Written by Gregor Naudé Wednesday, 11 May 2011 13:56
As addictive as the smell of a newly printed magazine, is the addictive quality of film photography. Photographers have been heard to say, "Film photography is like suicide: one shot and you can never go back!" Photography has been called both a science and an art – this makes sense as you have to understand the science of photography in order to freely create the art.
Written by Sean O'Toole Monday, 10 May 2010 12:34
A highly regarded portraitist and editorial photographer, Nadav Kander was recently the subject of a two-part exhibition in Berlin. Sean O’Toole gets to grips with his portraits of famous faces and asks the photographer how they relate to his haunted landscapes in a world dominated by moving images. The rewards of a motionless picture are many: nuance, detail, personality, strangeness, even unfamiliarity, in a word, bounty.
Written by Garth Walker Tuesday, 08 December 2009 11:18
Visual images, especially photographs, can evoke the most powerful sense of a moment in history; there are countless examples of iconic turning points in the 20th century. There is an urgent need to reclaim our photographic heritage. Unfortunately, photography also has a destructive legacy, in the so-called ‘scientific’ images of Africans made during the colonial era. Much has been written about the cold scrutiny of the lens such people were subjected to in that process.
Written by Janus Boshoff Sunday, 31 August 2008 02:00
In essence, photography is a highly specialist imaging tool which utilises cutting-edge technology with one goal in mind – creating the perfect image. In the one hundred and eighty years since the invention of the medium, one could almost go as far as saying we’ve perfected the medium. Or have we?
Written by Gregor Naudé Monday, 30 June 2008 02:00
Big-budget marketing and advertising campaigns are generally heavy on the images and that means calling in the pros It can be difficult to put your finger on it, but when you see it you know: that ‘something special’. You can take two pictures and put them side by side: both high res, both sharp, both obeying all the rules of composition and framing, but one will jump out at you, the other won't.
Written by Janus Boshoff & John Ferraz Thursday, 31 January 2008 02:00
The monochrome image is as old as photography itself. Yet, the intrinsic beauty of the silver black-and-white hand printed photograph remains largely unrivalled. This year it will be 182 years since the very first image was exposed by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826. Although photography has evolved from many different disciplines: optics, mechanical and chemical engineering, and in recent years, advancements made in digital technology, technologically, none has made a bigger contribution than the humble silver grain.
Written by Janus Boshoff Monday, 29 October 2007 02:00
Alternative processes, commonly known as ‘historical processes’, are early photographic practices that date back to the 19th century. Photographer Janus Boshoff goes in search of the holy grail. There are many forms of alternative printing, some well known such as the Salted Paper, Platinum and Cyanotype processes, and unlike traditional silver-based processes, they utilize different combinations of chemistry to give each process their own authentic charisma.