ART

“Water Way”
This is one of a selection of photos I took recently in Durban, South Africa. I was aiming for a textured high key look. I particularly like this for the black marks on the walls. I think this would make a great picture printed on canvas or put in a frame.
Copies of this picture can be bought. If you are interested in getting a copy of this image for your home, please contact me, Roy 0n 0834061975 or email me at roy@rephotography.co.za .
If you have any comments about this picture, please do, all comments welcome.

No Pictures

I have just come to the realisation that I have created blog site dedicated to photography, but I have not put any pics up for any one to see, how wrong is that?
I think I better pull finger, and make a plan to get some of my photos up so that all can see them, and comment, well, I at least hope I will get some comments.
Please be patient, and I will get some photos up soon.

 

Recent Swimsuit Photoshoot

This past weekend I did a swimsuit photo shoot. I had the pleasure of working with 2 lovely ladies, both very beautiful and talented, both with their own special and unique features as models.
The shoot consisted of swimsuits designed by students from a fashion college, and organised through a friend of mine.
The day started off very overcast, heavy cloud, and some mild drizzle, and I thought it might be a wash out before it started, but we went ahead anyway. We all arranged to meet at Umhlanga beach , north if Durban. On arrival, the weather was pretty crappy, the tied was out, and it was a bit cold, and windy. I thought that this might affect the models, but we decided to continue.
So we went through all the swimsuits, made some decisions, and got to shooting. Well, all I can say, keeping in mind it was cold, windy and overcast, my 2 models did very well, fighting the elements and doing a lovely job of showing there stuff in the various swimsuits, and though I have yet to go through the photos properly, I can honestly saying, that I have a very good selection of some fantastic images of 2 lovely girls, putting on a lovely display, so kudos to my models, and thanks for every thing on the day. It might take a photographer to take pictures, but if you don’[t have lovely models to photograph, then what do you have?

What are your impressions of the new Canon EOS 7D?

I am not biased, I just think Canon cameras are the best? I use one, have always used one, I love the way they handle, love the image quality, actually there is very little about them that I don't like.

Now Canon has released the new EOS 7D, gets a brilliant review, I want one, but I want to know, what do you think about it?

Canon EOS 1000D

I have been using the EOS 1000D since February this year, and I thought it would only be fair to give a personal review on this particular dslre camera.

The 1000D is an entry level dslr, 10.1 mp, 9 AF points, cross type, it has live view, and ISO rating ranging from ISO 100 through to ISO1600. The 1000D has all the standard entry level features, including but not limited to I,A,SO and M settings, the usual preset settings for various scenarios, it has a depth of field preset, handy but hardly used feature. There are other features to the camera, which I will not go into detail here.

The Canon EOS 1000D is, in my opinion a very good camera to start off with when going into dslr photography. Image quality is good, though sometimes images tend to be soft around the edges, especially when using the 18-55mm kit lens that comes with the camera (obviously, the quality of the lens plays a huge role in the quality of the final image).

My main problem with this camera is noise, especially at ISO settings above 400.

I recently was asked to shoot a wedding, and ended up with quite a bit of noise in the images. The photos came out great, but the noise is evident, and on close scrutiny, might be a little distracting in the images to some.

I would recommend this camera to a beginner in photography, it is a great camera to get your feet wet with. Personally, I love the camera, and will carry on using it as a backup when one day I upgrade, still remaining with Canon.

Camera Choices

I hate choices, mainly because there are so many of them, and so many different things which influence each individual choice....

For instance, I need to get a new camera, currently I use a Canon EOS1000D, a lovely camera, but if I am going to progress with my photography, I will need another camera, as backup, and for better image quality, but now comes the part of choosing, the part that I hate.

I am stuck between buying a full frame dslr, or an aps-c dslr????????

There are pros and cons to both, and one could never go wrong with either choice, so what should I am for?

My choices are the full frame EOS 5d MK II and the new APS-C 7D, both fantastic cameras. Full frame is great for fashion work, and commercial advertising, especially if the photos are to be blown up really big, and being full size sensor cameras, there is less noise on high ISO images, which is definitely one of my major concerns.

I want to do wedding photography, so I need a camera that will handle the low light situations, but then there is the cost, full frame is much more expensive...what to do? I think there is a lot more planning involved, and more research...also the 7D has not had a proper review yet, so maybe I should wait for that to happen.....

 

Any suggestions?

 

Wedding Photography

Base Package - R3100

All photos taken will be on disc (no prints), no less than 200 photos, all high res. All photos will be retouched and enhanced, and will be in colour, sepia or black & white.
(Coverage includes - Preparation, Ceremony, Formal Photographs, Reception- Cake Cutting, Garter and Bouquet throw, First Dance and 1 hour into party)
Travel is included in package up to 30 km’s from Bluff, Durban, thereafter a travel charge of R3.50/km will be charged.
50% non - refundable deposit required to secure booking. 50% of balance payable 7 working days before date of wedding, and remaining balance on completion and delivery/collection.
Goods will be ready for collection +/- 3 to 7 weeks after the date of the function

Photobook Packages

Base Package plus 300mm x 300mm Squareback (26 Pages) – R4200 (R40 for every extra 2 pages)
Base Package plus A4 Hardcover Landscape Photobook(28 Pages) – R4000 (R40 for every extra 4 pages)
Base Package plus A4 Squareback Landscape (28 Pages) – R3900 (R40 for every extra 4 pages)

Extras

Photo flipper 10cm x 15cm (30 pages) – R250
Set of 24 Postcards – R250
Photo album with 100 photos (10x15) – R1500
DVD slide show (80 – 120 images) set to music of your choice (to be supplied by client) – R1500

Make money from photos

Submit Photos to Shutterstock and make $$$!

Fashion Photography Lens Choices

Fashion photography is a very popular genre of photography, with many sub-genres which include glamour, erotic, underwear, hair and clothing photography. I myself am a fan of fashion photography, and quite often use a 70 -300mm zoom lens at the 80mm end of the zoom for my work. I was just wandering, and hoping to learn from others experience, what lenses do other people use when covering this topic. I would like to know what the ideal focal length would be etc.

If you have an opinion, or some ideas or suggestions regarding this subject, I would be interested to read about them.

Wedding Photographer

If you are in need of a wedding photographer, let me be of assistance.

For R3100, I will cover your whole wedding day (Preparation of the bride to the first dance, and then some), you will get a disc, with all images edited, and where necessary enhanced, in colour, sepia or black & white (no prints). For more options for your wedding, please visit my website, www.rephotography.co.za . Contact me, and we can customise a wedding package for you.

Look forward to hearing from you, and if I don't get to enjoy your wedding with you, I hope your day is fantastic, and all your marital life be full of joy and happiness.

Thank you,

Roy Esterhuizen

0834061975

Snow On Mountains

 
Just a shot or 2 of snow in the mountains in Drakensberg, South Africa. These photos were taken from quite a distance, but you can see the snow. One can imagine how cold it was that day.

 

Mozambique Trip

Next week, I will be going to Mazambique for work, I have to do an installation. Can't say I am really looking forward to that.

What I am looking forward to is the photographic opportunities that will hopefully present themselves whilst I am there. I am going to a place Beira in Mazambique, and fro what I can gather from the web, there should be some cool stuff to photograph when I am there, provided of course there is time......will see when I get there.

Healthy Habit

Low Light Wedding Photography

I have just recently done my first weddig shoot, an Indian wedding, full of fantastic colours, and loads of atmosphere, but I struggled with the venue, as it was quite dark, and my camera kit lins, a canon 18 - 55mm struggled with it. I had to use ISO speeds of up to 1600, which added tons of noise to my photos.

My question here is, what are acceptable means to minimising the use of high ISO's at weddings, what hints and tips do other seasoned wedding photographers have for the aspiring newbie, like myself?

Some Thing Beautiful

Even the most grey looking days can add atmosphere and texture to a photo, totally changing the mood, making it more real, and less boring.

I love moody skies, and clouds, a blue sky, though beautiful, can take away from the mood of a picture.

Portfolio

HI, this is one of many images I have taken for models that require photos for their portfolios.
I have a passion for photographing people, bringing out some of their personalities in the pictures.

Let me know what you think?