Chronophotography - taking a sequence of images to portray motion - has been around since the mid-nineteenth century. More recently though Spanish photographer Xavi Bou has been making wonderful composite images of birds in flight: he calls them Ornithographies. My own experiments with this style started in early 2020 at the start of the COVID-19... Continue Reading →
In the Round: Makhanda’s Heritage in Pep Ventosa Style
Pep's unique style depends on the photographer circling the subject and taking images from all sides before combining them in post processing to form a composite that keeps the recognisable characteristics whilst producing a shimmering, ghostly effect. I like it because you make an image that is both distinct and indistinct at the same time: anchored... Continue Reading →
GIS Mapping shows High Court Should Remain in Makana
Every few years the Government does its best to wreck the legal and economic life of Makana by proposing to move the High Court to Bhisho. In the mid 1990s I assisted the fight to keep the court here with some maps and population data that showed Makhanda (what was then Grahamstown) to be the... Continue Reading →
Photo Shoots at the #nationalartsfestival Power Station
Earlier this month I spent a whole day at the #nationalartsfestival Power Station with @meagieswain. We were doing promotion work for our upcoming virtual exhibition Set Your Life on Fire. I’d already shown her some pictures of the location - there’s a gallery of them linked below in the Nature is Louder website - and... Continue Reading →
Taking Flight with @meagieswain
We’ve been planning this shoot on the beautiful hills above Featherstone Kloof for quite a while. @meagieswain told me that she has always wanted to do a tulle fabric shoot - completely wrapped in white - and I was keen to get some more images to promote our forthcoming virtual exhibition ‘Set Your Life on... Continue Reading →
Lockdown Safari to Amakhala Private Game Reserve
In September and October South Africa began to ease the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and our local Game Reserves began to open up. We were desperate to get out of town and into the bush so we took advantage of the special offers for residents and had day game drives to Kwandwe and stayed for two nights... Continue Reading →
In Tandem: Poetry to Imagery
Just before lockdown I shared a quiet couple of beers with Harry Owen and we talked about trying something new for the Virtual National Arts Festival. Seeing as we had lots of poetry and imagery between us why not collaborate? Here's a taste of what we have been working on. Aorta - Harry's unpublished poem... Continue Reading →
When the wave breaks
Towering over our townships, like a wave ready to break, was this huge cumulus cloud. Ominously pink in the late glow after sunset the top of the cloud was rising fast and, blown by the winds, looked like a crest hovering over Grahamstown's townships below. This was taken a couple of nights ago, a week... Continue Reading →
A cathedral, seven churches and two chapels: 10 heritage prints of old Grahamstown
There are 70 Heritage Sites in the central parts of old Grahamstown. Take a look at the map and you will see that the 10 religious ones featured here are mostly found between the Chapel of St Mary and all the Angels (on the Rhodes University campus) eastwards through the CBD and down to Sunnyside... Continue Reading →
King Proteas – four studies
There are some King Proteas blossoming on Mountain Drive at the moment. Though they are not as many as last year - when they seemed to go on flowering for a very long time. As Spring gets nearer the days are getting a little longer so there's just a bit more time to photograph them.... Continue Reading →