I was one of those people that did not know that human trafficking exists. Or maybe I just did not want it to exist.

Human trafficking/Sex slaves/People being sold in South Africa? Hmmm.  Then I thought, ok maybe, but not that often. And not in SA at least, maybe in other countries, yes.

Marionette van Deventer from Stop Trafficking of People asked me to take some behind the scene shots for their “2010 Human Traffic Campaign“. Their organisation was started at the beginning of 2009 by Corinne Sandenbergh and the aim of the campaign is to make people aware of what Human Trafficking is and also to give them practical ways in which they can get involved.

I loved shooting people like Shado Twala, Antoinette Kellerman, Thuli Zuma and the 2 girls from Freshly Ground, but I was SHOCKED by the statistics on Human Trafficking in SA, specifically in connection with the Soccer World Cup 2010. Please do yourself a favour by following this link. Quentin Krog and Floyed de Vaal, the crazy cool creative guys from Firestorm Production put together two videos that is both entertaining and freakishly informative.  It’s definitely worth the watch…and to Tweet…and Facebook…and to send to your mother…and friend…and the rest of the world!!!!

And if possible, act on it. To be shocked alone has never helped anyone.

Antoinette Kellerman

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Rebecca send me this image on of their friends took with a Hoga camera. I LOVE it!

If you are interested in cameras like this, you should go to Exposure Gallery at the Old Biscuit Mill. On the website, go check out the Lomography section. It’s HOT stuff!

(The one with the camera smiling and running around, that’s me!)

Oh yeah! Thanks to Annemie and Mitch for sending their wedding story and pictures in to Top Billing Magazine. Their article was featured in this moth’s copy. (Jan 2010)

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As julle wou foto’s sien, is hierdie net vir vandag nie die plek nie. Ek is net so dankbaar dat dit wil oorloop, nou loop dit maar in die blog oor! Daar leef soveel in my hart, maar ek wil net ‘n paar punte met julle deel:

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Ek het van vandag af vir die eerste keer ‘n kantoor!!!!!!! My eie een! Ene met 2 nuwe kantoorstoele. Ek droom al so lankal van dit.

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Gister het ek die skottelgoed so gekyk, my werk so gekyk en besluit ek gaan vir my ‘n “LG Saartjie” koop. Saartjie staan nou in haar hoekie in die kombuis en ek gaan haar nog baie dankie se. Sy het amptelik al een keer gewerk. Sy is pragtig!

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Maré is van vandag weer terug by die werk!!! Sy is my regterhand en werk twee dae ‘n week vir my. Sy was nou vir 3 weke op vakansie en ek is so bly sy is terug! Die jaar het groot dinge vir haar in stoor en ek is opgewonde daaroor!

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God werk in my hart. Selfs die deeltjies wat ek nie van geweet het nie.

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Ek het cool maatjies.

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My ma-hulle (uit die Karoo,) asook my broers en skoonsuster kom more aand by my eet.

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Ek woon in die 3de mooiste plek in die hele wereld. (Die ander 2 plekke is ook in Suid Afrika though.)

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Ek is gesond.

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Dis my werk om foto’s te neem.

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My hartjie klop, my oe blink en ek sien uit na die jaar. (En nee, ek is nie verlief nie! Dit kom nog. Wanneer die tyd reg is.)

Wonderlike 2010 vir julle almal. ***

I did not even realize that Ingrid and Aage’s wedding post was no. 100 and even though my blog is still in diapers, I really enjoy having one!

Thanks to all my really cool clients. I know I have mentioned this a while back, but really, I do have the nicest clients ever. Thanks, you add so much to the joy of my work!

That brings me to my next point. A while ago Konfetti online magazine contacted me to ask for a photo of myself, because I have been nominated as Photography service provider of 2009. This came as a surprise! Just after that Libre, one of my awesome brides, mailed me to tell me that she nominated me. Thanks Libre, it was only a pleasure working with you and Pieter. Two days ago, Ingrid congratulated me for winning the category. I am pretty overwhelmed by it, but very grateful. This motivates me even more to give the best possible service I can!

Libré and Pieter: Left photo

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I must admit, I miss film, I miss the darkroom and I miss the scary anticipation when you are counting down the minutes before you can see if your negatives survived everything you have done to it. 

Our whole first year of my photographic studies we shot on B&W film. Hours would pass in the darkroom and you would not even realize. As a class, we had some cRaZy fun times in the darkroom. In the beginning, the darkroom’s ventilation was not all that good. Or rather, there was no ventilation. (Oh boy, maybe I am addicted to the darkroom, for other reasons than I thought! :-)) I worked out that it took me an average of 2 hours 30 minutes to get a print that I was fully satisfied with. Not too dark or light, not too flat or contrasty, burned and dodged on all the right places, no marks and hair on the negatives etc etc. But the end result was just so satisfying. 

When a friend of mine told me that he knows someone that wants to sell his enlarger (equipment for B&W printing) I really became interested. I do not have a darkroom, space for a darkroom or even really place to just store the enlarger, but I was so drawn to it! I started to dream about having my own darkroom again. Maybe I will even shoot the Sudan/Egypt trip on film!

I contacted the person about the enlarger and in the end we decided to do a swop. I will take some pics of him and his family in exchange for his enlarger.

So ta-daa, let me intruduce you to my newest equipment:

(Still needs a bit of TLC… and a name!)

 And here are a few shots of Deon and his family. It was so much fun and I actually just documented most of the time. Enjoy!

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Earlier this year I went to Johannesburg (South Africa) to shoot my friend Gabriël’s, wedding.

There I got introduced to a… Lizelle Lötter!!!

Here is a photo I took of Lizelle and Gabriël, our mutual friend, at his wedding:

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This is quit an exciting month!

Sarie magazine, Brides Diary magazine, Once Wed blog….!

Sarie Magazine:

Earlier this year, Ingrid Promos contacted me and asked if I could quickly take a few pics of a band. I did not know whom I will be photographing and I must admit, this was the fastest shoot I have EVER done. I’m not sure if we had the best of 15min!

But hey! It made it’s way into this month’s Sarie!

It’s a group photo of Ollie Viljoen, Anna Davel, Schalk Joubert, Kevin Gibson en Lou-Ann Stone. They started a Afrikaans Jazz band called “Blues en Susters.”

If you would like to see them in action: 7-11 April 2009 @ KKNK, tickets at Computicket. 

For more info, go to www.kknk.co.za. 

The cover of this month’s Sarie.

Kyk ook uit vir hierdie poster!

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Ek is so opgewonde!!! Ek gaan Sudan en Egipte toe in Junie/Julie. Kom ek verduidelik:

In 2000 is ek 3 maande Duitsland toe as uitruilstudent met die uitruilprogram FSA. Min het ek geweet dat ek ‘n paar jaar later ek weer met hulle te doen gaan kry. Lodie de Jager, die hoof van FSA, het verlede jaar ‘n toer op sy motorfiets gedoen, Naboom2Germany, wat hy man alleen aangepak het. Hy het besluit dat hy weer ‘n toer deur Afrika wil doen en het besluit op Africa our home. (As op link ingaan, kliek dan op Africa our home.) Hy het gevoel dat Afrika glad nie dit is wat die media dit maak nie. Die keer is dit ‘n toer met ‘n dubbelkajuit bakkie en die Duitse borg, Anja Lubbe, gaan ook die toer meemaak. Die toer strek vanaf Naboonspruit, Suid Afrika tot Kairo, Egipte oor ‘n tydperk van +- 2maande. Oud-FSA studente kon aansoek doen om aan een van 4 dele van die toer deel te neem/saam te toer. Die deelnemers sal dan dagboek hou van die toer met al sy gebeure, besienswaardighede en “myth-busters.” Vrydag het ek gehoor dat ek die 4de deel gaan saam toer!!!!! Soos Lodie dit noem, die 4 wat gekeur is was almal naby ‘n opwinding uitbarsting! En in my geval was dit verseker so.

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Today is the first day that I have a website/blog and I am sooooo excited! It is great to have my own little spot in the www. 

The idea behind my blog is to share. It will mainly be photos, but sometimes also interresting experiences and thoughts. The good and fun ones, but the “less good and fun” ones too.

Go through my website and keep me up to date with your thoughts and experiences! 

PS: For now the posts will be in English or Afrikaans, depending on the client’s mother language!

Vandag is die 1ste dag van my website/blog en ek is so opgewonde soos n kind daaroor! Dit voel so lekker om my eie gaatjie in die www te he!

My plan is sommer net om “te deel” deur my blog. Foto’s sal ‘n hoof rol speel, maar tussendeur sal daar ook ervarings, interesanthede, lekker goed en miskien selfs die ‘minder lekker goed’ met jou gedeel word. 

Ek hoop julle geniet dit en hou my op hoogte van wat julle dink en ervaar!

NS: Die posts sal in Afrikaans of Engels gedoen word, afhangende van die klient se moedertaal!

Ek het ‘n paar dankies aan persone wat spesifiek in my fotografie ‘n impak gemaak het tot dusver. ‘n Mens kom nie net op ‘n plek nie, jou paadtjie word baksteen vir baksteen bebou, so hier is hulle:

My hoeksteen, Jesus Christus: As ek terugkyk tot nou kan ek net sien hoe hy Sy hand in ALLES gehad het en steeds het. Dit is so as Hy se dat alles sal ten goede meewerk vir die wat Hom liefhet.

Mamma Ilse: Dis waar alles begin het, die dae toe ek nog al my sakgeld uitgegee het deur met ma se film kamera fotos te neem. En ma het van elkeen gehou! (en doen nog steeds. My no.1 fan!)

Pa Hennie: Wat my laat swot het. Twee keer!

Tannie Annette: Wat my soveel raad gee oor besigheid en hoe om my geld te spandeer!

Christine Meintjes: Ek het so ongelooflik baie geleer in die paar maande wat ek vir/saam met jou gewerk het. Jy is besigheids-brein en neem absulute stunning foto’s. Dankie dat jy my geleer het dat equipment saakmaak, dat om “blacks te add” eomf in editing sit en dat ‘n mens beheer oor ‘n shoot kan he/moet neem. En ek dink die belangrikste, dat jy in my glo. Dankie vir soveel input, geduld en wyse woorde. Mag jou besigheid (of eerder besighede) net groei van krag tot krag!

(Indien daar ‘n link onder aan ‘n post is met Christine se naam, dan is dit ‘n shoot wat ek nog onder haar gedoen het.)

My lecturers at Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography: For giving me the time to grow in my photography and pushing “the concept thing” until I understood enough of it that I now don’t know how we don’t learn these things in school.

Forma Photography: Aan elkeen van die 6 mense: ek het oor soveel meer as net fotografie by julle geleer!

Oom Leon van Wyk, oom Wicus Leeuwner en later Johan Wilke,  Jan Hendrik en Garyth Bevan. Dankie dat ek kon kyk hoe julle werk en vir die talle vrae wat julle beantwoord het! 

Almal wat my al geassisteer het: Julle hou my “sane” as ek nie weet waar ek iets neergesit het nie, is my regterhand as lense geruil moet work en my sonskyn as julle die reflector vashou! Dankie, julle word waardeer!

Guy Tillim: My photographic hero.