry Irwin. Department of Information Technology
Picture a Week (PAW). Week 34: Dr. Adrianne Edkins. Biochemistry and Microbiology
Oct 29, 2015
Student Protest, #feesmustfall
Even in Grahamstown, things were volatile. There were reports of police hard-handedness even prior to the week long campus shutdown. As numbers rose so did tempers and concerns. That more violence was not witnessed, in Grahamstown if not nationally, is remarkable. Credit for this, crucial but subtle in its execution, has to go to the Vice Chancellor of Rhodes University, Dr. Sizwe Mabizela and the University management. The protest originally had the University in its sights but unity saw a saving shift to targeting national government instead.
Oct 26, 2015
Picture a Week (PAW). Week 33. Maths mentor
Picture a Week (PAW). Week 32: Buchule Madikizela. Give 5 Campaign.
Aug 17, 2015
Picture a Week (PAW). Week 31. "Sentinels" - fine art exhibition by Taryn King, National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa.
Aug 12, 2015
Picture a Week (PAW). Week 30. Decadent Hot Chocolate at Revelations Cafe
Decadent Hot Chocolate. Canon EOS 7D. Tamron 70-200mm at 200mm. f2.8@1/8th sec, ISO 100. Natural light bounced with a silver reflector |
Labels:
cafe,
chocolate,
coffee,
food,
mug,
photography,
red,
restaurant,
studio,
sweet
Aug 5, 2015
Revelations at a Food Shoot
Decadent Hot Chocolate |
A few weeks ago I was asked to do a food shoot at a local (and my usual) restaurant and coffee shop. There were a number of requirements, including speciality menu items. There were also a number of challenges so I thought I'd post a blog about some of them and how I worked around the challenges.
The foremost challenge was that the shoot needed to be done on location and during normal working hours. This meant working around customers, the kitchen and the staff. Like most restaurants space is at a premium so there was no back section to occupy or set up out of the way. Personally I would have liked the seclusion, preferring to work out of the public eye but not having that option didn't necessarily have to be viewed as a bad thing. For one it meant that a systematic approach (a preferred method for most of my commercial shoots) was required and would need to be clear cut.
I wanted to, in a sense, brand some of the images by incorporating the restaurants colours (black and red). Doing this too often would have taken the images back towards being visually repetitious so I chose to only photograph the hot drinks in this way, incorporating a red wall in the back ground.
Lasagne. The orange of the peri-peri bottle picks up on the roasted cheese of the lasagne and the plate's dominant colours (reds and yellows) is echoed in the plate at the back. |
Guacomole BLT and The Works Salad. The green bottle of the salad dressing both matches the food type as well as connects with both plates through the colour of the cucumber/parsley and the avocado. |
A location of this sort also requires a good measure of humility and professionalism since the last thing you want to do is impinge on the experience of the diners. Careful angles and perspective selection meant that people could be subtly left out without the need to interrupt and ask them to move, shift position or look somewhere else.
Breakfast Special |
Bacon and Banana Breakfast Waffle. Warm hues in the background brickwork complimented this breakfast shot, bringing in the warmth of the honey, cinnamon and banana. |
If you are ever in Grahamstown swing by Revelations. Its where it all comes together, especially food, photographs and tummies!
Labels:
3P,
ambient,
cafe,
coffee,
dish,
flash,
food,
Grahamstown,
light,
location,
photography,
restaurant,
Revelations,
studio,
technique
Jul 22, 2015
Picture a Week (PAW): Wk 26. Struthio camelus, Addo Elephant National Park
Struthio camelus, Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa. Canon EOS 7D. Tamron 70-200mm at 200mm. 1/2000 @f4. ISO 100. exposure compensation +1stop |
Jul 20, 2015
Jul 8, 2015
Picture a Week (PAW). Week 20. HOD Pharmacy, Prof. Rod Walker
Prof. Rod Walker, HOD Pharmacy. Chairperson of Rhodes Alumni. Canon EOS 7D, Tamron 24-70mm at 31mm. 1/180th sec @2.8 ISO 100 Remote fired external flashes front and back. |
Jun 19, 2015
Picture a Week (PAW): Week 19. TuksiCab in Grahamstown
Jun 17, 2015
Picture a Week (PAW): Week 16. Cebolakhe of Bukimvelo, northern Zululand.
I came across Cebolakhe playing for an audience of one. We were both dawdling along a high, winding mountain road in northern Zululand, he on foot and me by car. We smiled and waved as we passed then both looked back, each intrigued by the other.
I drove around a few more corners then decided to go back. I had time to spare and it looked like he did too. We found each other and a difficult conversation ensued, each of us not speaking the other's language. Music unites and what better way than through South Africa's national anthem. Cebolakhe, perhaps not used to playing requests on his way to buying cooking oil, struggled with a few chords then broke into a recognisable anthem. We chatted and laughed a little more and admired the music and the view. We parted ways with a shaking of hands and another friendly wave, he jiggling over the stones as he played and me jiggling over to a different radio station. But it still wasn't as nice.
I drove around a few more corners then decided to go back. I had time to spare and it looked like he did too. We found each other and a difficult conversation ensued, each of us not speaking the other's language. Music unites and what better way than through South Africa's national anthem. Cebolakhe, perhaps not used to playing requests on his way to buying cooking oil, struggled with a few chords then broke into a recognisable anthem. We chatted and laughed a little more and admired the music and the view. We parted ways with a shaking of hands and another friendly wave, he jiggling over the stones as he played and me jiggling over to a different radio station. But it still wasn't as nice.
May 18, 2015
May 11, 2015
Picture a Week (PAW) : Wk 12. "3D Scene" photographic exhibition and workshops. SciFest Africa 2015.
“3D_Scene” is an interactive, education based, visual art exhibition conceptualised to coincide with SciFest Africa’s theme; "The Year of Light". |
Labels:
3D,
3P,
art,
education,
exhibition,
gallery,
Grahamstown,
SciFest Africa,
stereoscopic,
view,
vision,
workshop
Picture a Week (PAW) : Wk 11. Wessel Benson. Manager of the Royal Saint Andrews Hotel and Conference Centre, Port Alfred
Wessel Benson. Manager of the soon to be opened, Royal Saint Andrews Hotel and Conference Centre, Port Alfred, South Africa. |
Picture a Week (PAW) : Wk 9. MFA submission "I've always known this place, familiar as a room in our house".
Master of Fine Art submission by Kesayne Reed "I've always known this place, familiar as a room in our house". |
Feb 25, 2015
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