Thursday 9 April 2020 / 21 Days Lock Down Reflection

the Face of Africa

Pride and Prejudice

Timid and Bold

Toil and Honour

Eyes of Dignity

Inquisition and Intrigue

Ray of Resonance

The Scar of Life

the Whispering Snake

Dutifully Devout

Tales of Endurance

Enchanted Memories

like Sunday after Noon

‘Faces of Africa’ images reflecting my early days of 35mm photography 1990 to 1994

Words from the poem match the sequence of photographs

My First African Encounter

My young adult years were very different to many of my peers. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend some time in most of the African countries south of the Equator. These experiences opened my mind in so many ways, defining my encounter with the Face of Africa. I think back to this time with fondness. Having traveled parts of Africa since, there is always a yearning to return.

Having signed up to a humanitarian NGO in the early 1990s, I was assigned the role of photographer, amongst other things. I knew nothing about photography, though it was something that had interested me since my youth.

Initiation to 35mm Photography

This journey of self-discovery was extremely exhilarating for me. It was the age of 35mm photography. The onslaught of the digital era was still yet to be birthed. During this time I built a fully functional darkroom. Many dark hours of frustration, trial and error were spent developing my processes. It was here in this darkness that I learnt most of the photographic knowledge needed, that I would later to apply in field work. The excitement of seeing blank pieces of photographic paper come to life through the trays of fixative, developer and wash is something very difficult to explain to those who have never experienced it. I remember the glee of pegging images on a string in the somber hue of my red light district. As time progressed, the boldness of this enterprise even led to the rolling of my own film in the dark, which would later be processed.

Photography Time Travel

These days I own a digital camera, which of course has many benefits, but also some drawbacks. Besides the many functions on the camera that I am yet to discover, I think the reliance on the camera itself has become overrated. Even your own cell phone can snap away unconsciously and suddenly everyone is an expert in the field.

There were quite a few things that were very different to shooting on 35mm. You only had limited frames to shoot. Standard rolls of film came with frames of 12, 24, 36 and 48. Losing your film was any photographer’s nightmare. Even worse, I have nightmare memories of a wedding I was assigned to shoot once where the film did not load. Needless to say, the bride and groom were not impressed. I think this was about the time I gave up the idea of becoming a wedding photographer.

Photographs had to be processed somehow in your head. You actually had to think about what you were doing and be confident that the manual settings in the moment had captured the desired image.

Then there was the long wait. Returning from the field work to the darkroom required a certain level of patience … as did the many hours of darkness in the processing.

Something like this lock down in some ways. We are all in the dark waiting to see what will develop. From your personal perspective, is the image good or is it bad?

As for my travels in Africa … I think those stories are for another day.

follow my photography journey

further journal entries on ‘the Face of Africa’ to follow