ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS THAT I GET ASKED A LOT

Where were you born and where do you live now?

I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1982 and was brought up there. I have travelled a lot during this time and I am now currently based in Central London, United Kingdom, but work between the UK, Europe and South Africa as I have clients and commitments in these countries.

How and when were you introduced to photography?

As far back as I can remember, I have always had an interest in photography. Let me correct that and rather say that I have always been amazed at photographs and the stories behind them. I remember my parents always shooting photographs of us, as a family, on holidays and then the exciting feeling we used to share looking back at those images and telling stories about what we were looking at.

In high school, I started skateboarding and reading skateboarding magazine and wishing that we could capture our group of friends the way those magazines had done. We used to steal our parents camera’s and shoot photographs without them knowing but when we received the photographs back from the printers, we realized that we never had a clue. I started investigating what worked and what didn’t and I eventually convinced my dad to buy a decent SLR so that I could learn. We had a lot of fun from them on although I have a bunch of really good photographs from our highschool skateboarding days, I also have a lot of rubbish.

In 2000, I travelled to London for a few months and then onto Los Angeles, California, for a few months and I used this time to explore photography and try to get images that I could bring back to my family and friends to try get them to experience what I had over those months. I loved it, I loved seeing their faces when I had a good photo and I love it now that so many years on, I can look back and remember things almost exactly as they had happened.

I ended up studying photography and digital design for 2001 and 2002 and during this time, I had started working for a big design company and shooting as much as I can. Quite a few of my images were published and I really enjoyed the feeling of opening a magazine and seeing my work, it pushed me a lot to improve and work hard. I was trading under the name of Melon Graphics for all my freelance work and towards the end of 2002 I decided to resign from my job and really concentrate on what I was doing.

Through Melon Graphics, I have shot photographs for top agencies, magazines, news papers, bands, celebrities and companies and really had a lot of fun doing what I enjoy and trying hard to do it well. Now that I am based in the United Kingdom, I am freelancing in my personal capacity and am focusing on band photography including music press, live music and promotional portrait photography.

Tell us more about Melon?

Melon Graphics is my design / advertising company in South Africa. It has since grown to be quite a large company and has re-branded as Melon Graphics South Africa in 2007. The reason for this is that we expanded to the United Kingdom and on an international level we decided to push a new sister company now known as Studio Melon Limited.

Visit www.melongraphics.co.za and www.studiomelon.com for more information about the two companies.

What equipment do you use?

I started out with Canon back in the day but never really felt comfortable with my camera. I decided to pack it in then and make a shift to Nikon which I have never regretted. My first Nikon was an F801 shortly followed by an F90X. This became my favourite camera and this was the camera that I shot my entire portfolio on during my studies. I still think the results of this camera are amazing but due to the rush that photography brings, I have since had to shift most of my work onto digital.

My first digital SLR was the Nikon D70 which served me well. It was not a professional body but I achieved some amazing results with it and had plenty work published proving that the operator and lenses are way more important than the camera body. I think I shot 180 000 photographs through my D70 and I decided to purchase myself the D200 when it was launched and keep the D70 as a back up body.

Since then things have progressed a lot and I have spent a lot of money investing in equipment. I currently use the Nikon D3 body as my body of choice. I have a good collection of Nikon prime lenses including a 14-24mm f2.8, a 24-70mm f2.8, a 80-200mm f2.8, a 50mm f1.8 and a 60mm macro f2.8. I shoot with light most of the time and my flash units of choice are the Nikon SB800 along with a few Pocket Wizards.

For editing and my post production work, I use the 17″ Macbook Pro 2.5Ghz from Apple.

Do you prefer digital above film?

For cost and delivery reasons, I would say yes. Majority of the stuff that I shoot is for publications and it is really important that they get the images as soon as possible and with digital this a lot more possible. No lab I can think of is open at 2am ready to process my spool so that I can send it to print in the morning. With digital though, I can get back to the office after a job to log my photos and work on the ones that would be needed and mail them off to the client so that they have them first thing in the morning. It really is all about deadlines. In saying this though, I feel that the quality of my digital setup is amazing and the results cannot easily be beaten (if at all) on film.

I do still shoot film for certain things especially when exploring and messing around to create artistic pieces. For this I enjoy working with my trusty F90X, my 6×6 Yashica and my collection of Lomo cameras.

Who inspires you with your photography?

I would have to say that most of my inspiration comes from my friends and family. They have always all been so supportive of my silly ideas and helped me where they could. I get a lot of positive feedback from clients that I work with and this always excites me. I think there is no better feeling than getting appreciated for your hard work.

Music and my love for music definitely plays a huge part in my inspiration. I sometimes feel as though I am the biggest most dedicated musician although I have no idea how to play an instrument. I love music and being involved in the music scene and I feel that with my photography I am able to contribute and express my creativity through the shots I take with musicians and bands.

With regards to other photographers, I really pull inspiration from people like Ross Garrett, Tim Flach, Atiba Jefferson and Platon.

What type of photography do you enjoy most?

I would have to say that I prefer when I am allowed to be creative and use my brain. I cannot pinpoint one scecific type of photography that I prefer more than another as I try and make the best out of each situation. In the begining I really enjoyed shootings skateboarding because I was exploring using lighting in different ways to make the images unique. Since then I have used those lighting concepts to shoot band portfolios and weddings and it has resulted in some amazing images. I really enjoy shooting restaurant interiors and food stills as I normally have time to work on a few scenes to ensure that I can really bring out the clients product as best as possible. If I had to point out my most favourite though, I would have to say that shooting bands is really where my passion lies. I enjoy shooting their live performances as well as working closely with them to create their images for publications and media, but have also been on some really amazing and interesting tours and photographed these as documentaries.

Speaking of bands, what music do you listen to?

I have always been open minded about music and am always willing to give everything a chance. I obviously have my favourites but if I think about this, the list includes bands that try and do things right. I enjoy when lyrics are thought out and being in a band it taken seriously. I feel that music and photography have a close relationship together and both have definitely helped shaped my life and the person I am.

Bands that I am currently really enjoying include White Lies, The Young Guns, Athlete, Bloc Party, Death Cab for Cutie, Jimmy Eat World, Zebra and Giraffe, Mute Math, The Killers, The Editors, Interpol, Elefant, John Mayer, Muse, Harris Tweed, aKing, The Arcade Fire, Frou Frou, The Kooks, The Little Ones, Tiger Army, Johnny Cash, The Cure, Chris Rea, Aha, Alkaline Trio and Rise Against.

Will you photograph my wedding?

Definitely but there are conditions. I really feel that wedding photography has been done totally incorrectly by a lot of photographers and I cannot force myself to fit into that “cheesy” stigma that I feel exists. I feel that wedding photos should not consist of awkward poses with huge fake smiles as this is not a realistic capture of what is meant to be the most special day of someones life. It needs to be made clear that I am not a wedding photographer but rather a professional photographer with a unique artistic style that can easily shoot photographs of a wedding. The images that I produce will ensure that you have a documentary of your special day and I ensure to make it as easy and unstressful for you as I possibly can. Why not be photographed like a celebrity in a fashion shoot on your wedding day?

Can I hire you for a photography shoot?

Most definitely, that is how I earn my living so I can survive and look after my family. I am currently based between London, United Kingdom, Europe and Johannesburg, South Africa, but I do have an EU and SA passport and am willing to travel and have done so many times. Please contact me for a quotation or to discuss your idea / requirements in more details.

Can I purchase images you have already taken?

This would be dependant on the photograph and what the photograph was taken for. Some of them have exclusive rights and these would not be possible to sell. If you are interested in any of the photographs on this site, or any of my other previous work, then please feel free to contact me and I will see how I can help you. International purchases are handled through PayPal so it is easy for everyone.

Do you enjoy travelling?

I love travelling. I have been to SO many amazing places around the world and really enjoy experiencing the different cultures and lifestyles that each different country has to offer. So far my favourite country that I have visited must be Taiwan. The culture of the Taiwanese people is unlike any other place in the world (that I have been to) and we were welcome with open arms. The languaged difference was unexplainable but this never stopped us from having the best time ever.

Are you married?

I am, my beautiful wife Anja and I got married in September 2008 and it was an amazing day. Anja is an amazing part of my life and really my most greatest inspiration.

Do you have any other hobbies / interests?

Skateboarding, free riding, blogging, travelling and walking in parks.