Jefrey Fifield Photography

MOVING THE BLOG

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:47:00 +0000

After months of frustration I have finally managed to redesign and get my new website online. Hopefully the new format will bring everything together and will be a lot more user- friendly. Please feel free to visit my new website at www.jfphoto.co.za and feel free to let me know what you think.

Hoping to see you on the other side ! :-)

CARLO CASATI *21-01-1920 + 18-12-2010

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 10:23:00 +0000

My late father once said at an uncle's funeral that he was not going to elaborate on what a great person the deceased had been, as he was many things to many people and that each one present should remember him for who he was in their lives...

Carlo Casati was a remarkable human being.

After months of arrangements and negotiations he was finally laid to rest on 20th June 2011 at the Zonderwater Italian Prisoner Of War Museum, during a small intimate ceremony, attended by friends and dignitaries from the Italian Embassy. In many ways this is where his life began and it was only fitting that it be where he had his final resting place.

Uncle Carlo, as most of us knew him, was wounded and captured during WW11 in North Africa. After a treacherous sea journey in which many prisoners died, he finally landed at Zonderwater, east of Pretoria, where the largest of 18 Italian POW camps had been established.

"The early days at Zonderwater were trying ones for the

disillusioned troops. The period 1941-1943 were known as the

Tendopoli days. Eight-men canvas tents were erected to house the

prisoners. By comparison to sleeping under the stars up north at

the front, this in itself was a luxury. But with the high winds,

treacherous thunderstorms and sandy conditions, a new war had

begun for these young men, this time, against the elements. The

metal poles used to sustain these tents became magnets during

such vicious storms with many men falling victim to lightning. At

the beginning of 1942, a massive 7,000 tents had been erected; by

the time the number of prisoners had reached 63000"

After the war Uncle Carlo decided to stay in South Africa and obtained citizenship. Many of us were blessed to have crossed paths with him and he touched our lives with grace. Rest in peace Uncle Carlo-you will be dearly missed.

The Zonderwater Museum is only open to the public once a year on the first Sunday of November, when a full memorial service is held by the Italian Government. Below are a few snaps for those who are interested and who could not be present at the burial.

Ps. Older photos supplied courtesy of http://www.francoforleo.co.za/Zonderwater.html

ELECTIONS 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Mon, 16 May 2011 14:09:00 +0000

PLEASE COME IN AND DO TELL ME ALL ABOUT YOUR ELECTION MANIFESTO...

Been toying with the idea of doing a composite for some time now. All the hype surrounding the upcoming elections served as inspiration to do the above. The background was a photo I took some time ago in a "backyard workshop" and there is actually a white Ford (what else) parked right behind me. The photo of myself was taken in my studio. This turned out to be more tricky than I thought and getting the lights just right to mimic the background lights kept me busy for some time. The tungsten light to right and natural light coming in through the backdoor were enhanced after the composite was done to make it a bit more realistic.

All in all this project turned out to be a lot of fun and be sure to see more of the same to come in the near future.

Iron Woman

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:21:00 +0000

Those who know me will attest to the fact that I sometimes have a strange sense of humour. I'm particularly drawn to the political incorrect - just because it is so damn funny and besides; life is boring when you always conform to what society sees as acceptable.

That said, I received one of those jokes yesterday which was so precious in its simplicity that it had me smiling all day. I just had to capture the image created in my mind.

For those who might be interested in taking a peek at the "other" side, I will share the joke below. Please note that it is without prejudice and the views contained in the said joke is not necessarily my own - lol!

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IRON MAN AND IRON WOMAN?

IRON MAN IS A SUPERHERO AND,
IRON WOMAN IS A SIMPLE INSTRUCTION!

Riaan & Lindie - De Hoek Country Lodge

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:12:00 +0000

Being able to photograph a wedding is always such a great privilege. You get to know two people very well and spend every step of the way by their side as they go through the anguish and excitement of the day, while capturing those special moments in between.

Riaan & Lindie's wedding was no exception. When I first met Riaan & Lindie, I could immediately pick up on their love for nature. It was thus no surprise when they decided to tie the knot at the very rustic De Hoek Country Lodge in Heidelberg with beautiful views of rolling hills and grasslands. Did I mention the horses and wild game?

The Abyss

Just as the sun was setting and we arrived back at the reception, which was in an old barn, our friends at ESCOM decided to add some excitement to the event by "load shedding" on such a perfect day. This obviously presented some challenges when trying to find the right equipment in a dark corner, but definitely added to the whole farm wedding theme. :-)

It is in situations like this that people's true character shows. Fortunately Riaan & Lindie are both honest, well grounded people who took the turn of events in stride, kicked off their shoes and danced the night away.

Please note that this post has moved to its new home at www.jfphoto.co.za .

Save the date: Avril & Louis

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:02:00 +0000

While editing photos from a recent wedding, it dawned on me that I never posted any photos from Avril & Louis's photoshoot. From the moment we met, I could tell that they were madly in love and up for some fun. We managed to bribe a security guard at a new estate development to allow us a couple of minutes inside. It turned out to be a great venue for photography and we were lucky enough to have one of those really beautiful sunsets. I think the photos speak for themselves...

Please note that this post has now moved to its new home at www.jfphoto.co.za .

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:31:00 +0000

Not sure if I'm allowed to post this yet, but I had so much fun shooting a more conceptual add for a dealership that I have to share the photos before I get logged down again.

Please note that this post has now moved to its new home at www.jfphoto.co.za

BIG THINGS

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:14:00 +0000

Just about every photographer I know has the dream of taking that perfect picture and putting a large enlargement up on the wall...Last month my dream came true. A transport company for whom I had taken some photos, commissioned three enlargements for their head office entrance. I was obviously ecstatic when they told me the prints had to be 2.3 meters by 1.6 meters!!! Once the excitement had blown over, the reality of it hit me - getting prints of that size made is not the easiest thing, not to mention transport thereof etc.

Fortunately everything turned out fine and the experience of seeing my prints offloaded at the client's warehouse will stay with me for a long time ;-)

Please note that this post has now moved to its new home @ www.jfphoto.co.za

Engagement shoot: Spookhuis

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:32:00 +0000

Recently, on a bitterly cold afternoon, I managed to convince Riaan & Lindie to brave the cold, put on a smile and finalise their engagement shoot. Despite the cold, I was looking forward to the shoot since we had a great location(the well-known spookhuis in Heidelberg) and I had a beautiful, fun and adventurous couple full of ideas. This turned out to be a great shoot and we kept at it well after dark. Thanx Riaan & Lindie for being such sports and good luck with all the wedding arrangements!

Please note that this post has now moved to its new home at www.jfphoto.co.za

SOME MORE MUCKING AROUND WITH LIGHT

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:10:00 +0000

WISDOM

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:05:00 +0000

Call me strange, but I've always enjoyed the company of older people. The knowledge, wisdom and experience they bring is something money cannot buy. I assume that when you get to certain age you start feeling comfortable with yourself and drop all pretences. Two of the more delightful and colourful people I had the privilege to photograph were Abe & Eve ( sorry for only posting now Abe - I know it is long overdue;-). Very seldom do you come across two people who still love each other as much as the day they first met. Since Abe has always been Eve's "Sean Connery", I thought I'd try something a bit more mysterious - with a single tungsten bulb.

And the lovely Eve in her Garden of Eden...

History

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:27:00 +0000

Since this cannot technically be described as a blog anymore, but more of a notepad for past events, I feel it appropriate to pay respect to some amazing people whom I have had the privilege to meet and photograph and have sadly passed away since.

Firstly, to Bennie; I did not know you that well but it was obvious that you were loved and admired by all for your bravery. It was a pleasure meeting you and I trust you rest in peace.

And then to the delightful Mr & Mrs Padyachy, whom I had the pleasure of photographing at the Jacaranda Heaven Old Age Home, it saddened me to have heard of your passing so short after one another. Rest in peace.

CHOP-SHOP

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:46:00 +0000

Since I'm down with the flue and not good for much else right now, I thought I'd experiment a bit with an idea I got from another photographers website. Given the time of setup , budget constraints and absence of celeb model, I think it came out O.K.

DON'T YOU JUST F *** ING HATE WINTER !

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Tue, 18 May 2010 06:12:00 +0000

Just had to get it off my chest - I hate Joburg winters and all the bugs that come with it!

MUCKING ABOUT

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Mon, 17 May 2010 09:40:00 +0000

Jeeezzz… Almost 5 months since I last posted..?

I think it’s save to say that I positively suck at blogging. Who has time to sit and document everything they do on a daily basis anyway?

Fortunately, I haven’t stopped taking photos.

Lately I have been working on some new lightning techniques and post processing. This involved me building my own ring light the past week and I finally had the opportunity to try it out on my beautiful and oh so patient wife this weekend.

Although I haven't quite managed to get the lightning/post processing combination exactly as I wanted, I think I am at least on the right track.

Some more experimenting should see me getting there shortly and I will hopefully remember to document the progress. In the meantime, here are two more shots from the weekend's shoot. Please feel free to comment.

R.I.P.

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:43:00 +0000

The passing of another year...the passing of a loved one...a man who lived life by his rules and died by them - to the very end...
I will miss you Dad and may you rest in peace...

ANIMALS!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:59:00 +0000

Now that my new website is finally up and running, I guess its time to catch up on some of the shoots I've done lately. The photo above reflects the final product of a very interesting photo-shoot, but definitely does not tell the whole story!

I was recently asked to do some portraits of a local businessman's "children" as a birthday present, since his dogs meant the world to him. Being the zoo keeper that I am, I have frequently had to take "family portraits" to keep the wife happy and thought I had Animal photography under control. Big was my surprise on the day of the shoot when not only was the owner of the dogs not available, but a friend had offered to stand in as chaperon (did I mention that the friend also brought his own two dogs along?) - CHAOS!!! In a very interesting way...

Fortunately, enough snacks saved the day! Never attempt to photograph animals without snacks although that might sometimes completely overshadow the shoot and make them loose interest with the camera ;-)

Old Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:42:00 +0000

Photographic wall art printed on canvas is one of the most versitile, contemporary and affordable means of making your home or office the centre of attention. This has been thoroughly proven in countries like the United Kingdom, United States and Australia - everyone loves good art, specifically if it is personalized and reflects your unique style.

No offense to the respective artists, but looking around at all the boring paintings being sold daily in shopping malls and along the roads of South Africa I can hardly believe that the majority of South Africans have so little creativity when it comes to decor and style. The only reason I can see why photographic canvas art has not yet replaced all of the commercial art on display, as in so many other countries, is the fact that commercial photographic outlets, who were the first to offer this service, produced inferior quality prints and products. Once again, my apologies to any printers out there who do things the right way, but my personal experience has been that it is an impossible mission to get a good quality print from a commercial photographic outlet.My aim is to change all of that...

After years of experimenting and lessons learnt, I can offer my clients a good quality print, combined with quality 44mm thick frames and excellent workmanship on the stretching of the canvas. Few things are so rewarding than seeing a large, good quality, personalized piece of photographic art on your wall.

Several frame options are available such as the standard canvas frame, the round beveled frame and the flat beveled frame.

In addition, the prints and frames can be can be combined in a variery of differnt shapes. Below are some examples of ways to make your canvas print suit your unique display area:

Standard landscape canvas

Square Canvas

Tritych Canvas

Small Squares Canvas

Panoramic Canvas

Please feel free to contact me directly should you require any additional information.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:09:00 +0000

Can't believe its been more than a month since my last post...That does however not mean that I have not been taking photos - on the contrary. I'm in the process of re-designing my website and blog and true to my nature : I'm doing it MYSELF. Obviously this means that it will take a little longer ;-)

I recently had the opportunity to try my hand at a modeling shoot, which went pretty well - all things concidering.

Personally I enjoyed the experience a lot and it was great fun to work with a model with such a bubbling and easy-going personality. Hoping to do this again in the near future.

Will hopefully be catching up on my posts in my new site shortly -MTK.

Imaginary Carpet Ride

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:03:00 +0000

Last night was the closing date for the final assignment in the Bootcamp2 competition hosted my David Hobby over at Stobist. This competition was actually what got me going (GOYA) in the first place and I have forced myself to partake in all of the assignments thus far. To be honest, it has not been easy, but I have learned a lot about myself while completing the assignments – which is what I think the whole idea was to start off with.

I’ve been fortunate enough to make the shortlist of finalists in assignments 1 & 3, but am yet to be published on his site – which would make my year, since most of what I know about photographic lightning, I learned on his site.

The theme for the final assignment was “What moves you, transportation - literally, what moves you. Since I have done a few photographs for the automotive industry before, my first thought was to organize a unique truck or something and photograph it on a nice location. But then I had a look at the entries received thus far and saw that most people did exactly that and very well I might say. I had to come up with another plan to try and make my photo stand out from the hundreds of other similar entries received.

Given that this was the final assignment, I decided to get very ambitious with my lightning and try something more conceptional, which in itself is a bit risky as it might also very well get me disqualified. Let’s hope Mr. Hobby does not see it that way:-)

I decided to construct a photo portraying me on a flying carpet, high up in the air above the moon. My oil-stained garage floor was just perfect as a “moon surface” and I have always wanted to try and incorporate this in a photo. So I placed a small table in the centre of my garage and draped my “magic carpet” over it. I suspended the four corners to the ceiling with dark rope so it would not show in the final photograph, added some interest with smoke and I was on my way. Although this was a hell of lot of work to get the lightning just right, it was also one of the most enjoyable photos I’ve ever taken. Even if I get kicked out for straying, I am still satisfied with the results and will always treasure the experience.

If anyone is interested in the exact light set-up used, feel free to check it out here.

Milestones

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:25:00 +0000

My father in-law turned 70 last week and we went to visit him the past weekend. He is a boilermaker by profession and despite his ripe age, he still works with steel every day of his life, making the most beautiful ornamental steel projects.

The fact that he stays in another town means that it is not often that all his children and grandchildren are there at the same time. Obviously this occasion called for a quick photo session. I thought that if everyone brought along something unique to them, it would make the shoot more fun, as it was a mission to convince everyone and I only had a couple of minutes to set up and shoot.

I set up my strobes in and adjacent open field, just after sunset. It turned out that the props were unnecessary and I did not need to encourage a smile, as all of the neighbors were peeking through windows at the spectacle across the road causing bursts of hysterical laughter every time another voyeur was spotted in the dark!

Rocking portrait

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:23:00 +0000

Had an unexpected visit from Clyde yesterday. He' an aspiring musician, custom design jewelry maker and all round bundle of hyper - activity :-)

Given my resolution to start taking more photographs and the fact that I missed out on a previous opportunity to take some studio shots of him, I managed to pursuade him into a quick outdoor photoshoot. Given his style I immediately knew I had to take him to this close by abandoned tennis court, which is now being used as a blank canvas for street artists.

The wind was unfortunately not very photographer friendly and attempts to set up an umbrella had us diving for crashing strobes, but in the end I think the bare strobes without any modifiers suited him better for a more edgy look.

Halfway through the shoot he realised " Hey, maybe I can use some of these for my Facebook profile". So in the end he was happy, I was happy and all things considering, time well spent.

Where will the children find hope?

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:36:00 +0000

As mentioned yesterday, I have been back to the New Beginnings Care Centre a couple of times over the last week or two. The saddest part of what I've seen there is how the children are affected by the bad choices we as adults make. They don't choose to be in the situation and most of them don't even realise that there is a better world out there - they are just happy - being children...

Growing up in the confines of an old decaying prison will inevitably call for a miracle in order for them to grow up as healthy, functioning individuals, but for now this is all they have and know.

Bedroom for five.

And what was once a place for executions and death is now a family home.

The amazing thing though is that these people hang in there, continuing with their daily lives, fueled by life-giving public donations and the hope of one day becoming active members of society again.

Hopefully I will be able to visit the close by informal settlement within the next couple of days to document some of the ongoing projects run by New Beginnings.

BRAGGING RIGHTS

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:14:00 +0000

Being the quiet, reserved guy that I am, I very seldom make a fuss of my photos and never out load, BUT today I received a very flattering e-mail from Cape Town based pro-photographer Greg Lumley.

In my opinion, he is not only one of the best local wedding photographers, but all in all seems like a very nice guy. In the past, Greg has been kind enough to help me out with some sound lightning advice, which I hope to put to the test in the near future.

If you are into excellent, innovative and edgy photography, be sure to check out his website. You will also find some chilling facts on social issues along with the usual outstanding images in his most recent post – go check it out!

On the topic of social issues, as promised, I have been back to the New Beginnings Care Centre a couple of times over the past weeks, getting to know the people better and capturing more images for their website. These should be up in the next day or so.

Getting to know the people housed at the centre better has made me realise just how close to the edge we are all standing – one drink to many, one experiment to many, one bad decision and you can land flat on your face. In the times we live in, very few people care enough to give you a helping hand to get back on your feet, which makes New Beginnings such an extraordinary place.

For instance, there is Grant (name changed) who ran an international business worth millions (he has the newspaper clippings to prove it). Bad business partners, a heroin addicted wife and an almost fatal car accident left him limping and nothing but the clothes on his back. No other institute will help him get back on his feet, but New Beginnings has given him a 4 square meter cell, bed, clothes and a contract job. He has hope and one day, I’m sure, he will have his own business again. But for now he is at the mercy of people’s goodwill.

Then there is young Chris (name changed), who like most of us experimented with drugs. Unfortunately, his experiment went of the rails and he ended up not seeing the outside of his bedroom for years. New Beginnings helped him out of the darkness and he has been clean for over two years now. He has a part-time job and has decided to stay on as a coach for new addicts arriving daily at the center’s door.

There are so many stories of hope that I can go on forever, but I will leave them for a future post.

Beds, Beer & Blistering sun!

noreply@blogger.com (Jefrey) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:24:00 +0000

This past Sunday it was time again for the annual Bed Race at Zwartkops raceway. The event, the brainchild of the Round Table in Midrand, was first held in 1995 and has since managed to raise over 2 million Rand and donate more than 650 beds to institutes in need.

The event has turned into a real fun in the sun day drawing young and old to the race track.

But then there is also the very serious business of building a race-winning bed and selecting an olympic team with stamina beyond believe. Of course, if you lack engineering skills and a team of athletes, you could always resort to full-on warfare designed to break down the other team's morale and very possibly their well constructed racing vehicle..!

In the end though, it all boiled down do determination, teamwork and having fun!

Be sure to go check out the bed race next year- maybe even enter a bed into the race. It is garanteed to be great fun!