Who are The Stenographers?

Who are The Stenographers? No, really, who are they?

Dziękuję Ola

So, Ola and i went out with two flashes and a car full of smiles and hit the local cafe about a kilometer from my house.
Ola is super easy to work with so my job was easy.
Most of the shots have two off-camera flashes directly to Ola's right and left. The background is underexposed by about two stops.
While we were shooting some guys came out of their house and just sat on the sidewalk 'observing' the shoot. How weird. Ola handled it super cool and the weirdness of it disappeared after a few bad Borat jokes from the both of us.
I think this might just be my personal favourite shoot so far this year.
One problem though. Look at the top picture (it's all warm) and then the rest (quite cold). i Struggle with editing. Do i warm up the pics, add saturation, cool it down or desaturate. I don't know. At the moment i like a cold look where the skintones are slightly desaturated.
Anyways, that's me for now.
I hope i can do another fun shoot like this soon.
Do widzenia

The Little Bird

So, this is not the kind of thing i ever do. Photographing dead birds and stuff like that. I actually find it pointless. But i was jogging along the other day and saw this little dude just lying there. He (or is it she) looked like it was asleep.

So here it is:
Ode to a dead bird
you are lying there
wishing slumber upon yourself
because slumber brings waking

My 5cents!

'Two Small Seed'

Thanx to Monique for pointing out that the other band was the New Academics. They are crazy. The photo of the tattooed arm is that of one of the New Academics guys. His arm. That belongs to him. On the photo below. If you scroll down. To see it. The photo of his arm. That has a tattoo on it. Below. OK that's it!

One Small Seed

Well, here's the One Small Seed party shots i spoke about. It was at Carfax in JHb. Max Normal TV and aaaahhh, i can't remember the other bands name, performed.
Now that sucks, why can;t i remember their name. i even a tune from them in my head, na na nata da da... Well with my next update i'll let you know. The party was good. Max normal was insane, his public commentary really gets me going and the fact that he has a positive attitude is cool. The designer crowd was obviously looking all chic and stuff. One Small Seed is really a good thing for the media industry, it's a cool platform for everyone and i think one can learn a lot by just looking at the magazine. Anyways, that's it. the party was good, the music cool and even though the lighting was scary-dark i think i did ok.

Music in the making

i was just thinking, i've been doing music photography for so long but haven't posted any work yet. Here are some shots, they're old but this is what i've been doing for the past three years (thanks Alet!).
I shot some cool stuff at The One Small Seed party, hopefully i can post some of it soon.

Ola Ola

So, here's a new font cause i'm bored. Well Saturday morning at 11 i'm lying on my bed snoozing cause i shot the Joburg One Small Seed party till after 2 in the morning and i'm tired, and the phone rings. "Hello!"
A girls' voice says, "Dude, i'm here".
And i'm like "huh, whose this".
And it turns out to be Ola Kobak. She asked me to take photos of her, similar to the one's i took of Malgosia, but i'd completely forgotten she was coming over. So uhh, throw on some jeans, T-shirt (forgot to brush them thar teeth) and set up the flash. O yeah, i'd also forgotten some of my gear at Carfax where the One Small Seed party was, so i end up with just one flash. But it works out fine. I've known Ola for a couple of years, but never really spoke to her. You know, just the whole "how are you?" at parties kinda thing. But she ends up sitting with me while i'm editing the shots and we talk about everything. So it was a cool day. Thanks Ola!!

Some off-camera flash

So, I haven't updated the blog for quite a while, but here are some portraits I took this month. Hopefully I'll be editing the blog again soon. The images were all taken with of camera flash a la strobist style.

My Week job application

This is my My Week job application blog. I thought a CD with a bunch of photographs is a bit impersonal, so I decided on this. I should introduce myself properly. My name is Gerhard Uys. I am currently a freelance journalist and photographer. I have been freelancing for Beeld newspaper for the past three years. I also do work for SAPA (South African Press Association) and am traveling on my first two stories for Wegbreek magazine this week.

Shooting for My Week has brought out the best in my photography and this is precisely why I want to work for you.

In this blog you will find four posts. The first is my portrait work. I love this work the most because capturing someones character is what makes photography worthwhile every day of the week.

Next there is a few food and product style shots. This is challenging and like I say in the post, "I can't wait to experiment more with this kind of work".

Thirdly there are interior shots. It is all location work. I look forward to doing some studio interiors for My Week.

Lastly there is my Curriculum Vitae. It is less than three A4 pages long, so it's easy to read through.

I hope to become My Week's photographer in Cape Town soon. I am a hard worker and always willing to learn. I am easy to work with.

The blog is easy to scroll through. I hope you like what you see.

I look forward to hearing from you.

PORTRAITS (all work copyrighted)

So, portraits. I really love taking photos when the human element is present. I always looked at other photographers work and thought, "I wish I could do that". Then along comes My Week and suddenly the opportunity is there and I'm thinking, "I can do this". So, a lot of these shots were taken within the last week, cause I wanted to give you new and fresh work.

What you see is the beginning of my new approach to portraits.

I hope you like! (And, who are these people? Uschi Dahlman, lawyer and part owner of the art gallery
Platform on 18th, is holding the light. If you are ever in

Pretoria, go visit the gallery and meet her. She'll have you laughing in no time. Inge Beckmann from the group Lark is the one looking into the media tent at Oppikoppi music festival. This isn't really a commercial photograph, but I love the shot. Photographers can't keep their lenses of her. Then there's Taso Kripharis, owner of the Coffee shop Co.fi. Yes, this is a shot that I did for My Week. The fireman's name I can't divulge unfortunately. But I like how brave he looks. Mel is the girl wearing pink. She is the lead singer of the band Tailor.

I've never worked with someone as photogenic before. Next is Blue Bulls rugby player Francois van Schouwenburg looking into the Pretoria skies.

I shot some pics of him for a Perfect Weekend and then called him up afterwards and asked him if he'll pose for
portfolio shots.
Elena is the

model showing off the blue dress made by St. Lorient.
The man with the mountain bike is Loerie winner and owner of design company Soak Productions, Gerhard Human.

(And yes, he'll rather be mountain biking.)

So, now you know their names. I hope the photographs say something of their character.

Food and Products

Food and products. Great. With subjects such as this one can get surprisingly creative. I love the current trend of shallow focus within food and product photography.
I love shallow focus, period.


Here is some of the work I did for My Week. Also some work I shot for NB Uitgewers of presidential chef Hilton Little. Odd how something as mundane as a bowl or jar can seem enticing if the photograph works. Food and products always have to look fresh and therefore it works to use lot of light. Working with Mike Robinson in Cape Town a number of years ago showed me that photographing food is an art form. Hopefully I can experiment some more with this in the near future. On top of all this I am a food addict, so my intentions aren't all good. Shoot the food. Eat the food, that's more like it.

Interiors

I consider interiors the most challenging of a lot of types of photography. There is usually no human element and the straightforward nature of it is sometimes difficult. Here you'll see the inside of a few houses, restaurants like Pappa's and the interior of the Innovation Hub. I've done only location interior work and look forward to doing some studio work of this kind.

Curriculum vitae

Gerhard Uys
083 348 6580
gerhard@gumedia.co.za
www.gumedia.co.za
http://gerharduysmedia.blogspot.com/

P E R S O N A L

Birth Date: 13 June 1979
ID Number: 790613 5018 084
Drivers License: Code 08

E D U C A T I O N

Primary:
1986 – 1987
Laerskool Swartkop, Pretoria, South Africa
1988 – 1991
Asuncion Christian Academy, Paraguay, South America
1992
Laerskool Swartkops, Pretoria, South Africa

Secondary:
1993 – 1997
Hoërskool Eldoraigne, Pretoria, South Africa
1997
Matriculated, Hoërskool Eldoraigne

Tertiary:
1998 – 2000
Technicon Pretoria, Photography
*National Diploma in Photography (N Dip Photography) 2000
2003 (June-December)
Unisa
Introduction to Chinese culture
Early Asian Civilisations (passed both with distinction)
2004 – 2006
University of Pretoria, Journalism
* BA Languages Journalism (BA Lang. Journ.)

W O R K I N G E X P E R I E N C E
Photographic Experience

· Freelance photographic work for:
o Beeld, Weg travel magazine, SAPA (South African Press Association), My Week, DZM space interior design company, The Embassy of Mexico, The French Embassy, Arrive Alive, www.kungfumagazine.com, Frontnuus, Minit Print, www.militia.co.za, www.rockingsa.co.za, Kampus-Beeld, Tshwane-Beeld, Rapport, Maksiman magazine, AlookAway magazine, www.squarewave.co.za, www.soak.co.za, Lark, The Andersons, Klopjag, Duck&Cover, Tidal Waves
o Wedding photography


Journalistic Experience
· Freelance journalism for:
o Beeld Newspaper, My Week, Eat Out Magazine, WEG travel magazine, SA-Music Website, Tshwane-Beeld Newspaper, Kampus-Beeld Student newspaper, Maksiman magazine, www.squarewave.co.za , www.livegigs.co.za, www.nefco.co.za

Copy-editing, proofreading Experience
• Fulltime freelance proofreader for South African Computer Magazine (June – Oct 07 issues)
• Freelance proofreading, copy-editing, Copy-writing and translating for Brand Builders Design (since 2005)

2002
Minitprint Printing House

2002 – 2003
Pixel Foundry Photographic Studio, Cape Town
- Digital Assisting and 1st Assisting on photographic shoots for ad campaigns by agencies such as Jupiter Drawing Room, Ogilvie & Mather and Berrybush
- With photographers Malcolm Dare (Jewelry), Mike Robinson (Food), Des Kleinebst (Cars), Jacques Weyers, Gerda Genis (Fashion).

2006
- Monitoring South Africa, Media analyst

2007
- Currently: Working on freelance contract for Beeld newspaper and Wegbreek magazine as photographer and journalist.
- Working as freelance photographer for SAPA (South African Press Association).
- Working as freelance journalist, copy-editor and photographer under Gerhard Uys Media.
- Working as freelance photographer for My Week magazine.

R E F E R E N C E S

• Stefanus Truter
Brand Builders Design
Tel: 012 346 3451
www.brandbuilders.co.za

· Lauren das Neves
South African Computer Magazine
lauren.dasneves@tidemedia.co.za
Tel: 083 725 8072

· Alet Pretorius
Beeld Newspaper
Senior photographer
apretorius@beeld.com
Tel: 012 420 7800

· Annie Olivier
My Week magazine
Assistant Editor
annie.olivier@myweek.co.za
Tel: 021 406 3860

L A N G U A G E S
· Afrikaans (fluent, read and write)
· English (fluent, read and write)
· Spanish (speak)