I studied photography at Technikon Natal, now the Durban University of Technology, while freelancing for newspapers.
I had just finished my first year of photography and had managed to get a month contract at a local newspaper during the summer. I arrived with a very big camera bag with a small camera, a lens and a flash my uncle had given me, which I had never used. I had to photograph a mentally challenged weight lifter in a dark gym. I had to dig deep in my memory to remember how to calculate the correct power of the flash using the guide number, and somehow got a useable picture. I learned more in the two months at the paper than an entire year at college.
The period leading up to Nelson Mandela’s funeral was a very moving time. It was sad, but there was a celebratory atmosphere, which was more powerful than the sadness. While Mandela by his own admission not a saint, he was a symbol of hope.
I enjoy breaking news, but am enjoying in-depth feature stories so much. It is special to be able to spend time with a person, to photograph them once they are used to your presence and are not reacting to the camera.
I think in this day of false news it is important that there are people who focus on the truth rather than on lies, shares and views.
I think that I try to tell the story as honestly as possible. I think that the people I am photographing are who I think of most.
Sometimes it is best to leave your camera in the car for the first 10 minutes.
