Jack Mason | Jen Jengo | Kleinjan Groenewald | Rowan Patrick
Jack Mason (b. 1994)
Cape Town
I have an extrospective style of shooting. I try to capture the world around me as I see it through my mind’s eye, almost in an analytical sense. I consider myself to be quite a visual thinker and the act of taking photos is a sort of way of expressing the way I think.
I bring my camera to every festival I go to. I love capturing people in their element and just having a good time. I also like shooting landscapes.
Photography has become an integral part of my life and, in some ways, it is my life. It gives me much pleasure to be able to make images that people have an emotional reaction towards.
Shooting on film teaches you to slow down and be present in the moment. I try not to rush my shots and rather let the moment come to me. A bit of thought and pre-visualisation goes a long way, but I also try not to think about it too much. It needs to be something you feel in your gut. Part of the fun with shooting on film is learning to love the challenge and not to see it as a limitation. It will teach you to be more engaged with the art form, and ultimately, take better photos.
Instagram: @eyesofmason
Tumblr: http://www.eyesofmason.tumblr.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eyesofmason/
Jen Jengo (b. 1986, Durban)
Currently in Cape Town
There are a number of things I like to capture on film, so it’s hard to find a favourite. I very much enjoy photographing summer scenes and architecture. Oh, old and strange spaces too – I’m a very inquisitive person and I love to explore.
I much prefer the older analogue cameras – I love the grain and dreamy style I get from them. Photography is a practice, so keep exploring. Your photos are what you want them to be.
Photography motivates me to connect with something new, quite often. It’s also my way of sharing what I love with those around me (or moments the way I see them), in the hope that it will evoke the same aesthetically pleasing feels in another. I usually trust my instinct in the moment and go for it. It’s all pretty spontaneous.
Instagram: @analog_diaries
Tumblr: http://www.jenjengo.tumblr.com/
Kleinjan Groenewald (b. 1987, Pretoria)
Currently living in Cape Town.
I really enjoy shooting film; 35 mm, 120 and Polaroids, but shoot most of my work on digital format. I love shooting portraits, travel, lifestyle and food.
I like capturing real life around me more than something that is staged – I feel you get a better image and deeper connection with your subject. I also like a cleaner and more simple image.
Through my photography, I have been super fortunate to have travelled quite a bit (and that has made me realise what I really want for myself and what kind of work I want to do). We tend to only see the bad in the world, but there are so many beautiful places and amazing cultures out there, we just have to escape the comfort zone and explore a little.
I spend hours looking at other people shooting the stuff I want to shoot, to see what they do differently and how I can improve my work. I don’t see myself doing anything else.
Website: http://www.everfeltmedia.co.za/
Instagram: @k.groenewald
Rowan Patrick (b. 1988)
Cape Town
I enjoy photographing people, places and the ocean. The feeling of summer weather influences the way I see photo opportunities – blue skies, warm skin tones and beaches.
I have learned to imagine the world around me through a viewfinder, and as cliché as this will sound, I have learned to see the beauty in things and places I would have never thought of. I always seem to be observing light in every space around me.
Following accounts of people who’s work you admire is very helpful to find motivation. I also collect a lot of fashion magazines from the 70s, 80s and 90s that have crazy good forms of inspirational work, all shot on film.
Keep working on your craft, experiment, take risks and always find time to shoot for yourself. Sometimes all it takes is one small item to get a whole body of work rolling in, like a hat or even a pair of cool sunglasses.
Website: http://www.rowanpatrick.com/
Instagram: @rowanpatrick_
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DEAD TOWN™ | Film-only Photographic Showcase ©2017.
