Editéur Plus "The Seventh Issue"

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The Sevent h Issue

I am LIFESTYLE

Rain Africa, handmade bath & body products, made in South Africa, founded by Bev Missing.

I am PHOTOGRAPHY

Cape Town based, fashion and conceptual photographer, Matthew Schell shares insight into EDITÉUR PLUS / THE SEVENTH ISSUE his life.

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EDITÉUR STAFF

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EDITOR

LEEROY ESBEND

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

LEEROY ESBEND

ART DIRECTOR

LEEROY ESBEND

TEAM MEMBERS

ANGIE MOTHUPI ASHLEY ELS FRANCOIS SWANEPOEL STEPHAN WEILBACH JOSHUA MCQUIRK JO-ANN MCQUIRK DANIEL CLOCKSIN CAMILLE HENDRICKS PHUMZA LATHA KIMBERLY GROSSMANN CONTRIBUTORS

RAIN AFRICA, JESS WRIGHT, MATTHEW SCHELL, BERNARD BRAND, ANGELIKA KOLLIN, ANNE CATHERINE, PAUL FIGUIERA, BEKI HLONGWANE, KATE WILLETTS, DREW HOPPER SOCIAL MEDIA

INSTAGRAM: @EDITEUR_PLUS TWITTER: @EDITEUR_PLUS FACEBOOK: EDITÉUR PLUS LOCATION

SOUTH AFRICA WEBSITE

WWW.EDITEURPLUS.CO.ZA

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STAFF

EDITOR’S LETTER

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RAIN AFRICA Kate Willetts JESS WRIGHT

Bekiwe Hlongwane

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MATTHEW SCHELL

Stephan Weilbach

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BERNARD BRAND

Francois Swanepoel

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ANGELIKA KOLLIN

Theo Weilback

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ANNE CATHERINE

Joshua McQuirk

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PAUL FIGUEIRA

Bekiwe Hlongwane

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CONTACT US 101

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EDITOR’S LETTER Greetings and a very warm welcome to the seventh issue of Editéur Plus online magazine. I would like to thank all the amazing people who have supported us. If this is your first time reading Editéur Plus, welcome. We’re a minimalist online magazine that showcase’s artists around the globe.

Welcome to “The Seventh Issue” which will be the last issue for 2016. I am very grateful for all the support I have received this past year. It was during November 2015, that Editéur Plus was created. There have been many changes to the blog, and the team. I would also like to mention that I have exciting projects that I will be working on in 2017, where I will be collaborating with some South African artists.

Be sure to check out the social media contacts of our many contributors. We encourage you to engage with them. We are grateful for all who have contributed to this issue, we value your work immensely. To all our readers, feel free to connect with us on social media. Welcome to Editéur Plus “L’inspiration à travers la vision.”

Leeroy Esbend FOUNDER & EDITOR EDITÉUR

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RAIN AFRICA HANDMADE BATH & BODY PRODUCTS USING NATURAL INGREDIENTS WITH AFRICAN ORIGINS.

BY KATE WILLETTS PHOTOGRAPHED BY RAIN AFRICA

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ounder Bev Missing is a born entrepreneur, spending the last 30 years being self-employed.

She is always looking for business opportunities, having had her hand in antiques sourcing, construction, a boutique hotel, and even the restaurant business. In 1999, Bev turned her attention toward soap making as a job creation initiative and “Rain Africa” was born. “The aim was to create employment. I did not care if the vehicle to do this was chocolate, cheese, candle or soap making – only that it had to be labour intensive.” She started out in her garage with two ladies, experimenting and developing the first few soaps. In August 1999, she launched the products at a commercial trade show and there was instant interest and the project grew from there. “I started to mentor two local projects in the village – one with ceramics and one with knitting and embroidery... I branched out into skincare, garment manufacture, packaging manufacture, candles, toys, mat making, footwear, cement manufacture, paper mache, home fragrance, and homewares.”

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The first Rain retail store opened in 2005 in Swellendam. Today there are 15 stores nationwide and three stores in the USA. In 2013 the Rain brand branched out into the service industry which today boasts a “Rain Spa” in five different locations.

When asked how materials are chosen, Bev explained how the texture and the colour of the materials are so important to the brand. She continued to share how the choice of materials needed to resonate with their core values of natural, organic, and cruelty free products. “It must deliver something extra – a story, an ethos, a skin quality, a feature, a benefit.”

All products are handmade.

This has enabled the creation of permanent jobs within the company and a source of income for many who are able to work from home.

Sustainability of ingredients is

“ The aim was to create employment. “ BEV MISSING

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maintained by ensuring they are sourced from reputable suppliers through fair trade and phytotrade.

They are also wild harvested in a responsible manner - this means products are organic by default and biodiversity is protected.

Bev often finds her inspiration in the quiet wee hours of the morning where there are little to no distractions. She also loves scouring the markets of India and Asia. “The Indian bazaars and spice markets are a special favourite and the ancient souk in Aleppo, Syria was my ultimate – it is gone now.”

It is here that she finds all sorts of interesting raw materials, ingredients, and props for window displays and photoshoots. She makes use of plumbing suppliers and farming cooperatives for pipes and fittings to use as moulds.

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Rain Africa EDITÉUR PLUS / THE SEVENTH ISSUE

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“

One idea always leads to another,” Bev explains, “it could be a piece of fabric with a pattern on it, a beautiful book cover, a texture on a piece of building rubble. It may be the shape, the colour, [or] the patina which speaks to you.” Once she has an idea, she is able to take it further to apply it to a product. Her team play with moulds and colours, and when they find something that works, they formalise the formula and work out the time and motion studies to arrive at a costing. If there is a margin that can be made, they will proceed with the purchase of raw materials, train staff, get moulds made, and start production. Bev notes her greatest successes as creating 180 permanent jobs, and being the author of the book “Rain book of Natural Soapmaking.” Her greatest struggle thus far has been with her health, having battled breast cancer last year. The Rain brand have expanded their footprint in South Africa with the opening of nine new stores this year. Two stores will be opening in Ireland in February 2017, and they have hopes of opening an additional five stores next year.

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RAIN AFRICA H A N D M A D E B AT H & BODY PRODUCTS

WE CREATE HANDMADE BATH & BODY PRODUCTS AND HAND CR AFTED HOME WA R E USING NAT UR A L INGREDIENTS WITH AFRICAN ORIGINS. R AIN PRODUCTS ARE RESPONSIBLY HANDMADE WITH LOVE AND CARE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, CRAFTSPEOPLE AND THE EN V IRONMEN T.

WEBSITE: W W W. R A I NA F R IC A .COM EMAIL: INFO@RAINAFRICA.COM FACEBOOK: R AIN-CREATEDFORLIVING INSTAGRAM: RAINAFRICA TWITTER: (@R AIN_AFRICA

#RAINAFRICA

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JESS WRIGHT ARTIST

BY BEK I W E HLONGWA NE PHOTOGRAPHED BY DREW HOPPER

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here is a flow in nature: rivers trickle from gentle mountaintop streams to torrential forces that run into the ocean. Mountains draw lines across the earth and their pattern can be traced through countries and continents and along the horizon.

As the wind blows through the rainforests, it softly moves the trees in lines and patterns that would enthuse even the slightest of creative souls. This pattern and natural flow is what stirs young, Australian artist, Jessica Amy Wright, as she creates artwork. From the start of the conversation, the tone is set. Jess describes herself as a creator and art is woven into her story from a young age.

She said of painting that it calms her soul and keeps her grounded, making her forget about the outside world. She tells a childhood story of a picturesque house with white walls and carpets and how she accidentally coloured through a page onto the carpet. ‘I was in so much trouble,’ she recalled with a laugh, ‘nothing has changed. I’m still getting in trouble for making a mess with my art.’

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As a teenager she immersed herself in photography, shooting bands at festivals and doing promo shoots. She soon realised that playing with light was not for her. She rather found it more satisfying to start with a blank canvas and pour the colours of herself into it, over starting with a crowded image which needed elements removed from it.

She nonetheless has no regrets from her escapades in photography.

This is how she met her partner and biggest supporter, Drew. Her beloved partner is the catalyst without whom she would not have pursued her desire to create or shared her work with the world. Encouragement from him has had the greatest effect on her growth in her calling.

“ ‘As soon as I begin to over think my piece it goes off track and doesn’t flow. “ JESSICA WRIGHT

Blessed to be surrounded by beauty in her coastal New South Wales home, she draws inspiration from the secluded beaches, pristine fresh water rivers and rainforests.

Paramount and essential to her work is following her heart. ‘As soon as I begin to over think my piece it goes off track and doesn’t flow.’

This flow is vital for an artist who puts a little piece of herself in each and every canvas, mixing colours to create new hues that can never be exactly the same. When it comes to art, Jess believes in ‘just getting it done’. Every artist needs to hear that at some point. Quoting the late great Andy Warhol she said, ‘Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it.

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While they are deciding, make even more art.’ Not every day is a workday for Jess who is driven by her need to create as opposed to a need for fame and financial security.

This makes her love the days when she can paint from the feeling that flows from within.

Art chose her, she describes, and she is at her happiest when painting in her workspace singing along to music and pouring that happiness onto the canvas.

She doesn’t like to be compared to other artists. She paints for herself. She does have a favourite artwork from the early 1900s when it was popular to paint abstracts from realistic art. She loves the embrace, colours and patterns in ‘The Kiss’ by Austrian painter, Gustav Klimt.

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Jessica Wright Artist EDITÉUR PLUS / THE SEVENTH ISSUE

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er pieces reveal the flow of nature. Flying over Australia on the way to South East Asia recently was inspiring. ‘I remember looking down and we were above the most magnificent red dirt and these beautiful river systems.’ It is this moment that moment that comes back to mind when she paints. As far as day jobs, Jess has had a few. After dabbling in event photography, she spent five years working in Medical Administration. When the job became too crushing to her creativity, she started working at a wholefood shop, selling mung beans all day. She desires to be creative over being famous and making millions. She is a creator with paint encrusted on her fingernails. She makes blank canvases evolve into a colour filled piece of her heart.

Having only recently made her work public, Jess hopes to exhibit her artworks one day, sharing the love that she transfers to the canvas with the world. Such passion and talent could be the elements of a bright future for Jess in the art sphere. There is beauty to follow and we would do well to keep our eyes peeled.

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JESS WRIGHT ARTIST

INSTAGRAM: @JESSWRIGHTART

ETSY: W W W. E T S Y.COM /AU/SHOP/ J E S S W R IGH TA RT

#JESSWRIGHTART

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I am PHOTOGRAPHY Cape Town based, fashion and conceptual photographer, Matthew Schell shares insight into his life.

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MATTHEW SCHELL FASHION & CONCEPTUAL PHOTOGR APHER

BY STEPHAN WEILBACH PHOTOGRAPHED BY MATTHEW SCHELL

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Matthew Schell, a nineteenyear-old fashion and conceptual art photographer. Born and raised in Cape town, his passion for art and beautiful things, has always been in him. He describes that photography is his medium to this beauty. He hopes that his pursuit of creativity would allow his work to go to places like Hong Kong and New York.

Limitless is the word that pops up in Matthew’s mind when he thinks of photography. To him this is the most beautiful form of art; he says that photography is able to capture emotions that can’t necessarily be expressed by words. “Looking back at something you’ve created with your own two hands is probably the most rewarding feeling; I can’t compare it to anything.”

“ Looking back at something you’ve created with your own two hands is probably the most rewarding feeling; I can’t compare it to anything. “ MATTHEW SCHELL

He holds vast that there is always space to be better and further your style, no matter who you are.

He believes that there is still a long journey for him to travel, and he knows he has so much more potential, all he needs to do is push himself, he says.

Alex Stoddard was one of the first conceptual photographers that had an impact on him. He describes that Alex’s work left him in awe and inspiration. His fashion side has inspirational photographers like Nicole Bentley and Ryan McGinley.

His all-time favorite editorial piece is done by Elizaveta Porodina, in the November Issue 2015, Vogue Ukraine.

“I try to make each individual shot communicate something different. I try to ‘personify’ emotion and let that flow across my work.”

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H

e strives to give the space in which the beholder can interpret the piece in whatever way they desire. The balance of guidance towards a specific direction and that of the viewer having freedom to personalize and interpret the piece for themselves, is of great importance to him. In his planning and art direction he tries to go from the concept to execution as smooth and direct as possible. Photographic items he uses mostly, Canon and Photoshop “As it is for many photographers.” He usually uses his tripod, reflectors, diffusers and his 50mm portrait lens. He says that he ‘feeds’ off of other creatives and their ideas is one way he is inspired. His itch for creating and expression of self is his main motivation and to see that actualize is well. He prefers fashion/editorial photography, it gives him more room to collaborate and then there is also the culture which he enjoys. He says that when one can form a connection with your subject magic happens. There is an aspect of effortless work that comes as a product of such a bond or connection which is formed. He is doing a degree in art direction and graphic design. This is also a passion because of the incorporation of elements of design into his photography. “As cliché as it might sound, I would say never give up. I tell myself that every day.” As everyone says, the creative industry is tough and very ‘cut-throat’, he explains that in the mases of people going for the same goal, only those who bounce back will be the game changers.

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“Do now. Life is short and unfortunately waits for no one. Don’t start living at 60 years old.” His favourite piece, ‘Rest of Michael’. To him it’s personal, meaningful and holds so much weight. He says that it was created after his best friend passed, it’s about nature, life and death, he says he found solace in how after one dies we become a part of the earth again. His friend is always here.

“Created to create.”

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Matthew Schell Photographer EDITÉUR PLUS / THE SEVENTH ISSUE

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MATTHEW SCHELL FA SHION & CONCEPTUAL PHOTOGR APHER

WEBSITE: W W W. M AT T H E WSC H E L L .COM

INSTAGRAM: @MATTHEWB_SCHELL

#MATTHEWSCHELL

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BERNARD BRAND PORTRAIT & CONCEPTUAL HOTOGRAPHER

BY FR A NCOIS SWA NEPOEL PHOTOGRAPHED BY BERNARD BRAND

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Some do photography because, innately they can not pry themselves from the desire to capture the moment. Others like Bernard Brand, our featured photographer this month, do it because they literally itch to learn new things. Others do it from a dull sense of obligation. We don’t write about the latter, so fear not, you will find in their stories inspiration to edge you along in whichever endeavor you find yourself.

Bernard Brand, and I quote, “Crash landed 31 years ago in a small town in the Free State”. He started off as a musician and this carried him through High School and well after that. In 2004 Bernard started studying something, he refrained from telling what it was because it was something he did to… fulfill some expectation society had of him,

“ All I know is that I will carry on this affair for the foreseeable future “ BERNARD BRAND

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it wasn’t actually important. In 2008 Bernard succeeded at what he really wanted to do, he wanted to play music with his best friend in ‘the big city’.

This was when he moved to Pretoria.

Today, 8 years along, Bernard is a photographer by trade, it is his livelihood and he loves it, being a man who likes to learn many different things, something else may well take its place one day, but he says that as things are at the moment, this won’t happen for a number of years.

“All I know is that I will carry on this affair for the foreseeable future”.

He says that he is still an aspiring photographer and draws a lot of inspiration from people like, Zack Arias, Ett Venter, Dan Winters, Chris Buck, Maaike Bakker and Nina Torr to name a few of them.

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A

bit of a philosophy does arise in his method, in that he captures what he believes with the lens.

“To me my photographs are self-portraits. They all tell something about me and to some extent, what I believe.” And more important to Bernard than what he uses and how the shot comes to life, or sometimes doesn’t, is the person on the other end of the lens. Many people have noted that he captures “the essence” of the sitter and I think if this were interpreted it’d mean that he manages, somehow, to convey something of who the person is through the photograph, since the photograph captures what is seen, it takes real skill to capture what is unseen in that split moment that it becomes visible to the external on-looker. In terms of the gear he uses, he uses the classic Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom for the edits and FujiX-T1 and X100T, however he prefers to use the X100T he says that he finds it unobtrusive, Bernard says that “I use what I use because it helps me get the job done and gets out of my way”. To Bernard, the tools of the trade are a means to an end and that end is communicating, as I said before, with whatever or whoever is at the other end of the lens.

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He also said that he believes photography to be fickle because: “On a recent shoot I did, where I was focused and locked in place, my friend Henry Marsh, who was assisting me on the shoot said: “ Dude, try moving two steps to your right” and BAM, there was my shot. Two steps to the right?”.

And lastly a few pointers from Bernard himself, that have helped him along on his journey to become a greater photographer than the photographer he was yesterday and the day before.

1. Include people in your journey. “Be humble, Share with people” whether they are people

“ Be humble, Share with people “ BERNARD BRAND

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who impart to you or you impart to them, include tem in your journey, he quoted Korehira Watanabe who said “It is my duty to build up a disciple that is better than me. Otherwise the tradition will wear thin with time.”.

2. Don’t stop learning. “I am forever learning, and I suppose the biggest lesson is that you can never stop, you should never stop. Learn and re-learn things you once knew but forgot years ago”. Keep making work and don’t be afraid of making mistakes, make as many as you can and learn from them, its all a part of the process by which you learn and grow.

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BERNARD BRAND PORTRAIT & CONCEPTUAL PHOTOGR APHER

WEBSITE: W W W. BE R NA R DBR A N D.COM

EMAIL: MAIL@BERNARDBR AND.COM

INSTAGRAM: @BERNARDBRAND

#BERNARDBRAND

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Elan Time Co is company that seeks to bridge the gap between expensive retail prices and luxury time pieces. Inspired by simplistic and minimal architecture, designed in Cape Town, our products seek to be an extension of your everyday style.

DEKAT R 1099.00 Housing a Japanese Miyota movement, our traditional 40mm polished stainless steel case with Italian Suede Leather band presents a timeless everyday unisex option.

TIMMON R 1099.00 Housing a Japanese Miyota movement, our traditional 40mm polished stainless steel case with Italian Suede Leather band presents a timeless everyday unisex option.

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ELAN TIME CO LUXURY TIME PIECES. INSPIRED

BY SIMPLISTIC AND MINIMAL ARCHITECTURE.

SIMPLE, PRECISION DESIGN IS OUR MAIN FOCUS. WE SELL OUR PRODUCTS DIRECT TO THE PUBLIC WHICH ALLOWS US TO CUT OUT ALL SORTS OF EXTERNAL COSTS, BRINGING YOU A HIGH QUALITY PRODUCT AT A LOWER RETAIL PRICE.

WEBSITE: W W W. E L A N T I M ECO.COM

EMAIL: CUSTOMERCARE@ELANTIMECO.COM

TWITTER& INSTAGRAM: @ELANTIMECO

FACEBOOK: ELAN TIME CO

#ELANTIMECO

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ANGELIKA KOLLIN FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

BY THEO WEILBACH PHOTOGRAPHED BY ANGELIKA KOLLIN

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stonian – Capetonian, Artist and mother of 3(All Girls) and settled down globetrotter spoke with Editéur Plus about the powerful sensitivity of her feminine driven photography. Having moved around the world and spending her formative years between Germany and the USA, gave her the privilege of speaking Russian, German, English and be conversational in Spanish when she fancies. Six years ago her and the hubby started globe hopping and they have since lived in Barcelona, Ghana, Namibia and now currently and inevitably they find themselves in Cape Town. As with most other people the beautiful South has captured and we also know it never fails on the offerings it lays up. The adventurous spirit is a big part of her life and drives. They have been in Cape Town for two years now and that she is enthusiastic and laughs a lot, oh and she might be slightly introverted, “When I think about photography I feel connected and inspired.” When she is photographing somebody, time suddenly stands still and her mind goes very quiet. The noise stops, her focus becomes razor-sharp, and there is such strong presence of peace. “I guess, I found my own Zen Practice in it.” She says that she can’t really claim to have been influenced by any photographers. Her strongest influence was in studies of books dealing with human archetypes and spiritual teachings. Her latest influence was for example Edvard Munch’s Archetypes. She found it fascinating to explore the depth of human experience, the feminine part in particular. Seen as she doesn’t look at photographers for inspiration one begs the answer if she know or enjoys any other photographers. Of course she does she is familiar with quite a few and probably would name Mario Testino, Emily Soto and Lara Jade as her favourites.

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She says that her story is shared by many other photographers. It all started from the moment she received her first decent camera.

“I remember constantly trying to photograph everything that I considered beautiful back then.” It was some strange deep hunger and desire for more beauty in her life.

She did not recognize it at first, but later, little by little, it balanced itself out and she started to understand through her photography what actual beauty is and what it represents. It was something she was doing for herself, definitely a form of healing and growth in her life. People started noticing her work; they could feel the connection in the honesty and vulnerability of her subjects. She ends with well, “And I started receiving more and

“ Sign the Agreement/Model Release. Always. Full Stop. “ ANGELIKA KOLLIN

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more requests to photograph their stories.” She said that one should not be afraid to be YOU! Whatever that means to you. “Don’t be afraid to try!

Don’t be afraid to risk! You WILL encounter criticism, it’s impossible to avoid, but if you stay true to your vision and drive, the most important person will be happy. YOU!” She then continued to express that no money, recognition or fame is worth it if you have to lose and abandon yourself and your passion while acquiring it.

She explains that for her other important things besides photography is LIFE! Life in general.

She doesn’t understand people who complain about boredom. “I don’t!

How is it possible?” To her there is so much to learn, enjoy, explore, and assimilate.

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She can write an endless list of things she loves, but if she had to pick a few favourites they would be; Books. She can’t get enough of them. It’s an addiction, though to save the trees she prefers to either read e-books or buy/borrow used copies. Nature. To her one of the saddest things about humanity nowadays is that too many of us are losing our touch and connection with nature. We are a part of nature and we lose ourselves if that link is broken. Spirituality. As long as she remembers herself, she has always wanted to know more about the mind, body and spirit. She has pursued understanding, it’s her purpose and drive in life. She loves the teachings of Katie Byron, Eckhart Tolle, Adyashanti, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and ACIM.

“ Light is always stronger then darkness. I love how it also works for photography “ ANGELIKA KOLLIN

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Portraiture and conceptual photography is hands down her favourite. She can’t choose between these two. When she meets her subject prior to the session, she chooses the category after considering factors such as personality, current emotional field, and their openness to the new experience.

On an intuitive level she tends to pick up on the right choice for the client and they proceed with it. The process she developed in using all of her equipment and surroundings is a very simple on, “I jokingly call my process Photo Meditation.” She used to struggle with this quite a bit in the past until she realized that to her she was part of the problem. “In my hard determination to execute MY vision, I often lost the true essence of creativity and art.”

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he says that if you get too attached to a peculiar way, you tend to stop noticing everything else.

When she started practicing a completely new approach, which can be very worrisome at times because she is somebody who likes to control the situation, she noticed that she started capturing more depth and quintessence of the person. Her new approach is to have a sort of loose, general outline of what she is going for and once they start with the session, she simply relaxes and is shown ‘WHAT IS’ happening in front of her. She would ask her model to feel whatever is stirring inside of them at that moment. Not to judge it, not to criticize it, simply to have the openness to feel it. Her models sense that her process is not mechanical and they feel comfortable to show a side of themselves that they might have kept hidden otherwise. It becomes a joined, creative unfolding. Sometimes she doesn’t know what will come out of it, but it has proved time and time again, that the results exceeded her expectations. Photographing women became such an integrated part of her life, that she can’t imagine life without it. When she photographs a person, whom are almost exclusively women, it’s much more than just capturing memories. There is a form of exchange happening, some kind of bond forms that is unique and personal to her. The person in front of her opens up, shows a more vulnerable side of herself and it’s such an inspiring and touching moment for her to be a part of. She learns so much from each of her projects that it motivates her to approach new studies, to examine certain beliefs, to take a deeper look at even herself. It’s a process that ignites passion in her, to live her life to the fullest and with a fresh outlook. She often hears people making negative remarks about social media outlets, but her experience so far was mostly the opposite. Just like everybody else, there were times where she felt highly discouraged, wallowing in self-doubt, questioning her set of skills/talent or taking somebody’s remark too personal.

She found so much support and most wonderful messages of encouragement from friends and sometimes complete strangers on the social media websites. There was one particular message she received when she was ready to quit.

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he woman who contacted her was a recent breast cancer survivor and she wrote to her how much she loves her photography and that she hopes one day to be photographed by Angelika. Angelika was really honoured by her message and felt very inspired to continue and grow into a better photographer.

In her photographic journey she found herself being mostly drawn to two emotions: emotional pain and love. Her passion evolves around divine feminine and the many forms it takes in our life. Because of that, she mainly photographs women, although she is currently considering to start exploring the masculine story as well. With women she loves exploring their way of dealing with various forms of emotional suffering and how they come into contact with more love. She uses her Canon 5Dsr with 85mm f/1.2L most of the time, otherwise it’s her 70-200mm f/2.8L and 16-35mm f/2.8L. She is a natural light photographer, which of course eliminates the use of any flash or other external light sources. When it comes to post processing, she relies mostly on Lightroom CC. To her it is an amazing tool and would encourage every photographer out there to give it a try. She also uses Photoshop CC, but mostly for skin corrections and retouching of the images when applicable. She also uses a Diffuser a must for her considering how harsh the sun in Cape Town. Other than that she uses a Wacom Intuos Pro Pen and Touch Table for editing , “the largest you can afford, your wrists and shoulders will thank you later.” Her all-time favourite shot? Easy question right?

“How can I have a favourite? I love them all, they are all my children.” To her some carry kinder memories than the others, but collectively they are all part of her and who she is. She continues to say that she might have an all-time favourite. It’s a cell phone image she took of her children when they were little and fell asleep on her bed after a long day. It reminds her why her profession is so important. “It’s delightful to have an image to stir the memory.” She would have shown us but there are some things that are supposed to be personal.

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ANGELIKA KOLLIN FINE ART PHOTOGR APHER

WEBSITE: W W W. A NGE L I K A KOL L I N PHO T O GR A PH Y.COM

EMAIL: INFO@A NGELIK A KOLLINPHOTOGR A PH Y.COM

INSTAGRAM: @ANGELIK AKOLLINPHOTOGR APHY

FACEBOOK: ANGELIKA KOLLIN FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

#ANGELIK AKOLLINPHOTOGR APHY

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ANNE CATHERINE PHOTOGRAPHER

BY JOSHUA MCQUIRK PHOTOGRAPHED BY ANNE CATHERINE

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So some of you may be asking who is Anne Catherine, well she is a stunning young lady who is 27 years old, living in the United States in eastern Pennsylvania. She grew up taking walks in her family neighbourhood where there were historic buildings and houses with European, Victorian, and modern architecture.

Whether she walked around the abandoned train station or the stone house as large as a temple on Lafayette College’s campus, they left her with so many questions and thoughts about the people who used to walk among them. She has always felt a connection to nature as far back as she can remember.

As a 12 year told girl, she started bringing her mum’s point and shoot camera on my long walks to capture her fascination of buildings, streets, and lighting. She soon discovered

“ ...Images tell a story... “ ANNE CATHERINE

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how the composition within an image communicated her own visual and intellectual perspective. She would walk and wander the streets as a girl in middle school and high school taking countless photos trying to capture the mood that the lighting would cast on buildings and streets in the city.

Eventually, that visceral response to light, dark, and the in-betweens lead her to portraiture. She went to college for Fine Art and concentrated in watercolour painting.

Her fine art painting background enhanced her understanding of colour and light which she uses in her photography now.

She loves photographing weddings, engagements, portraits, and lifestyle photography that depicts life in an honest candid way, with a lighting sensitive to the mood, emotions, and locations that she shoots.

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n addition to knowing a bit about her, we were able to find out what makes her come alive. When she thinks about photography, she envisions soft light and truth. She describes photography as visual poetry. The images tell a story straight from the body that photographed them. She is moved, wrecked, and/ or restored through creating with her camera and the editing process. Portrait photography can show raw emotion within people and the connections they all share.

She says photography is art, and art is a bridge. Art heals, contradicts, confirms, beautifies, and mends people and their experiences together. Along with her passions, she also has a good job. She is currently an elementary art teacher. Her work has matured over the years of shooting.

Teaching opportunities arise for her to blend her love and knowledge of photography to her students. She says.

“Photography can be easily accessible as most people living in the U.S. have camera phones, computers with cameras, and more people own point and shoot cameras now than ever before.” In addition to teaching art, she photographs weddings, portraits, and her own fine art work part-time. She has summers off from teaching so she likes to photograph weddings and personal work then. Her future goal is to shoot weddings, portraits, and lifestyle photography full time. Within a career, one has passions as well as many influences. Vivian Maier was an influencer for Anne. “Vivian Maier is an extraordinary photographer whose life work was only discovered after her death in 2009. She lived from 1926-2009 and took photos through the 1940’s-70’s in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago where she lived. She had over 100,000 negatives of film and printed photos that were discovered in her storage unit in Chicago after her death by a few men who now sell her work and research. She used black and white film and had more negatives than developed film.”

When Anne heard about her in 2010 her work immediately influenced Anne’s own art. “She is considered to be one of the best and first street photographers of all time. It’s fascinating that she rarely shared her work with others while she was living.”

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Anne often wonders if Vivian Maier had been alive today, what would she have used Instagram or social media for? She relates to her love of shooting raw emotion and human interaction by walking the streets where she lived. She was brave because her work is of people who might not have been comfortable with her depicting their lives. Whenever she feels her work might not be liked or accepted by others, she thinks of Vivian and how she created work for herself first.

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n addition to influences, all photographers have a message that they want to bring across which requires a certain method and this is Anne’s. She says, “Time of day and lighting are everything, shooting outside can require planning, or it can be spontaneous, as weather and lighting changes. Natural light lends itself towards improvisation.” When photographing people she has found some level of planning is necessary for communicating a clear vision through the body of work. With her photos, she strives to visually say what people feel, but don’t often speak about. She captures the quiet and involuntary.

During weddings, engagements, and daily life, her images tell a story and document time as it unfolds. Editing plays a vital part for the work she creates. She believes lighting plays a critical role in the mood of an image, so most of the time she edits in a very clean, and true way. “Black and white images are luxurious and create a timeless look. Facial expressions appear solidified in time when they are captured in black, white, and grey.” However, all of this requires some high-quality technology. Her husband bought her, her favourite camera, the Canon Mark III. This camera is designed to be a workhorse, and the quality is amazing. She uses mostly prime lenses and edits with Lightroom, and Photoshop. She loves film for its creamy whites, rich blacks, and stunning colours. So she makes sure that she edits with VSCO Visual Supply Company in Photoshop, Lightroom or Mastin Labs.

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Just to keep things interesting her are her top five favourite photographic styles are, faces during the golden hour, close-ups of everything, personal beloved objects used every day such as an old book or pen, roses, and buildings and nature intertwined, such as an old house with growing ivy.

With such growth and progress, Anne must have some type of motivation. She is motivated intrinsically. She feels sad and tied up in her mind if she is not creating.

When she creates she discovers questions and answers that burn inside of her. “It sounds silly, but it is true,” says, Anne.

When she needs inspirations outside of her mind she looks to photographers, artists, her husband, and art students. She often thinks about how amazing childhood is since she interacts with children

“ Nature is freedom and my escape. “ ANNE CATHERINE

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between the ages of 5-11 five days a week. They are amazing for her as they have fresh perspectives that inspire her to capture life and love.

She wants the children she teaches to have beautiful images to see of their parents and families when they get older.

As we mentioned earlier Anne has interesting passions yet here are two categories that interest her the most. She loves seeing colours, compositions, and nuances of light within the petals of floral and nature photography.

“Nature is freedom and my escape.” Minimalist Portrait photography is her most recent fascination! She loves seeing in-between spaces of two buildings where there is a small alley or a walkway, and when she gets to view people in this way something inside of her screams, YES!

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owever photography is not all about the photographer, but the subject or object. This is how Anne is able to get what she wants out of the subject. She doesn’t think her images ever turn out how she wants them to when she thinks of the final result in her head. If she has a suggestion for the people, she photographs with positioning. She will guide them with her hands to help them, but it’s the “awkward” photos that she finds the most endearing. And as the saying goes, “Behind every great man there is an even greater woman,” well, in this case, Anne’s husband Tom gives her much support. He encourages her endlessly.

Tom is not a fine artist, but he sees the beauty and value in Anne’s work and constantly expresses his admiration.

They first got together because he took an interest in her photography blog she had at that time and commented on more than one image he found insightful. He might not always understand why she does things such as run away from his side mid-sentence to see the light change on the street, or why she wakes up on a weekend before sunrise to go photograph a couple on a mountain; but when she comes home he always asks how it went, and if she liked what she did, and prepares some tea for her.

She wonders some days what she is not passionate about.

She tends to overthink things such as this question. She is passionate about whatever she gets excited about in a day and that can be a lot of things. “Keep creating, even if it’s just for yourself. Create even if you have no idea and you think it’s a failure, create and be a good observer. Sit, walk, jump, dance and observe it all.” As much as I have said about Anne she also has wisdom that she is able to share: “Every single person is broken. Every person has done some things and seen some things they regret or feel awful about so we are not supposed to judge one another ever. We are called to love and believe in goodness. “ She learned that she can never boast of the things she thinks she has done right but remains humble and expectant for how she will grow in the future.

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ANNE CATHERINE PHOTOGR APHER

EMAIL: A NNESHR AW DER@GM A IL.COM

INSTAGRAM: @BEAUTIFULLYHELD

FACEBOOK: ANNE CATHERINE PHOTOGRAPHY

#ANNECATHERINE

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PAUL FIGUEIRA FURNITURE DESIGNER

BY BEK I W E HLONGWA NE PHOTOGR A PHED BY PAUL FIGUEIR A

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ontext can be described as placing an object in its surroundings so that it has meaning. A coffee table is just a piece of wood until it finds its place in a room. This is the approach that maker, Paul Figueira, uses as he creates furniture, shopfittings and even remodels coffee machines from his Durban based business, Makers Union. Growing up with tool shop owners in the family meant receiving tools as gifts as a child. It was inevitable that Paul would hone his skills and find his love for making early on in life. It is great to meet a person who enjoys his craft, saying the only disadvantage in being a maker is that ‘it’s a very dusty business.’ What he appreciates about furniture making is that it allows him to see a project through from concept to creation. ‘I guess you could read that as satisfying the needs of a control freak.’ He adds dryly. Whether starting with the concept in mind or pieces of timber in hand, Paul is proving to be a master at creating products that meet client specifications while bringing out the best qualities of the wood. He strongly believes in building to reveal the material’s strengths, maintaining honesty even in presenting the qualities of the wood. The quality of each item produced will be high when the creator personally selects each length of timber and knows what to look for in the character and grain of the wood.

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The process of creating is a multifaceted one: Paul likes to meet with clients where the piece of furniture is to be placed in order to develop the brief based on both context and client inspiration.

Allowing the client to be part of the creative process prevents his preconceived ideas from dominating the creation of the final product.

Once a 3D concept design has been submitted and approved, the building can begin. The timber is then carefully selected based on colour, tone and application. The high moisture content means that timber can move and shrink after a piece of furniture has been made if not properly treated. This means that the flat boards need to be dried out for up to two months before they can be used to create furniture.

“ I guess you could read that as satisfying the needs of a control freak. “ PAUL FIGUEIR A

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Once the perfect boards have been selected, it’s back to the workshop where Paul and his apprentice cut the pieces to the correct sizes, join and assemble the piece. Paul describes this as a part of the process he is still enamoured with. Finally the piece will be sanded a few times to achieve a smooth surface and the finish can be applied.

Keeping the business sustainable is a priority for Paul and only environmentally responsible suppliers with replanting programs are used. The business itself limits wastage by distributing sawdust for reuse as for packaging or garden mulching.What makes Maker’s Union stand out from other furniture makers is the custom design service and personalised approach that Paul aims to offer.

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Though mass produced furniture threatens to dilute the market, and counterfeit products pose a challenge to intellectual property, Paul’s quality standards and personal touch should stand him in good stead in the industry. He has done well to create a polished brand and a premium product in the market.

Keeping he customer is a partner in the creative process ensures that each piece is of a high standard and has its own unique story.

An enjoyable project for Paul was modifying a coffee machine for a friend’s business. ‘We stripped off all the plastic bits of his machine and remade them in Meranti, a locally grown timber.’

He has not wasted any opportunities presented to him.

His greatest success to date, and

“ We stripped off all the plastic bits of his machine and remade them in Meranti, a locally grown timber “ PAUL FIGUEIR A

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surely the first of many, was being selected as a South African finalist in the World’s Most Experimental Bartender Competition and presenting a European Oak whisky cocktail dispenser at in Scotland.

Paul is not one to ride on the wave of success and then rest on his laurels. He is currently working on a variety of projects from shopfitting for a coffee shop to Growler Station for dispensing beer inside liquor stores.

With aims to take on larger projects and increase the scope of his business, it would appear that greatness lies in the path of this resolute furniture maker. With quality products and his sound work ethic, success will find him regardless of the context in which he finds himself.

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PAU L FIGUIERA FURNITURE DESIGNER

WEBSITE: W W W. M A K E R SU N ION.CO. Z A

EMAIL: INFO@MAKERUNION.CO.ZA

INSTAGRAM: @MAKERSUNIONDURBAN

#PAUL FIGUIER A

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