Go Topless Day – May 2012

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 10:48:49 +0000

A short selection of photos from yesterdays International Go Topless Day.

(Click on thumbnail for larger view)

Photographers You Should Know – Joseph Nicephore Niepce

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:47:02 +0000

Joseph Nicephore Niepce

March 7 1765 – July 5 1833

Joseph Nicephore Niepce was originally a professional soldier but after falling ill with typhoid he resigned from the army. Niepce was a keen inventor and soon became very interested in the process of lithography.

He began experimenting with stone found in the nearby vicinity. The shiny stone was coated with bitumen, engraved and then etched. Niepce soon discovered than when bitumen was exposed to light it would become hard and he couldn’t rinse it off with oil.

A few years later in 1801 Niepce moved to Nice with his brother Claude. It was in Nice that Niepce kept returning to his original idea of being able to permanently record images using the Camera Obscurra. He published work in 1802 regarding his ideas. Ten years later Niepce began experimenting again but it would take a further 10 years before he was able to capture the first permanent image.

In 1822 he was able to produce a copy of an engraving of Pope Pius VII using a sheet of glass sensitized with a coating of asphalt, a substance readily available at the time. The glass sheet was then ‘developed’ by washing it with a mixture of lavender oil and kerosene to remove any unhardened or unexposed places. Unfortunately this plate was lost during Niepce’s lifetime but if it had been preserved it would represent the first photographic print in the world.

In 1826 Niepce’s efforts would be rewarded when he produced the first photograph from
nature. It was fixed on a pewter plate. The image was the view from his window at the chateau he lived at. The image took 8 hours to expose and you can see this by shadows falling on both sides of the backyard!

The following year Niepce took his image to England where it was lost, only to be discovered again in 1952 by English historian Gernsheim, who kept it for his collection.

Heliography was born, a term coined by Niepce for his photographic process as images were produced by sunlight.

Over time Niepce began replacing stone with other materials such as glass, copper, zinc and silver. He soon became afraid that all his work and research would be stolen and thus wouldn’t respond to Daguerre’s first attempts to establish a partnership. In 1827 he submitted a report on his findings to the Royal Society but because he omitted the main details, the Society refused to recognize his discovery.

In the end he made a deal with Daguerre whose own experiments had processed no results.

On his deathbed in 1833, Niepce had no idea how revolutionary his invention was to become and due to his own mistrust of people, he failed to win the fame of being the first person to develop what we know as photography.

New Work

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:49:59 +0000

The last month and a bit has been really hectic and this evening I’ve finally managed to catch up some much needed website admin and upload heaps of new work.

In March David Rogers and myself took on a project which both of us weren’t too familiar with and that was photographing Ron and Charmaines wedding. We started the day off on Noordhoek Beach taking some great lifestyle shots for the couple, before we headed over to the Two Oceans Aquarium to photograph the ceremony. Between both of us we got some terrific shots and the bridal couple were more than happy. See more here.

April saw me doing more work for Sharon Mabin Interiors and her partner Carolynne from The Curtain Company. The location, Helderberg Village in Somerset West. Sharon
and Carolynne needed some shots of the dinning hall, bar area and lounge that they had recently overhauled. See more here.

I also did some work for another interior designer Lisa Fabbri. She needed some shots of her studio as well as some details and general scenes from a house she had recently decorated in Newlands. The shots came out great and I’m sure Lisa was very happy with the outcome. See more here.

Fresco’s Deli and Shop

admin — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 08:06:26 +0000

I took some time the other day to visit Fresco’s, an Italian deli in Simons Town, to take some shots for owner Alessandro Chelini. The shop is situated right next to The British Hotel. The shop is nice and small but stocks a lot of authentic Italian supplies. You can buy anything from fresh ciabattas to Parma Ham and the best black olives. You are also able to get Black Star coffee beans at Fresco’s, a coffee specifically roasted for the deli. I’ve tried the coffee and it is fantastic and very reasonably priced. And what’s even better is you can buy beans by the kilo!

If you find yourself in Simons Town and don’t know what to do, why not pop into Fresco’s. I can guarantee you will walk out with a bag of delicious supplies.

Portrait session with Cassandra, Andrew and Syndrome

admin — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Last Saturday I was asked if I would photograph Cassandra and her little family. We met on Noordhoek Common and spent a bit of time playing around getting some nice shots in the process.

New Spring Flowers

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:44:47 +0000

New Spring flowers are now up here and are for sale in various formats.

Jeep Day at Ou Trekpad

admin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:18:32 +0000

On Sunday the Jeep Club spent the day at Ou Trekpad going over their different tracks. Some obstacles included sand and deep water. A good day was had by all. Even the Toyota FJ Cruiser seemed to have had fun. Even if it took him more than two attempts to make it across the water without having to be pulled out!

Porters Estate Organic Market

admin — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 14:31:00 +0000

Today while it was quiet at The Porters Estate Market I thought I would try out my new lens. Last week my 50mm f/1.8 arrived. Orms had them on special and I had been wanting one for months.

This little lens is fantastic. The quality is amazing. Also being able to go down to an aperture of 1.8 and really being able to blur the background out is awesome and makes for some nice creative shots.

Everyone should carry one of these inexpensive lenses around with them all the time. I know I will be in the future.

Sharon Mabin Interiors

admin — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:42:41 +0000

On Monday 22nd August I spent the day with Sharon Mabin photographing some of the houses she has been working on.

Properties ranged from Noordhoek to Kommetjie and as far as Claremont. Each house had its own individual style and showed just how talented Sharon is. Themes ranged from a country style kitchen to a full on contemporary style house. All in all it was a great day out and I was able to get some truly spectacular shots. I look forward to working some more with Sharon on new projects in the future.

To view some more images click here

If you have interiors that need photographing send me an email or give me a call.

Alden J Laborde

admin — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:54:18 +0000

The Alden J Laborde was recently down in Cape Town to pick up an oil rig which needed to be towed up to the Congo.

I was contacted by Tidewater who were keen on getting some images of their boat in action. After a few phone calls I had my permit and headed down to the harbor where I spent the best part of the day documenting the process of towing an oil rig. I was able to get some really great shot. You don’t realise just how big an oil rig is till you are up close to one, then you see just massive they are.

It looks as though Tidewater will be printing one of the images for their reception at head office.

To view some more images click here