Location:

Tokelo is always keen to shoot in new and interesting locations. I recently spent some time on Signal Hill at dusk and had the most amazing shoot ideas and locations for this spot. On my last shoot with Tokelo I saw her gorgeous new car and knew that it would be the perfect prop for a shoot along Signal Hill road. Tokelo laughed at my obsession with her car and agreed to shoot there one evening which brought us to this gloomy shoot just in time for winter!

Outfit:

I loved how the patterned coat Tokelo wore complimented the grille and geometric lights of the Ford EcoSport. The geometric shapes went perfectly with the city backdrop and provided us with a monotone, gloomy story with interesting shapes and blurred city lights.

I enjoy photographing the CBD, mainly because I don’t live there but rather in the quiet green southern suburbs. When I visit the CBD I am completely mesmerized by the tall buildings and beautiful reflections that occur. There are many photographers that spend early mornings and late nights photographing the city. I only wish I could photograph it as well as they do but for now, I will stick to my fashion and only shoot is as a filler for my shoots. If you want to see some great city photos check out my top three inspiring instagrammers who make me extremely proud of my city:

• alexcpt:  https://www.instagram.com/alexcpt/
• instacptguy : https://www.instagram.com/instacptguy/
• thelawry : https://www.instagram.com/thelawry/

These guys are extremely motivated when it comes to capturing the perfect city landscape which brings me back to this OOTD story… we braved the horrendous Cape Town traffic one weekday afternoon and met at the Signal Hill parking area. Tokelo has a lot of trust in my creativity and I am lucky to have her as a client, she is always happy to put her trust in me and meet me where ever and when ever I suggest because she knows I have my reasons and the result is always great!

Tokelo wrote a lovely post about this outfit and about how she enjoys taking a drive to clear her mind and appreciate her city, which is exactly what we did after capturing her outfit – taking landscape photos and staring into the city lights. You can read about it here.

This outfit was put together just for me, Tokelo thought I was joking when I told her we should shoot with her car. She promised me a few pics in front of the car  and then the rest would be the usual blogger outfit photos. We got the perfect balance in this story to make us both happy. This last shot is my favourite shot from the shoot. There is always more to a photo than one sees and this is what 3 years of studying teaches you. I remember hating photo deconstruction in class but it really taught me how people read photos, even subconsciously. I’m going to be honest here, this final photo was taken at a whim but when you look closer there are so many elements in this photo that bring the entire story together. By this I mean:

1. Tokelo’s outfit is complimenting the shape and features of the car. The geometrics of her coat, the geometric design of her shoes. Her sunglasses reflecting like the ecoSports headlights – It all works together
2. The city backdrop shows how the new Ford is a city inspired SUV. Designed to dodge pot holes, ramp pavements and be small and quick through the busy streets.
3. Tokelo’s pose is strong and powerful showing that she is a strong, successful/independent woman. She is standing tall and looking up which shows confidence.
4. She is standing in front of the car, making her the main focus/ the owner of the car.

It’s always interesting deconstructing an unplanned photo – try it with your own some time. Generally, one should be aware of this while shooting – this was my final thesis in my last year of studies. Always take note of what you are telling the viewer, even if you don’t mean to, the message is there. Sometimes I look at photos and wonder what on earth the art director or photographer was thinking putting someone in a specific pose. If you would like to know what I mean by that – tweet me and I will be sure to write a more in-depth blog post about it.

x0x0

@tegzphotography