one small seed » Photography | one small seed

That day in the garage… it got greasy

one small seed — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 21:59:06 +0000

Part of our ‘Best Of’ Ten Years one small seed Issue, in partnership with PUMA, is the Urban Eniquity fashion spread (Issue 22). We commissioned German photographer Guido Schwarz to shoot an industrial grime-inspired fashion story… Girls, Guys, Grease, this was no ordinary garage set.

Conceptually, it would feature an underground hedonistic den of iniquity that would symbolise the darker side of urban living. Behind the scenes were oiled-up models and lacquered lips as a storm brewed overhead and a caged Rottweiler threatened to break loose into the grungy mechanic’s workshop.

Click Expand for the behind-the-scenes fashion video and full shoot

Backstage Epilepsy by Photographer Waldo Pretorius

one small seed — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 07:42:00 +0000

Only some witness the final product and the few moments of perfection from the viewers’ seats of the catwalk. Designers spend months immersed in their work to bring their visions to life at the show. Filmed at the 2013 SA Fashion Week and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, photographer Waldo Pretorius‘ short film, Backstage Epilepsy, offers a unique behind-the-scenes view into South Africa’s fashion world. (Length: 01:45)

“Backstage Epilepsy” © Waldo Pretorius

Designer Credits:

Ephymol (Ephraim Molingoana)

Gavin Rajah

Video and photography by © Waldo Pretorius

WE LOVE SEXY INTERVIEW I: ELANI JACOBS

one small seed — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:51:02 +0000

Elani Jacobs is a photographer from Bloemfontein whose photographs that she uploaded to onesmallseed.net have featured in many Images of the Week selections, and in November, 2012, her album One Last Shoot became Album of the Week on onesmallseed.com. More recently, her eye-catching portraits of women have also been in the spotlight through our media partner We Love Sexy — a social activation platform that will soon launch an online Magazine, a coffee table book and a monthly exhibition event. They got hold of her to find out who the person behind the magic is and she inspired with a story about the first picture she took on a disposable camera, her views on sexy photography and her snapshot-like shooting philosophy.

When did you realize that you had a talent for taking photographs?

It was more a question of realizing that THIS IS WHO I AM than realizing about any talent. Photography is what makes me tick, what makes sense to me. I love to look at the world through my lenses.
Maybe when I succeeded in being selected for the photography programme at the University of Technology I started to also consider that I might have talent.

And what was the first thing that you took a photograph of?

The earliest memory I have of taking a photo was when I was five years old, I went to London, UK, with my mother. She bought me a disposable camera when we got there, to keep me busy while we were there.

In one of the photos I took, there was a perfect shot of my mother and her sister in front of the Jan Smuts statue with Big Ben and Westminster Abbey in the background, and the red and yellow tulips in the front, and a red bus and black taxi whizzing by.

Can you describe the emotion you felt after capturing something beautiful for the first time?

A definite sense of pride and inspiration to get even better, with the smallest fear of ‘I hope that wasn’t an accident, but my actual talent’.

How did the process develop from then to now – what sort of steps did you have to go through to reach the level you’re at now?

Touring overseas for a number of times with the Bloemfontein Children’s Choir gave me the opportunity to visit interesting places, and I was initially totally trigger happy with my camera. Slowly I started focusing on the composition of the photos, always trying to improve. But it was during my first year at the University of Technology when we were required to do black-and-white film photos, and to develop the photos ourselves, that I really learned the most. The excitement of having to wait to see what the photos look like is a thrill that many photographers will never experience. It teaches you so much. You will notice that I still love black-and-white photos, even if it is digital.

The level that I am at now? I do not think that I am at any specific level. I do not measure myself. Every shoot is a beginning.

Image by Elani Jacobs

What does ‘sexy’ mean to you?

Being sexy is in the first place about feeling good about yourself, and not focusing on how others view you. Knowing who you are, focusing on your own sensuality, and not about impressing others. Being comfortable with yourself.

Would you say it’s a recurring theme in your photographs? Why is that?

The raw emotion, or the lack there-of. The work that I am the proudest of always has an emotion attached to it. Even if the model is without an expression, there is still an emotional portrait to look at.

What role does ‘sexy’ play in photography in general and how related is it to the female
body?

A human body is a work of art, but it is also a canvas on which you can create a work of art, and a medium that you can use to create art. With every shoot I try to create a work of art, and to work best with the media that I have.

For a model to look good, she must feel good. And feel good resonates with sexy.

When does it cease to be beautiful?

Does it? Depends on who is looking at the picture.

Image by Elani Jacobs

And when does it become pornography?

Art is something timeless that you can hang on your walls with pride. As soon as you don’t feel comfortable displaying your nude artwork, that is when it starts bordering the line to the pornography side.

Would you agree with this quote:

‘What is pornography? It is printed, spoken, photographed or filmed material, which is
specifically intended to create a fast short-circuit to physical release. It does away with
the niceties. It is generally breathtakingly crude, bland, predictable, and leads quickly to
the desired result while heightening the search for even more intensified pleasure. All
over the world people are hunched over their computers in search of such experiences.’ –
(Taken from ‘Nude or Naked’ by Patricia Anderson)

Absolutely.

Can pornography be beautiful?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is subjective. Personally, I don’t see the beauty in it.

How would you say does ‘sexy’ relate to nakedness or nudity?

If you are at ease with yourself and in touch with yourself, then you are comfortable with your body and with nudity. Nakedness, to me, has a different meaning. Nakedness relates to being stripped, and is not always a choice.

Here’s another quote:
‘Nakedness reveals itself. Nudity is placed on display…. The nude is condemned to never
being naked. Nudity is a form of dress. ‘ – John Berger

Does this relate to the way you capture people without clothes in your onesmallseed.net
album Nudes or Soft to the Touch for example?

Nudity is a personal choice.

So yes, it is the ‘clothes’ that you choose to wear, not the lack of clothes due to choices of others. What I aim to capture in my nude pictures is the liberation through personal choices, being yourself, and the art of the human body and spirit.

Image by Elani Jacobs

A lot of your models look aware of the camera’s gaze – often their gaze engages directly
with the camera’s. Yet sometimes – like in ‘Madonna’ for example – the observer seems to
be granted a complete ‘Peeping Tom experience’. Is it a conscious decision of yours to refuse
the viewer’s wish to indulge in voyeurism in some pictures and not in others?

I capture the model in whatever zone she is in.

I feel that when the subject isn’t looking at the camera, it shows a more true, vulnerable side of the subject. I even sometimes tell them that I am still testing the light while taking photos, then they are not posing, but just being comfortable.

When I am lucky, this results in some of the best shots of the shoot.

Would you say that being a female photographer helps when building a relationship to your
female subjects and thus improves the quality of your photos?

It definitely helps a lot. Talking and chatting, as girls do, throughout the shoot helps them to get comfortable, till we reach the point where we forget about the nakedness and both of us just indulge in the sheer art of it all. One of my first nude subjects was a very close friend of mine who specializes in nudes and body landscapes, and we were both very comfortable, because we both understood that the final product was going to be a work of art projecting all that is feminine.

Interview by Christine Hogg

Images by Elani Jacobs

HOW TO GET YOUR IMAGES FEATURED WITH WE LOVE SEXY:

1) Become a member (if you aren’t already!) on onesmallseed.net and upload your image making sure you use the hash tag #welovesexy in the ‘Tags’ box (see image below). If you have a full shoot you would like to submit, simply create an Album called We Love Sexy. (use the hash tag for all the photos in the album too!)

2) Like the We Love Sexy Facebook page and tag the page in any album/image you upload to Facebook that is content-relevant.

3) Email your submission/s to welovesexymag[at]gmail[dot]com

4) You can also upload images on Twitter (tag @WeLoveSexyMag) and via Instagram! Just make sure you always use the hashtag #welovesexy

There will be prizes up for grabs for the best submissions, find out what you can win here.

Image by Elani Jacobs

More Than Photography

one small seed — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 08:20:56 +0000

Brad Evans and Travis Jensen are two talented photographers who decided to portray San Fransisco’s Tenderloin district — an undeserved neighbourhood considered to be ‘rough on the edges’ – by paying it some long due respect. See how their project developed in this short film by Jonas Normann of sidewalktalk.dk. Length 05:57

More than photography from sidewalktalk.dk on Vimeo.

Screenshot

Music uncorked: Sound in a Bottle

one small seed — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:36:46 +0000

Life is becoming music. Tama Art University student Jun Fujiwara, has invented a bottle in which sounds are trapped in and then mixed to make novel music. In the spirit of the ‘i’ revolution where iPods, iPads, iTunes and such make an experience as personal as possible, this sound in a bottle takes the concept to a whole new level.

Fujiwara won the Naoki Sakai Prize for the invention and hopes that everyday voices and sounds can be the source of unique and personal music. When corked, the bottle is quiet, when uncorked music starts, and shaken, music is paused. Eliminating the possibility of becoming too repetitive, every time one of these actions occur the beat and order of the music changes. Depending on sounds put in, the music you make could be techno dance or relaxing. From a cat meowing, gum chewing, fingers clicking and more — music has been officially uncorked.

beforeitsnews.com

blog.amnesiarazorfish.com.au

images: beforeitsnews.com, blog.amnesiarazorfish.com.au
Source: booooom.com, vimeo.com

CBGB at SYNW

christine hogg — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:07:18 +0000

SYNW, image by Stewart Innes

The night of January 16th saw the weekly event – See You Next Wednesday at The Assembly – paying tribute to the legendary home of punk – none other than the historic CBGB. Initially intended for country, bluegrass and blues, the New York City night club soon favoured the disorderly. It saw bands like The Misfits, The Ramones or The Patti Smith Group perform within its walls in the revolutionizing ’70s through to the undemanding 2000s, when it had to close due to financial disputes. Luckily, there are still bands like Changeling, Beach Party, Crossfire Collision and The Dollfins that like to stir things up in a time where passive discipline seems to prevail. But did SYNW manage to live up to the ready-to-spit-authority-in-the-face attitude that is punk? See for yourself….

SYNW, image by Stewart Innes

Arriving just in time to witness psychedelic dark wave rockers Changeling perform the last two songs of their set was fortunate to say the least. Lead singer and, interestingly occasional bassist, Noah Swinney along with band members Cameron Davey (guitar), Gabriel Hope (drums) and Ruby Angelica (synth/backing vocals), managed to let the mind-bending spell of the trance-ey ’60s seep into the barren concert hall with untouched doom-chants over abyssal dream melodies. The hard-hearted looking band was a worthwhile discovery that, although not as punk as a strict definition would demand, definitely did justice to the more laid-back genre that is psychedelic rock.

SYNW, image by Stewart Innes

Beach Party, whose genre description states psychedelic-afro-disco-surf-punk, did a better job at bringing punk’s passion for anarchy to life as lead singer Danny Video gets the crowd to start a serious mosh pit. As a proper punk would, he jumps over the stage barrier to join the moshers, but refutes his newly gained rebel rep later when he apologizes for his crappy beach pop band that just plays punk songs. Be that as it may, the crowd was won over by Video’s humorous stage charm, the band’s natural cheerfulness and surf punk melodies that reminisce of The Jam’s ‘A Town Called Malice’, leading to their set ending with convinced hand claps.

SYNW, image by Stewart Innes

Matthew James (vocals and guitars), Devon Martindale (guitars), Craig McKune (bass) and Jimmy McGregor (drums) of Crossfire Collision took the audience on a journey to greater and heavier shores. Backed by some razzle-dazzle stage lights, they excelled in reviving some US punk with some straightforward Blink 182 rock riffs. A sign was produced by a girl in the crowd, carefully hand-grafted with a biro, that stated ‘I’m Pregnant You Cunt’ to get the young men’s attention. Taking their music seriously, they finished their song effortlessly and with an unabashed demeanour. It being their first time to perform at The Assembly, they gave their audience what they expected to hear: unfussed punk rock.

SYNW, image by Stewart Innes

The much-anticipated The Dollfins, fronted by an Indian-headdress sporting Fuck You, kicked everybody’s punk ass through getting her namesake’s attitude spot on. Along with Bear Trap (bass) and Pussy Slap (drums) they soared through their set with catchy riffs, a rough beer-drinking cuteness and a nostalgic garage punk sound. Although the vocals could have stood out more above the instruments’ kick-ass noise melodies, the foolhardy trio pleased everybody with a heartfelt ‘In Your Head’ or a carefree ‘Friendly’ as well as some song material that they say is yet to be recorded. Their decidedly old-school rawness is very refreshing among an air of often desperate experimentalism. Punk rock til’ you drop!

See you next Wednesday? Mr Sakitumi and The Grrrl, FUXDVT (Das Kapital vs Sideshow) and Phaze vs Dynamo will be amongst the dedicated beat generators. Click here for more information. Also, watch out for our upcoming interview with The Dollfins to be posted on onesmallseed.com soon!

images by Stewart Innes, c/o The Assembly

The Fashion Movie Project – Videos Revealed!

one small seed — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 10:03:48 +0000

The Fashion Movie Project is a collaboration between 10and5 and the Elizabeth Galloway Academy of Fashion Design. The idea was simple: get young Cape Town-based photographers to team up with a styling team from Elizabeth Galloway as well as a local fashion label. The aim? To make a short fashion video with a Canon 7D.

After months of hard work, the videos were screened to the public for the first time on the 26 November at The Waiting Room, Cape Town. It was Max Mogale who came out top with his video Street Warrior, which featured clothing from 2BOP.

There were some other incredible entries, such as the video for Talitha Bell’s fashion label, ANKHA. Titled Sister Savage, the film was shot by Caroline Mackintosh, edited by Andrew M McNally, styled by Zane De Villiers, with post production by Wesley Albertse.

We did an interview with Talitha a few weeks ago, here’s a short extract below.

What’s the signature material you like to work with?
Bell: Faux fur, velvet, faux leather, chiffon and lace.

How do you find the fashion scene in Cape Town and what do you predict for the future with Cape Town being World Design capital in 2014?
Bell: The fashion scene in Cape Town is predominantly boring. There are only a handful of people doing really original stuff. The rest are just following last season’s trends from Europe. And there is a sort of cult-ey zombie mainstream yuppie thing happening which has perpetuated those horrific golf shirts. Vomit!

Can you tell me about the fashion film you were involved in?
Bell: I was selected by between 10 and 5 along with local photographer Caroline Mackintosh and a 3rd year Elizabeth Galloway student to create a fashion video for a competition, which is still to be exhibited, judged and awarded later this year. It was so much fun. I used a song from one of my favourite bands White Ring. That’s all I can say.

Are there any future projects you can fill us in on?
Bell: Cape Town is full of amazing photographers at the moment so I’m working on collaborations with Janine Kuschke, Roger Young and a few others. I like to see my garments through other people’s perceptions. I would also like to do another film. And hand colour my own images in a darkroom.

Read the full of the interview, HERE

still from ANKHA - "Sister Savage"

Take a look at the other entries:

Nature and Organisation | Thomas Pepler | Guillotine

Pareidolia | Amor Coetzee and Farran Bagg | Betty & Freddy

Lische Joubert | I Love Leroy

Splinter | Lindsay Hamlyn | Christopher Strong

Jenni Elizabeth | Lalesso

Kent Andreasen + Margot Molynuex

| Video Interview | “Langa”: A photo-essay by Luke Daniel

one small seed — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 06:30:20 +0000

In issue 25 of one small seed magazine, we featured a seven-page spread on local photographer Luke Daniel’s most recent project, entitled Langa. On 19 October we caught up with Luke again for an interview at Cape Town’s Iziko SA Museum where his Langa photographs were being showcased as part of the Land and Cityscape Celebration ’12 exhibition. The exhibition is now closed, but watch our video interview with Luke below! (Length: 03:35)

A closer look at Langa…

Langa is a photographic essay, centred around day-to-day life in one of South Africa’s oldest townships. A subtle investigation of an extreme socio-economic crisis, which affects the residents of Langa on a daily basis – the story of indefinite struggle and survival. An in-depth glimpse into ‘The Forgotten Township’ – largely abandoned by government, the skeleton of Langa is slowly decaying, as unemployment and crime increase and living conditions become more hopeless.

However, the heart of Langa still beats strong – with a sense of humanity and community that will rival any suburban area of Cape Town. Circumstances, which would undoubtedly cripple most leafy suburban residents, fail to break the core-spirit of Langa’s people. It’s this ‘keep on keeping on’ attitude that makes the men and women of Langa some of the strongest and resilient people in the country.

'Makwebu does Elvis' - Saturday’s in backyard, Brinton Street

'Decaying lot' - Old Flats quad, neglected, battered and forgotten.

'Sunday haircut' - Anele under the scissors, before church service

'Bush Mechanic' - General motor-service, New Flats Courtyard

'Sunday Evening' - Outside the Rastafarian shed

source: Luke Daniel Photography
photographs: Luke Daniel

Inge Beckmann | What’s Your Story?

one small seed — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 21:00:26 +0000

inge beckmann

Severely beautiful, mysterious and dark are some of the words used to describe Inge Beckmann, but behind all of that which makes her so fascinating is the hunger of a very human individual who truly loves everything she does, and she’s done a lot… As Avant garde and versatile as they come, she’s gone beyond cult status and become one of the most memorable names and voices to grace the music scene. From Lark, to Beast, to Closet Snare, The Spindle Sect and back to her roots as a child trying to follow in her mother’s literal footsteps as a dancer, here is a performer that South Africa is proud to call one of our own. So what’s your story, Inge Beckmann?

Adidas calling South Africans to #represent!

one small seed — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 13:57:54 +0000

Launched on September 3rd 2012, adidas has created a campaign – All Originals #Represent – calling on South Africans to represent the brand with originality, creativity and passion through loading videos, images, audio and mantras as a crew (two or more people) to its campaign website. Uploading must be completed by 7 October 2012. (video)

Image: adidas.co.za

Globally, a TVC and various retail point of sale elements, feature fashion’s wild child Jeremy Scott, Nicki Minaj, hip-hop artist Big Sean, Korean pop artist 2NE1 and NBA player, Derrick Rose.

On the home front, adidas Originals South Africa has developed a series of four locally produced videos, behind the scenes footage and images featuring local celebrities DJ Switch, beat boxer George Avakian, the adidas skateboarding team, B-boys (break-dancers) Vouks, The Curse and video game reviewer, Pippa Tshabalala.

Each video remains true to the ethos of the campaign – to represent originality, creativity and passion – whilst also highlighting a cross-section of local celebrities from different genres and sub-cultures.

Voting

From 8-28 October 2012, voting starts with the most popular crew winning R6000 worth of adidas Originals gear per crewmember and the opportunity to be showcased on a local platform, tailor-made to the crew’s particular expertise.

The 360° #represent brand campaign will come to life further through locally and globally produced television, digital and retail elements and locally driven activations, such as the brand’s Live Performances in both Cape Town and Johannesburg.

To upload images, go to www.adidas.co.za/originals.

Image: adidas.co.za