Article - Rocking the Daisies Festival Review

Published by: The Event, SA’s leading business and tourism industry newspaper.

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Photography: Magical Western Cape

Photography: Sushi Sushi

Photoshoot for Sushi Zone Restaurant

I was commissioned by Sushi Zone, a chain of Asian style restaurants, to shoot a range of photos for their menus, flyers, brochures and website. The photos were taken in the restaurant using only natural light and a slow shutter speed. The best part was eating platters & platters of gorgeous sushi afterwards.

Article: Rocking the Daisies - Unrated

Published by: www.reporter.co.za

On a Saturday morning in spring we loaded two tents, every blanket, duvet and pillow in the house, two cooler boxes full of beer, wine, sausages, two headlamps and three good friends into our van. Our Destination was the Rocking the Daisies festival in darling. We arrived around noon to the sound of rock and the sight of hundreds of tents scattered across fields of green. Colourful crowds were lazily strolling, laughing and swigging at plastic containers filled with toxic looking liquid. A dam of blue water glistened invitingly in the sweltering afternoon sunshine. A few pale bodies bobbed on makeshift inflatables. We popped up our tents in record time just to discover that we had left the fly sheet at home, and sent up a quick prayer for no rain. Then it was off to mainstage and entertainment area. Foodstalls (empty at this stage), a wine tasting area with the sweet hippy dippy staff from Darling, a tented hotel , Daycare facilities for kids, and bars (full at this stage) awaited us. We missed Goldfish and Max Normal that played on Friday night but Rastame and the warriors belted out chilling Reggae, and the lazy, mostly white, crowd managed to get to its feet and shuffle about in ragga style. This was followed by the Comedy hour filled with the usual load of toilet humour which did not go down well with most of the crowd. A lot of South Africans actually don't find jokes about body fluids, bad sexual experiences and abusive relationships funny. Now if only the stand ups would catch up. The all girl JacSharp stood out like a fresh Daisy in the searing heat with great vocals and tons of passion. Things started getting fuzzy at around seven-ish - I think. We had imbibed all our beer and wine and were aimlessly stumbling around making friends and influencing people. Striking was that most people at the festival were really on the upper end of the attractive scale: perfect bodies in nano shorts with life long legs ending with pretty daisy wellingtons, sculpted torsos and suspiciously white teeth covered by plum lips. Also present where the usual tie-dyed hippies blowing soap bubbles with blond children on their hips and scruffy dogs at their bare feet. As I said, things got a little blurry from here on. After a dodgy chicken burger we started a spot of spontaneous arm wrestling in the straw, followed by more beers, dancing wildly, making more friends and eventually the big stumble back to the tent that took hours because there were just so many people along the way to get along with. The following morning a twisted girl scout next us woke before dawn’s crack and chirped away like a Bulbul on acid. The contrast between her and about 3000 people or so is too vast and far too ugly to describe here. It did not rain but our tent mysteriously sagged and I woke in a sauna with half the tent stuck to my face and arms. After a cold shower and visit to probably the most horrific toilets I have encountered in Africa, it was back to our spot in the hay for Chinese noodles and yes, more beer. The popular Flat Stanley ended the Festival at two with a brilliant performance. Despite the heat, sore heads and sleep deprivation, the crowd actually managed to get back up on its feet and rock - hard. I noticed the gorgeous blond girl in the orange bikini with the pink plastic flower wreath around her head, and purple sash around her bottom. She was dancing on a bale of hay when we arrived Saturday morning and by the time we left she was still in the same spot – grooving to her own beat.

Restaurant Reviews: V&A Waterfront Restaurant Awards & Guide 2007/2008

Restaurant Reviews: V&A Waterfront Restaurant Awards & Guide 2007/2008

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In 2007 I was , for the second year running, part of the team, under direction of Lannice Snyman and Donald Paul, that reviewed the Restaurants for the annual V&A Waterfront Restaurant Guide. The pocket-sized guide lists all the venues serving food and beverages at the Waterfront. Lannice Snyman is an internationally published, award-winning publisher, author and journalist. She has also been the editor of SA’s national restaurant guide, Eat Out for 18 years and runs her own culinary consultancy and publishing company. Donald Paul has more than 25 years experience in newspaper, magazine and book publishing. He is also a judge for the world’s 50 Best Restaurants. Six professional reviewers evaluated all Restaurants, Cafés, Fast foods and Bars & Taverns, anonymously. Attractive, full-colour photographs captures something of the essence of every venue – no small challenge. The guide offers a small write-up of the venues and includes opening hours, average cost per meal, and the full address and contact details. Basically it is the definitive guide to eating out at the Waterfront.

Below are just some of my photographs of the winners that were published by the V&Waterfront Restaurants and Public Relations.

Emily's Restaurant

Cape Grace Team

V&A Waterfront Guide MC Anna

Photography & Design

This is a brochure that I designed for an automotive company, PermagardSA. Most of the photos and all the design work are mine. What a nightmare this was.

Photography: Flowers in Spring

Studio photography - Roots

Photography: World of Birds

My Favourite old man...I captured this Maribou Stork's image at the World of Bird's in Hout Bay - Western Cape. He posed and strutted for me like a supermodel blissfully unaware that most humans might find his grisly head far from attractive. I instantly fell in love with his confidence and individuality. That was until the keeper started feeding him prematurely born chicken heads. The smell! The World of Birds is the largest Bird Park in Africa, with a serious collection of birds of Prey,owls, monkeys, porcupines - you name it. One of the biggest attractions is the Monkey petting enclosure where you can interact with the tiniest little monkeys that steal your credit card from your pocket and the elastic from your ponytail. Oh and the tame crow with the human ear fetish was pretty interesting too...

Photography: Cape Town's miracle mayor Helen Zille

Published: www.reporter.co.za


After four months of cycling across Africa, riders of the 2007 Tour d'Afrique Bicycle Race/Expedition crossed the official finish line at the V&A Waterfront on Saturday, 12th May. Crazy maniacs from across the world cycle from Cairo to Cape Town (12500 km's). And to make themselves feel better about this completely self-indulgent trip of a lifetime - they donate bicycles to HIV workers along the route to help provide the workers provide better health care to the desperately ill in their villages. Worldwide, 70% of adults and 80% of children living with HIV/Aids are in Africa, so these bikes play a vital role. During the expedition I managed to cycle 140km's in one day through Botswana - dodging elephants. What a trip.
Check out the website for this cycling event: http://www.tourdafrique.com/


One thing I truly appreciate is someone who gives me love through the lens. Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille is one such person. At the arrival ceremony for the Tour d'Afrique she not only made a passionate speech about the importance of finding less harmful transportation alternatives, but she just blossomed in front of the camera.
Cycling in on a tandem with the gifappeltjie in front, she brandished our flag high and proud. She posed and strutted and hugged everybody giving us angles and options. She received a branded T-shirt and immediately pulled it over her own shirt. Great sport, fabulous energy and passionate being. We love her work!

Photography: In & out of studio for products

Travel piece: Bushman, Shaman, Rock Star - Priest

A hidden treasure about 40kms outside Clanwilliam in the Western Cape (South Africa).

These Bushman cave paintings are well preserved and largely undiscovered. Some claim that the Shaman painted animals on rock to capture their essence and open a portal to the spirit word. As Jim Morrison used whisky to open his Doors of Perception, the will and desire to reach out into the unknow and to know thyself remains untempered. It is just the poison that varies.
www.bushmanscave.co.za/

Stinky's holiday in Sutherland

My brother Stinky went on a road trip to Sutherland.

On Christmas Eve he had a little too much to drink.

He fell in love with wind-me- up Sandy Claws

and after a night of sordid fun

Sandy Claws said to Stinky:

Thanks for the ride, babe.

Stinky cried all the way back to Cape Town


Poor Stinky

Article: Ride Magazine

Published in Ride Magazine August '05

This piece on the type of bike needed for the Tour d'frique I wrote for Ride Magazine, Shortly after returning from the incredible journey.

Photography: Rodin, Oh Rodin!

Augustine Rodin - 1841-1917

Paris - Cape Town - Jesus loves Calvin Klein

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I had the immense pleasure of experiencing Gavin Rajah’s Spring/Summer haute couture show in Paris.One of the fabulous ghd boys takes a flash break from fluffing hair at Paris Fashion Week.

One of the fabulous ghd boys takes a flash break from fluffing hair at Paris Fashion Week.
The ghd hair gel/mousse/glue is really brilliant. It will shape your hair any way you like it. You can also stick pencils or kitchen utensils to your head.

Paris Haute Couture - Holland's Next Top model

During Paris Haute Couture week, one of these two hopeful Dutch models were chosen to walk down the ramp during Gavin Rajah's show. And no, it was not the one who didn't grasp the concept of Haute Couture and then sneered in contempt at the judges. It does raise a few questions; does it matter if a model 'gets' couture, or if she understand the designers' inspiration, and does this reflect how she walks? Is this why Heidi Klum and her cronies are still in the business? Or is it just a beautiful body, big mouth and the obligatory Bolivian March that keeps the beauties at the top? Gavin Rajah invited the loser of this game to watch his show - so she can come to grips with couture. She strolled in like a diva with cameras flashing and films rolling (so Peroni), and not in the least fazed. There is a lot more hard candy in this potential idols judge than in her sugar sweet companion.

Mirror Mirror on the wall... who is the sweetest of them all...