:: KIRSTAN JEANNE PUTTICK ::

PHOTOGRAPHER

24 years old - Johannesburg
kirstan@yebo.co.za / kirstanputtick@hotmail.com / 083 663 3639
http://kirstanjeanne.spaces.live.com

EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU DO, FOR HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN DOING IT, WHY AND HOW IT ALL STARTED...
I'm far more interested in my art than in being an artist. I started taking photos about six years ago out of necessity (as I was studying design), from there it just grew into my life’s passion.

DID YOU STUDY AT ALL? WHERE? HOW?
Brand Communications at Vega. I am currently completing my second BA at Wits.

WHAT PROGRAMS/MEDIUMS DO YOU MOSTLY PREFER TO WORK WITH?
Digital photography. I used to use film, but now that I have gone digital I won't turn back. It is quicker, easier and cheaper than film and the quality is just as good.
I use Adobe Photoshop to edit my photos. My muse is adamant that I should promote Corel products, suggesting that are far superior, but Adobe is what I'm used to and, anyway, (almost) everyone else uses it.

WHAT GETS YOUR INSPIRATIONAL JUICES FLOWING?
My boyfriend . . . oh, you said INSPIRATIONAL juices.
Inspiration just comes out of nowhere. I see everything with a photographer's eye. It could be spider walking across the page, the light twinkling in a crack of the window pane. For everything I see I think about whether it would make for a good photo, and sometimes I think it would. On other occasions I may wearily take a photo not expecting anything fantastic and end up with a winner – for me its just about following a hunch and seeing where it leads me. I also try very hard not to over think my work – I find this dries it up and makes it look thought out. I pursuit I personally feel is bland.

ONE OF YOUR CRAZIEST WORK EXPERIENCES?
I once had to hide a roll of film in a rather uncomfortable place. If I say any more they will know was me.

HOW DO YOU SEE LOCAL ART/MUSIC/FASHION/CULTURE? (relevant to your field)
I put beauty ahead of fashion. I do not consider beauty to be something limited to a certain time and place. I am far more interested in creating works of unqualified beauty than works which are fashionable. So the local scene - as a LOCAL scene - is really quite irrelevant to me.
But that is not say that I have no opinion on the state of photography in South Africa at the moment. There are photographers such as Roger Ballan, who I really admire and who are much better photographers than I am, who are producing fantastic works.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE SOMETHING IN YOUR INDUSTRY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
There is a lot of snobbery amongst photographers. Mostly amongst the inferior photographers.
I wish people would be less reserved about having their picture taken - for goodness sake, the camera immortalises them, it doesn't steal their souls. I turn their images into art, into something beautiful. There is no need to be shy.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK TAKING YOU IN THE FUTURE?
Well I don't see my art as means like that. The question is really where do I see myself taking my photography. I'm not really sure. I think I'll just let it develop naturally. I will say that all my travels and excursions are pivoted according to possible photo opportunities.

:: DORETTE KRUGER ::

PHOTOGRAPHER

27 years old - The Cape
fluweeltjie@gmail.com / eyeriz@eyeriz.net / 082 226 3102
www.eyeriz.net

EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU DO, FOR HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN DOING IT, WHY AND HOW IT ALL STARTED...
I do what I would like to call Poetic Photography. It is my inner most feelings, and feelings often suppressed and denied by society such as suicidal thoughts, or drinking your pain away or being in such a bad space that you just see no way out but doing something that society has "banned" . Also love issues and spiritual moments in time where one feels so good one can fly! What I aim to accomplish is touching people's cores, people who can identify with those feelings to show them it is not a bad thing, there are millions of people out there who go through similar experiences and you don't need to hide in shame about it. I truly believe that if those feelings we all have inside of us are verbalised or if we are able to express that and release that energy there would be less suicides, and alcoholism and pain. Its taking that energy and expressing it in another form. I also have a strong passion for nude and erotic photography, but have not fully delved into that area yet.
I have been doing this type of work since July 2007 - that is when my series of "The Battle of the Bottle and the Box" was born. I was in a terrible bad space and drinking quite a bit to dull the pain and to forget the situation (but we all wake up in the morning, same place just a different day), and I thought in order to transform myself out of that dullness and pain, why not capture it cause there are so many people out there going through the exact same thing. And it would help me to release that energy in a positive and creative way.

DID YOU STUDY AT ALL? WHERE? HOW?
I did a certificate in photography at SIPS in Stellenbosch.

WHAT PROGRAMS/MEDIUMS DO YOU MOSTLY PREFER TO WORK WITH?
I own a Canon 30D with various lenses - 18 - 55mm, fish eye, and fixed 100mm f2.8 Macro. I use Photoshop CS (soon to be CS3) to edit and touch up my shots afterwards and I use a PC. I have a soft spot for film as well as darkroom, but space and time is always a bugger when it gets to that and digital allows me instant access.

WHAT GETS YOUR INSPIRATIONAL JUICES FLOWING?
Various things but mostly as I have mentioned above, feelings and thoughts I go through daily. It ranges from spiritual moments to absolute depression to feeling ecstatic about life to feeling pain because of love... Do I sound a bit manic here or is it just me...? Also beautiful organic shapes and curves of the human body. Sometimes music verbalises my feelings and it is then easier to turn that into images in my head, such as the last series I did called Garden of Lust and Love. All of them stem from that and all of the images have similar lyrical titles. I also draw inspiration from books I read - once again it is a similar effect where it verbalises my feelings and that is just so much easier to see the images.

ONE OF YOUR CRAZIEST WORK EXPERIENCES?
Cant say I have had one to be quite honest - think once I get to Cape Town I may have some cause I then plan on delving into the erotic and nude photographs...

HOW DO YOU SEE LOCAL ART/MUSIC/FASHION/CULTURE? (relevant to your field)
From what I see the people posting on the group I created, Poetic Photography, some of the work is very good and very real. I have not really exposed myself by going to exhibitions and art galleries, with two kids running around like crazy bunnies, that gets a bit difficult, but I plan to fully throw myself into that environment once I get to Cape Town.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE SOMETHING IN YOUR INDUSTRY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Can i be as bold as to say the superiority attitude that people have?

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK TAKING YOU IN THE FUTURE?
I would love to have exhibitions in Europe and US, but firstly in CT and Jo'burg. I have some collaborations lined up when I get to CT as well as talks of a book (way in the future).


EXTERNAL LINKS:
Online gallery
Poetic Photography Group on Facebook
My portfolio on Facebook
Work on Kagablog

AWARDS WON:
I got a Highly Commended Award on ephotozine.com for the photograph as well as a Reader's Choice Award (view)

A competition I won on ephotozine.com (view)

Another Readers Choice Award on ephotozine.com (view)

Battle of the bottle and the box - on my back


Battle of the bottle and the box - drowning


Battle of the bottle and the box - one for the road


Battle of the bottle and the box - the morning after


Drowning my joy - One by one


Framed


I gave you my heart...


Garden of Lust and Love - Broken


Garden of Lust and Love - I need nobody else


Garden of Lust and Love - January Girl


Garden of Lust and Love - Tainted love


Garden of Lust and Love - Twinkle


Lilith meets Nuit


Little Death


Scarlet


She rose once again


Silent Scream - Silence


Silent Scream - All thats left


Spiritual Journey

:: TEMPEST VAN SCHAIK ::

ART.DESIGN.FANTASTIC-CREATURES

22 years old - Johannesburg
ellomennopee@gmail.com / ellomennopee

EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU DO, FOR HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN DOING IT, WHY AND HOW IT ALL STARTED...
I'm a creative wanderer, getting involved in any creative projects I stumble upon. I've been involved in the artsy world my whole life, but only recently decided to focus my experiences. In June 2007 I started my own label called Ellomennopee (pronounced LMNOP) to encompass and encourage creative ramblings, such as art exhibitions, logo designs, stylist work, commissions, illustrations, jewelery design and fantastic-creatures. It started when I realized I needed a distinct creative catharsis in my day-to-day life, which was otherwise a pretty left-brained affair.

DID YOU STUDY AT ALL? WHERE? HOW?
In 2006 I graduated with a degree in Biomedical Engineering from Wits University. I'm still a student there, and will graduate with my Electrical Engineering degree in 2009. I'm really lucky to be in the position where I'm not forced to make a living from Ellomennopee, which gives me the freedom to be discerning about projects, and not to be pre-occupied with the commercial success of my work.

WHAT PROGRAMS/MEDIUMS DO YOU MOSTLY PREFER TO WORK WITH?
I always conceptualize with a pencil and paper. Then, I enjoy getting to understand the restrictions and limitations of a material and using that as a framework on which to proceed. Since I enjoy making plush characters, a needle and thread are common materials. This often leads to minor casualties; so some of my works may contain a complimentary drop of blood.

WHAT GETS YOUR INSPIRATIONAL JUICES FLOWING?
If I need inspiration, I turn to my collection of graphic books for a creative slap in the face. I try not expose myself to work too similar to what I'm about to start, lest I become too influenced by it. Whenever I travel I try to absorb as much from my surroundings as possible; and, I always keep a creative notebook on me for inspirational ideas.

ONE OF YOUR CRAZIEST WORK EXPERIENCES?
It was really crazy having an artwork stolen. It's not like my art has much street value, or that it's an essential like a loaf of bread, which somebody needs to survive another day!

HOW DO YOU SEE LOCAL ART/MUSIC/FASHION/CULTURE? (relevant to your field)
I'm really happy to see that South African designers and consumers are starting to learn the universal language of character design. There's a growing number of "kidults" around, who are demanding more character culture.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE SOMETHING IN YOUR INDUSTRY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I'd love to see more cultural events taking place, like platforms, shows, and general creative exchanges. I'd love more mixed media events too, exposing people to contemporary art, craft, science and music all at once. In America they have these fabulous indie craft expos and alternative knitting forums- which would be marvelous in South Africa.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK TAKING YOU IN THE FUTURE?
I just hope that in the future I can get involved in enough challenges to satisfy my creative appetite. I'm looking forward to crazy collaborations and lots of diverse projects; in particular, vinyl toy design gets me rather excited. I'm also thinking of ways to combine creative projects with my engineering skills, to create a few fancy tricks...