Professional Photography in Cape Town

The First Level Course in Photography By: Gareth Griffiths, BSc (Phys Sci) Full accredited member, Southern African Freelancers’ Association - www.safrea.co.za   Aimed at : Small Group (3 maximum) or individual coaching Cost : R 1500 payable: R 800 upfront before first lesson and balance at the final lesson. Cash or EFT.  Non refundable booking fee upon confirmation: R 350.00 (private coaching) and R 200.00 (group sessions). Outcomes : Attendees should learn how to work their own camera as efficiently as possible. A basic understanding of the concepts of working with light, with people, with objects and with scenery will be covered. Finally, an understanding of the electronic end of photography; how to best store images, how to prepare for the best prints, how to email your work or how to prepare for upload to the internet. How to store your images. First Session (60 – 90 minutes): Sit down over coffee and work though the basics and the controls of your ...

Last time I mentioned some of the image editing software options available to you for free download or bundled with certain digital cameras you purchase. So you’ve all installed yours on the computer, right ? Editing technique number one to know is how to crop effectively. It is the ideal fix for photos that were badly composed (shot in a hurry!) or contained unwanted distracting objects. The cropping tool in the software is normally denoted by a boxy looking icon depicting scissors. An effective photograph is like a good essay that puts across one story, or an idea. Think abou t that when you crop. Dismiss the notion that your subject needs to be at the centre of the photograph. Think about what story you are trying to tell, or what looks interesting. Consider how you would like the eye of the viewer to travel. Experiment. Remember first to save your original image from the camera, and always work on copies only. The beauty of modern high resolution cameras is that y...

I'm available to do some group or individual training on the ins and outs of digital cameras. What I had in mind would be personal training of small groups of about 3 individuals. The Basics course would consist of 3 x 1.5 hour modules over 3 days as follows: First session: Your camera - how to find the right buttons and ask your questions. (1.5 hours) Second session: Practical photography session in the field. (2 hours) Third session: Processing your images on the computer and optimising for prints. (1.5 hours) The 3 sessions would not necessarily be on consecutive days and would be arranged to fit in with everyone's schedules as best possible. Bring some cash for tea / coffee. And of course bring your cameras and your questions! More advanced training would include use of camera under difficult lighting conditions, understanding "magapixels", sizing of images for publishing or for the internet, etc. Cost: R xxx for the full set of three. Contact me via e...

Interesting pre-dawn shoot at the Southern Africa Large Telescope a the SA Astronomical Observatory near Sutherland. Photo  taken over a 10 minute exposure at 5 mins 20 secs. Shutter button was pressed at approximately 6 a.m. This was about 1 hour 45 minutes prior to sunrise, but the reflected glow from the eastern horizon bounces off the side of the SALT scope.  Later, during the exposure, a vehicle occupied by off-duty astronomers pulled up alongside and spoiled the lower half of the picture with red and orange light from their brake lights and flashers. Fortunately this did not affect the upper area of the image, where the main action is. The lens flare near dead centre however comes from that vehicle. Astronomers posted at SALT and the other SAAO scopes are not only permanent staff but also come from all over the world to do observations and research. SALT is one of only two such facilities in the world. The other unit is at Austin, Texas. Yes - and it was c...

Cropped, converted to greyscale, with red channel component boosted. This image was as exposed. This image with contrast boosted.

Stephen and Jana - Boulders Beach Lodge & Boardwalk. Stephen, from JHB, wanted an 'intimate' photoshoot to surprise his Cape Town-based student girlfriend, Jana - with a special romantic weekend at the Boulder Beach Lodge. So I met the young couple on location and tailed them as they explored the intimate beaches and walked the Boardwalk.