A Day of Royalty

I can tell as Lwando got into my car that he’s excited.
“Lara,” he announces, his broad smile filling his face and extending to his eyes, “this is Nonkosazana.”
The name flies from his lips naturally, easily. I blink back at him, trying to bring up the courage to attempt the pronunciation myself, and they can see my unease, but rather than taking offense, they giggle to themselves, a shared secret amusement at my English-locked tongue. It reminds me of the giggles that I used to hear in class whenever I spoke Afrikaans in my overly-English, bordering on British, accent.
“But you can call me NK,” she says with a grin, and I smile back, relieved.
“It means Princess,” Lwando informs me, and it strikes me how appropriate that is. She looks like royalty in her cream dress, her hair haphazardly plaited and falling elegantly down her back. Lwando’s princess.

I start driving to our house, and I chit-chat with Lwando in the front about work and life in general, while NK sits in the backseat, silent, taking everything in. We arrive five minutes later, and I walk them through the house, letting them greet Grant as I open the studio, and then leading them into the garden and the garage beyond it. 

I close the door behind them and darkness fills the room, engulfing us in its shadows. I turn on the lights, one at a time, and can feel the heat of them instantly. This will need to be a quick one – hot days are not conducive to long studio sessions. The two of them stand in front of the camera, uncertainly, and I take my place behind it, smiling at them reassuringly before my face is hidden entirely.

And so it starts.
“Look at me.”
“Look at him.”
“Back to back.”
“Change places.”
“Stand up.”
“Sit down.”
“Smile.”
“Kiss.”
I feel like the puppetmaster, pulling on strings as the photos come together perfectly, as I had pictured them in my mind.

After half an hour, I shoot my last studio shot, and turn off the lights. The relief is tangible, flowing from them like sweat.
“How did you find it,” I ask NK nervously. She has been so quiet that I do not know what to think. I don’t know her well enough to tell if this is her personality or if she is uncomfortable. I wait in anticipation, but am not left waiting for long.

"Fun!" She sounds surprised, and I'm taken aback. "I was expectinng it to be so serious!"

I laugh at the thought of a serious photo session.

"What would be the point of that? No one would see your personality!"

With the formalities over, it is time to move our session to the Botanical Gardens for a little more fun. Here, I can tell that both Lwando and NK are in their element. There is no need for direction as NK jumps from bamboo branch to bamboo branch, forgetting about the camera for minutes at a time. This is not acting, not posing, this is who they are, and this is what I love. Soon they are stealing kisses at the fountain, for themselves more than anyone else, their laughter filling the air as I fade into the background.

  

         

 And as the afternoon finishes with a stroll by the river, I realise that I haven't stopped smiling since they first got into the car - Lwando and his princess, a young couple and their closeness.

Pandas and Badgers

Andrew Cuyler and Adrian Visagie
25 and 24
Grahamstown

Pandas and Badgers are not the most likely of companions – one is cuddly, cute and eats bamboo, the other is ferocious and fierce and eats, well, whatever it can find. In this specific case, the Panda is a quiet introvert who enjoys sitting back to an episode of Glee while sipping on a homemade Cosmo while the Badger is an outgoing extrovert with an affinity to jocks who enjoys playing computer games while sipping on, well, whatever he can find (as long as it is not pink and in a martini glass). And yet, while opposites certainly do attract, they are not the polar opposites that you would expect.

So what do a Panda and a Badger have in common? Well, they both look cuddly at least (and in this particular case, they both really are)! They both have a deep love for computers and computer related things (ie. Games). They both have me as a friend. And, most importantly of all, they both love each other. And that’s what really matters isn’t it?

When Grant told me that there was a photography competition in the Grahamstown area, I knew that I had to enter it. When I heard that it had to be of two people of the same sex holding hands, I knew that it had to be Andrew (aka. Panda) and Adrian (aka. Badger). When I heard that Andrew and Adrian literally had no photos of the two of them together, I knew that I had to spread it out into a full-blown photoshoot. The problem was that I only had one lens (my 50mm prime) as my main lens is in the shops. Well, technically I had two lenses, but I didn’t think that the telephoto that I am borrowing from my dad would really be an appropriate lens for this shoot. And so, I made my way to the fantastically wonderful Paul Mills and borrowed one of his kit lenses – a 17-80mm wide angle that I am now incredibly jealous of.

The competition involved taking photos of two people of the same sex holding hands in a public place, but as I sped through Grahamstown on Saturday afternoon, it was to find the city deserted. After the madness that was fest, it seemed that everyone had decided indoors was the place to be. Even Bathurst street, which is usually bustling on weekends with people trying to sell their wares was deserted. And so, instead of wandering the streets trying to find people to photograph the couple with, I decided to head to Grey Dam to get the photoshoot started.

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for a shoot – not a cloud tainted the blue sky, the wind was low and it was warm enough to wander around in short sleeved shirts without feeling either too cold or too hot. We were not alone in our idea to take advantage of the warm weather. As we arrived at Grey Dam, we struggled to find parking (and by struggled, I mean had to look for more than 10 seconds) between all of the 4x4s filled with families who had come to the Dam for a braai. We walked past these happy families and took a little walk down to the other side of the dam where the water clashed with the tall yellowing grass and made a beautiful setting for a photoshoot.

With the sun setting, we made our way to the second location of the day – the Botanical Gardens. There, despite a serious lack of people, I managed to snap some hand holding shots (not that they hadn’t been holding hands all day – I just had a very specific idea of the shots that I wanted to get.) As the two sat down on some steps facing the setting sun, their love for each other shone through and I was lucky enough to capture some of the clearly intimate moments between them before the subject of Minecraft was brought up. We took a walk through the gardens, bumping into many friends along the way, until the sun was truly on its last legs and I joined Andrew at his place for one last cocktail before making my way back home.

So, I might not have gotten a competition-winning shot, but I am certainly not too disappointed. After all, I got to spend the afternoon prancing around with a borrowed lens, playing around with my camera and taking photos of two close friends. What can be better than that?

Faeries and Feathers

Jestine Geldenhys, Gerhard van Zyl and Alexia
27, 28 and 2
Grahamstown

Godmother. The word conjures up a myriad of images – images of faeries, princesses and princes, dazzling gowns and royal balls. Thinking of it makes me want to prance around with a makeshift wand shouting Bippity-Boppity-Boo! And yet, one image that the word godmother doesn't conjure up is a picture of a jobless 23 year old, recently returned from Korea. And yet, that is what I am – godmother to a wonderful little princess – golden ringlets, blue eyes and all.

Pink blurs fill my camera screen as I try to capture shots of the little monkey running around.
"Alexia," Jestine shouts with a frustration that suggests this isn't the first time she's had to use her shouting voice today. "This is going to be difficult," she announces, and I have to agree. Alexia is in no mood for holding still.
"Sit here," she announces, climbing over rocks and running through the grass.
"Apparently she wants you to sit there," I say as we all move towards her chosen spot. Gerhard spots the bench and we all head that way, Alexia in tow, to try and get a nice family shot. Huh-uh, not according to Alexia, who won't allow her mother to sit beside her.
Daddy's little girl, I think to myself.

I remember when I first heard that Gerhard was going to be a dad. It came as a bit of a shock to me. For some reason, I could never picture him as a father. Perhaps it was the bouncer-pose that he acquired at work, perhaps it was that he seemed like a bit of a child himself in his off hours – bouncing around doing flick-flacks and giving off excesses of energy. But when I see him with Alexia, I wonder why I ever thought that he wouldn't make a good dad. As he picks her up on his shoulders and bounces her around in his typical fashion, I can see that Gerhard was made to be a father.

At 27 years old, I don't think Jestine ever imagined that she would be where she is today – a mother living in a small town, working a part-time job. But she has taken it all in her stride. I can tell just by looking at her playing with Alexia that motherhood comes naturally – she knows just how to make her little girl smile and laugh, knows just how to cheer her up and how to make her listen. Always prepared with a positive outlook on life and advice on any situation, it should come as no surprise that she has become my go-to girl in Grahamstown.

As Alexia wanders around the gardens from the purple bougainvilleas, to the bamboo shoots, to the ponds scattered around, Gerhard and Jestine take a few moments to themselves, stealing kisses and furtive glances at each other. After four years together, they are just as in love as they ever were, and it's moments like these that prove it.

As I wander through the gardens, snapping away with my camera, I remember why it is that I love taking photos. I love capturing moments that act as glimpses into lives – the love, the fun, the joy and the pain – and I think I managed to capture them all in the lives of Gerhard and his family – from the loving moments that he shares with Jestine, to Jestine's playfulness with Alexia and to Gerhard's love for his little girl.