How do you define beauty in your work, and what elements do you consider essential to achieving it?
Beauty for me is anything authentic. Cliche beauty doesn’t exist for me anymore, the era of the supermodel has diminished and a new era of true authenticity has crept into the representation of beauty. In my world anyway. Not to say that sex doesn’t sell anymore but Im finding realness far more appealing. For me the elements must aim to tell a story of the times we are living in. I try bring an expansiveness of thought to my work. A kind of living archive, the process of realness beyond physical perfection. Im trying to bring a sense of a narrative to my work, something desirable from the normal. I want to provoke the perception of physical beauty and celebrate the beauty of authenticity.
What rituals or routines do you follow when starting a new project? Is there something that always sparks your creativity?
I would say my ritual to every project is to find out more about the history of the person or brand Im shooting for. Where are they from, what got them to where they are now. It’s not always about their vision but more about who they really are as a person and how is that person represented in their brand? Most times they have never considered this themselves and it always sparks an excitement to explore that for themselves as well which makes it feel new and exciting. It helps me find the narrative. In South Africa we have so many cultures that represent Africa as a whole. To find what that is for that person or brand definitely helps steers the direction of the shoot.
Is there a specific piece you've created that feels like a perfect reflection of your aesthetic vision? What makes it so special to you?
Yes definitely. I grew up in the Transkei, the now Eastern Cape of South Africa. There is a ritual initiation in the Xhosa culture that young boys must undergo to become men. They have their faces painted white, are stripped down with only a blanket and must go into the bush for days to become men. There’s significant social pressure and stigma for those who don’t complete the process and because this wasn’t my culture I wasn’t allowed to do it. Being the only white kid in the mix of all my black friends I always felt different because I never went through the ritual. My family moved away when I had to go to high School. Years later I came across a mime with a face painted white who was busking at traffic lights in my home town of Durban in Kwazulu Natal and it took me straight back to the memory of my childhood friends who had to go through the ritual. I used the mime in a shoot with an Albino Model. The shoot is special to me because in a way I felt like the Albino model when I was growing up.
When editing photos, do you have a go-to soundtrack or playlist that sets the mood? How does music influence your creative flow?
I always listen to Regge when I’m in the dark room or editing digital files. It very calming and melodic. I seem to be able to think more clearly. It doesn’t distract me. Like this Reggae Dub Session on YouTube.
What do you think makes a photograph timeless? Is there a common thread that you believe connects iconic images?
I think that any image that represents the times we are living in makes it timeless. I research a lot of old photographs and often look back at those old photographs taken from the place I am standing at right now and seeing how time has changed that place, how different the people look, what new buildings have been built and what old buildings are now gone. Living in Cape Town which is a relatively new city in comparison to European cities it is easy to come across those points of view and go wait Ives seen this viewpoint in a photo from the 50’s and then compare them to what Im seeing right now. Those photographs are timeless. I love to shoot in places I know will change over time making my photos timeless in the future.
