Thursday, October 21, 2010

Stop signs

Sometimes we get so occupied in "the flow" of  life's demands, that we forget about the tremendous power of just "stopping" every now and then. It's much better to take a break than to be forced by circumstances (deteriorating health, destroyed relationships etc) to take a break. Sometimes it's just taking some time to be quiet, to reflect, and yes, to think. 

We tend to be rushed by he rush, hurried by the hurry and ruled by habits.
Sometimes changing the habits can assist us in not getting involved in the rush, the hurry and the general urgency of "life's" demands.
In order to focus on what is important and not be caught up in what is urgent, we need to stop.
So, when stopping seems impossible - it's time to stop.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Interesting things...

Sometimes we throw stuff out. Sometimes we keep it.
Scrapyard or scrapbook...
The decision is mostly based on our perception.


In the era of digital photography, there is so much more "stuff." It has become an art to decide what to keep and why.
Focus is not only finding something to focus on, but also determining what to keep out of the frame. And that is one of the most difficult choices  (in life and in photography) - to decide what we really want, and not to be tempted by the world of marketing and advertising, but rather to stay focused on what we have framed/dreamed/envisioned and what will eventually be remembered as "the bigger picture."

Monday, September 13, 2010

Shoes


Forrest Gump changed the way we look at shoes forever.
As I was taking the picture, I thought about the miracle of shoes. You know, it's not only about the physical shoes...it's also about the footprints they leave and the footsteps we follow...
Stepping into someone's shoes - or wearing another's moccassins.
It's all about progress and empathy.
And maybe the two goes hand in hand. The older I get, the more sensitive I become to others...
And it's when I open my eyes that I realize my own shoes, the worn tattered ones. The memories and moments I have experienced -  fit me best. They're mine, to loathe or be proud of.
It all depends on my interpretation.
My story.
And my choice of story reveals my character.
Forrest's mama said that you could tell a lot about people by looking at their shoes...
My shoes tell the tales of where I've been and where I am going - and that says a lot about who I am.
And sometimes, just sometimes, I walk barefoot.

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Being

Interesting that we call ourselves human "beings," not "beens" or "becomings."
It's all about the power of the moment - it all happens so fast. Great moments are captured at dazzling speeds. 1/125 of a second gives you great "exposure" on a sunny morning -
We measure in hours, days and minutes.
We live in fractions of seconds.
Being.
Like the person on this picture.


We knocked on his door. Early on a Sunday morning.
He did not expect us, but he enjoyed the surprise: "Ah a bunch of Photographers - Come on in!"
Nothing was posed - this is how it was - no masks, no preparation, no make-up.
Just humans being - being human - human beings.
We need more of all of the above!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Some moments

Some moments are just to good to be missed.
They make you smile whenever you remember them, and if you've captured them, it's always worth the revisit...
You see, Pieter is a real gentleman.
When Nico gets married, Pieter offers to help me with the keys to the venue.
So dressed in his Saturday-best, he arrives to do key-duties.
But, as I said, he is a gentleman.
And when he sees the bride is in need of help, he willingly assists.
I just love the moment.


It makes me smile.
We need more of those.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Characters

Some people never let you down when it comes to photo-opportunities.
They are the true characters of the world -
They stand out because of who they are...what they stand for, how they live.
No, I'm not talking about the "outstanding" businessmen, the glitzeratti or the famous jetsetters.
I'm talking about the people one gets to meet when you drive into the rural areas of South Africa.
People who love the countryside, breathe the fresh air, live in the present.
Some are poor in monetary terms.
But so often, when I interact with them, I find that they are wealthy in many ways.
And I always return home a wiser person.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

In the moment

In life, we often measure life in years, days and hours. In photography moments are captured in "parts of a second" (splitseconds). One is often astounded by the amount of things that can happen "in a moment."  When the Mitchells got married, the rain came down.
Heavily.
Especially after the sermon, when we were supposed to take the pictures.
We literally had only the moments.
And the moments were great.
We had to rush around, find the scenes and get the pictures.
Some would call it frustrating.
They called it adventurous.
And when it comes to moments, our choice of interpretation makes all the difference.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

To see the world...

Don't know why I've been thinking of poetry the past few days.
On the other hand, I think it's better than thinking of politics ...
As I was browsing through some of my older photographs, this one caught my eye.
It reminded me of the words "to see the world in a grain of sand". Sometimes the world is in a flower, a tree, a bird's flight. So often when we capture moments at shutter speeds of 1/250th of a second - we realize the speed at which daily miracles happen. Maybe we should keep our shutters of perception open to everyday wonders all the time...
They're always happening.
If we only take the time to see them.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Music makers and Dreamers of dreams

Dad used to recite part of the the poem by Arthur O'Shaugnessy, it goes like this:

We are the music-makers,

And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams.
World-losers and world-forsakers,
Upon whom the pale moon gleams;
Yet we are the movers and shakers,
Of the world forever, it seems.



As a photographer, I love the pictures that celebrates life, energy, wonder. There are enough media to show us the bad things, it's up to us to feed our minds with the things that energize us.
So when last did you look at a picture for the sheer joy it brought?
When last were you a picture of joy?
We're all cameras, composing a great picture of life.
Indeed we are the picture makers and we are the dreamers of dreams...

Monday, March 08, 2010

Why?

Why do we take photographs?

 
To teach?
To remember?
To enjoy?
To try and take a precious moment in time with us?
I take photographs because it's fun. It's fun to look back and realize what effort went into the "creation" of the story. And yes, it includes all of the above...
It's about savouring the effort, the process and the result.
Probably the same things we need to do, in order to appreciate life.
Make time for the moments, for it's the moments that make up time.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

In love

It was Helgo Shomer who reminded me last week about the fact that when we are in love, we view the world differently. 
As I was taking pictures of this couple today, their sense of fun and interaction reminded me once again that we have a choice to be in love with life, or to take it for granted.



People who are in love with life celebrate the challenges and the victories, people who fall out of love with life are blinded by the obstacles and the defeats.
Nature, like a camera lens, is neutral.
It's the eye and heart of the beholder that makes it good or bad.
Do you still look at life through the lens of love, laughter and living?

Friday, January 22, 2010

A girl and a horse

Mostly photographers look for eye contact - still, sometimes it's all about the moment.

As she walked away, I pressed the shutter - some will say: "Not a great photograph," because of the rules. Others will realize it's about enjoying the moment.
We need to do it more often - Moments are made to enjoy.
They're our gifts.
That's why it's called: The Present.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Fun people


As I was taking pictures of this family, it was just fantastic to see them interact.  There was a consistent sense of fun and good-natured humour.


So often we fail to just "be in the moment" or "go with the flow." Actually that's when we really can be our true selves.  Still we make it difficult, we try to look professional, sophisticated or fancy.  When it's actually easy to be all three.
If we just be who we are...

It's so much easier than we think, because it comes naturally.
If we let it.