kicking it old skool

Well, this post has morphed and changed so many times over the last few weeks. I’ve actually had a lot to talk about but it’s almost always contextual, so it’s kind of like reading an old newspaper at this point. I’m chopping it up into bite sized chunks to be published throughout the week.

I’ve mostly been left to my own devices since Annelie has been working (or “crewing”) at various self-improvement seminars, mostly NLP based stuff. She’s done the courses proper already but this is always an opportunity for her to refresh and brush up on her skills. What that means though is that for about 23 days out of the month, she’s somewhere else, living out of a suitcase at a guest house. So I have a lot of time to myself… dangerous, to be sure.

This weekend was very sunny, and I have so much to tell! Went to the Strobist lighting seminar (DAVID HOBBY!!), met and hung out with real life Kung Fu Action star (SELINA LO!), had a braai, chilled in the park and picked up random chicks at a bar (technically, THEY picked ME up... no, nothing happened... yes, I did tell my wife).

I’m going to just ramble a bit here, try and catch up for my own benefit the “stuff” I’ve been filling my hours with. It’s a really good thing that I’ve taken up Perry Marshall’s “60 seconds” trick: take 60 seconds everyday and just log ONE good thing you’ve done the previous day. It’s extremely simple, very elegant and helps you keep perspective. It’s used primarily to counter that “oh, I’m useless, I haven’t achieved anything” feeling that I deal with often. Reading down this list I can’t help feeling inspired by my own lil’ actions (some of which are really, really BIG actions, in actuality). It’s also a great “mini-blog”.

So here we go, for the Month of May:

In the beginning of the month I got a gig to photograph Sappi’s Excellence in Technology Innovation annual event, held in the very lush, very decadent Music Room at the Ritz hotel. I’d love to stick a very appropriate metaphor in here, but I’m a bit dof. Just know that this is beyond a doubt the most luxurious place I have ever been allowed to enter. And even then, I needed to first get a security badge and sign in and whatnot, and be “escorted” through the hotel. They take security very seriously. I was also advised not to take pictures anywhere else than in the “designated area”.

The event itself went fantastically well: all the heads of the different global regions where there, along with CEO Ralph Boettger delivering the opening speech. The event recognised new technology developed by the teams across the globe to deliver more cost effective processes for the company. It’s almost like an “X-Factor for Paper” kind of deal: the finalists are all there and then the winners for the various categories are announced and given awards.

Seriously though, some of this stuff was mega-science! DNA fingerprinting… for trees?! Paper processing workflow taken from 8 steps and a menagerie of materials down to TWO and a handful of raw stock? I didn’t pretend to understand any of it. I was kind of focused on the people though, so I took one of the booklets for further study at home.

Canapé’s where served and I’ve never quite had anything like it. Not that I expected anything less from the Ritz. In between a musician from the Royal London Music Academy entertained with singing and piano playing (had a very Sinatra thing going for him), and after the ceremony we where entertained by magician Ben Williams, from the Magic Circle in London. He did this one trick, where a guy was holding a card between his palms, facing the trickster. Magician taps a wine glass on top of the card holder’s hand, card turned into a solid glass cube…. Unbelievable magic (in fact, that’s his website too). What’s even scarier is that I was watching him, ALL the time, through my lens, and I still couldn’t catch that method. Well done sir, well done.

I managed to get the photos all packaged up and digitally delivered by Monday evening and the feedback I have received was very positive. I have to slyly admit though that I don’t think I did very well. My go-to flash decided that it was a most excellent opportunity to stop working so I was shooting with one of my backups. Plus, if I could do it again, I’d shoot ALL the kit I brought along, not leave it in the bag. By “All the kit” I mean rock out with some off camera flashes, positioned in the room, discreetly of course. I guess I was a little intimidated by the glitz of the joint. This will not happen again. But I see it as a positive learning and it was taken aboard.

Because as it so happens, I shot another very big, very prestigious event just the next week…

But more on that later :)

[G, out]

I wanna wake up in a city that never sleeps