Competition ultimate test for local photographers

The Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror’s annual calendar photo competition has caused quite a stir the past few weeks and several of the region’s photographers took to the streets (or rather the mountains) with their antique cameras, trying to capture that perfect image.

This year’s challenge is slightly different from previous years’, as photographers are required to only use cameras that are 50 years or older. The newspaper has also made the cameras in its little museum available to enthusiasts who want to participate but don’t have old cameras to use. The photos must also capture part of the Soutpansberg’s unique character.

The first ones who tried their hand at film photography were the newspaper’s own photographers. “And boy, does film challenge you,” said Zoutpansberger journalist Isabel Venter. “I first had to learn how to load a film – the right way around – and then had to go study what the Internet had to say about how to take photos with my particular camera,” she added.

Isabel chose a Hasselblad 1000F from the 1950s from the newspaper’s own little museum and set off to find landscapes unique to the Soutpansberg. She found a scattering of young baobabs on a piece of cultivated land while visiting friends on their farm south of Louis Trichardt. Traditionally the Hasselblad was used for fashion photography, which makes it particularly challenging to get a landscape photo from it.

“Although my photos did not all come out that great or in focus, I enjoyed the experience immensely. As a photographer from the digital age it was a special treat to get a glimpse into the romantic era of film; especially black-and-white film,” said Isabel.

Two other amateur photographers, Barry Fourie and Geoff Goetsch, took to the banks of the Limpopo River to find their images. Barry used an Agfa Billy Record from 1933, while Geoff tried his luck with a more modern Nikkormat FTn dating from 1965. “We had good laughs, trying to see what a photo looked like on the screen, only to realize every once and a while that there was no such a thing,” Geoff wrote on his Facebook page.

Wouter Veldman from Musina also took part and learned that, if anything can go wrong, it will. He took some photos with an old Kodak Folding Brownie and sent the film back to the newspaper for development. A combination of inexperience and lack of concentration on the part of the enthusiastic developer caused havoc. When the film was put in the development tank, not enough chemicals were used, causing only a short piece of the film to be developed. These are just some of the joys of old-school photography …

The challenge is still open for the region’s amateur photographers. If you are keen on taking photos with these old cameras and you have some knowledge of photography, please participate. The deadline for entries was extended until the end of October.

We are making available our vintage cameras and black-and-white film to members of photographic clubs who wish to participate in the project. The cameras in our little museum date back to 1897 and include various Leicas, a Hasselblad and numerous Kodak, Voigtlander and Agfa cameras. Some use plates (which we won’t be able to provide), but others use 120- and 35-mm format film.

Ideally, the photographers will go out into the region and collect the most amazing images on these wonderful old cameras. They will bring back the film, we will develop it and scan the negatives. The photos will be entered in our calendar competition and the 12 winning pictures will appear next to a small picture of the photographer and the camera used.

The challenge opened on 1 September and ends on 31 October. For more information, contact Anton, Andries or Isabel at 015 516 4996/7 during office hours.

News - Date: 01 October 2016

Isabel Venter

Isabel joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2009 as a reporter. She holds a BA Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of South Africa. Her beat is mainly crime and court reporting.

Email: [email protected]