ROAD TO FREEDOM # 1
This picture, along with # 2 and # 3 were taken in 2006. A few months before I was experimenting with a Lomo photography using a Holga camera without much success. Over the next few weeks I wrestled with the ‘no control’ concept which really tested my understanding and concept of photography, going completely against the grain of my understanding. After a month or two of struggling I still hadn’t got anything meaningful and I shelved the camera out of frustration. When shooting this series of the old man, more than likely because of Lomography still hanging around in my head, I approached it in a different way. Before I would have scouted for a subject, waited for the correct light and probably used a tripod to ensure sharpness. I didn’t do that here: I left my tripod and gadget bag at home taking only one camera and a lens; I even left my handheld light meter behind. I really didn’t worry about the light much and, in fact, didn’t even compose properly through the viewfinder – as you will know, the moment you bring the camera up to your eye, the subject becomes aware of you and the picture turns out quite static. Instead, predicting the shot, I pre-focused at about three meters, used a wider angle to increase depth and shot from waist level while interacting with my subject. I hadn’t planned to photograph him; he walked out from a corner while I was busy shooting something else. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, his dog joined him. I managed to get off three shots in succession. The man’s name is Paulus, his dog’s name is Meisiekind. He is great person, full of energy and fun – he also doesn’t know how old he is. He is originally from Lesotho. The community in which he lives is off the beaten track on a back road between Brits and Thabazimbi.