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Providence
© Andre du Plessis
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Jacek Stefan 3 months ago
Great capture!
Best regards,
Jacek
Svetlana Korolyova 3 months ago
Touching children's portrait !
++
Corrado Chiozzi 3 months ago
It's absolute amazing, I'm speechless !!!!
Stéphane Pagani 3 months ago
Excellent portrait Andre! Congratulations!
Andre du Plessis  Thanks Stephane. Appreciated.
Rolando (olly) 3 months ago
Excellent story telling pic. I pass Squatter camps everyday in and around Johannesburg. I commend you with your bravery Andre. Because you are a doctor Andre, has it made it easier for you to go into these camps?
I now am inspired to take these type of pics in Johannesburg.:-)
Andre du Plessis  Hi Olly. I am glad that you might divert your lens towards the townships, for i foresee many rich experiences for you. However, stage your approach, and my honest advice will be to get into your car, leave the city townships alone at 1st, but instead travel to a more distant and more rural setting. The dynamics and situation will be the same. The houses and settings will be the same. However, the mentality and hospitality will be different, and that will be essential to experience in order to believe and enjoy. Should you be presented with a situation that is very challenging as a first, you won't only be 'put off', but you will remain the 'photographer behind the lens', you will feel like that, and you will not be able to immerse yourself, and end up recording images.
I cannot tell you how much I would like to see you do this type of work. Speak to me via OE Mail if you wish to.
Rolando (olly)  Thank you for the advice Andre :-)
bjoran 3 months ago
wow, really good! incredible light and nice expression on the little boy's face ^^
Andre du Plessis  Thank you Bjoran. The light was tricky .. already very dark inside the house and then that outside grey cloud cover. Had to darken the outside to achieve some balance.
driss elkaoukabi 3 months ago
powerful shot that tells a story
Andre du Plessis  Thank you driss:)
Vincent chung 3 months ago
I like the way you composed in this one and the expression of the boy looks well.....congrats!
Andre du Plessis  Thank you Vincent. Glad that you feel that the composition was successful.
Ricky Siegers 3 months ago
This is one of my favorite too Andre, the composition worked extremely good !
Andre du Plessis  As long as you like the picture, I'll be happy about the sprained back muscles:) Cheers Ricky!
Codrin Lupei 3 months ago
Andre, no words could ever express the way your images touch! Thank you!
Andre du Plessis  Words that mean a lot to me. Thank you Codrin.
Sebastian Kisworo 3 months ago
amazing boy!
Andre du Plessis  Thanks Sebastian. Little Tuktuk has a short attention span - believe me, but here he most certainly came up with the goods:)
Great one Andre!
Andre du Plessis  Many thanks mario
Nicolas Marino 4 months ago
amazing shot Andre.So many questions come to mind. HOw is it to shoot in these settlements? . You know, in my home town and I dare to say in most of South America's big hubs, we simply don't go anywhere near them with anything valuable because we know that's about it, life is worth nothing for some people living in them. Most people are lovely, working class and poor people, but unfortunately, these places serve as the hideout for violent criminals and are generally controlled by them. How did you get to shoot there. I know this is probably for a long talk though, one of the ones we'll have when I get there ;)
Andre du Plessis  Hi Nic. Where does one start to answer this? Quite difficult to give a straight answer, as the situation differs so much from place to place, and then there is that variable that is the photographer him/herself.
However, yes, it is so that these areas are no picnic spot, and that life can (is) often less valuable than a few bob in hand.
I guess that the more you think about it, the more scared one will get. Personally my desire to go out there and walk about those shacks that you can see in the BG trounces the fear aspect for me. This is also based on the experience and confidence that I have gained over the last few years, and now fear and suspicion is the last thing on my mind. However, 'relaxed vigilance' remains a requirement.
I started off doing 'house visits' by selecting isolated places usually close to roads (Kannemeyer pics from my earlier PF), and maybe that experience that was so very positive allowed me to push the boundaries, and that repeated itself again, and in this journey I have now come to believe that I can go anywhere.
However, there are essentials that have always applied, and that is to be interested, or to try my utmost to appear that way, and then to be selective in who I approach (meaning to seek out someone who seems to be a senior or dominant person in any group), and once I have made that connection, to stay put and finish the job. Even if it is a short encounter of 15 mins or so .... do what you intended to do, and for which you received consent. Scurrying of to seek other opportunities because the light is poor once you enter, or the people are simply not photogenic etc. is a real slap in the face, and although no one will give you lip for losing interest ..... once such a modus operandi sets in you might as well give up and stay out of the townships.
Also ... I have discovered that my more disappointing encounters are sometimes my luckier ones, for there you have to push out the boat to get something worthwhile on your sensor.
This image is a perfect example of this: I was walking down the one road in Qolweni, and quite a lot of people were sitting outside this house (Nigel's house). It was easy to walk up to them - the atmosphere was light and happy, and there I sat taking snapshots, sharing a beer with them, but inside really wishing to leave because the light was fast fading. Yet it was difficult to, and there were NO real shots to be had. That was when I though about using a back window inside, and so asked to explore the inside, and Whalla ... an image called.
Then ... although we have only recently emerged from apartheid and segregation, and merging of societies will take generations (many) to happen, I am still a South African, and this is my land and people, and although I am white and live a different life with different opportunities (historically speaking), I am better poised to get the cooperation from strangers in places like this that a foreigner probably will have. Same applies to me traveling to South America - I am quite sure that I'll loose my mojo when I walk those places that you describe, and where I am the foreigner. I should go and find out:)
Nicolas Marino  thanks a lot for the response ANdre but please, never even try that in a slum in South America because you would seriously putting your life in danger. A french photographer was stabbed to death yesterday here in Buenos Aires for resisting a mugging. Life is worth nothing. That's why I barely leave home here with my camera, unless it is hidden in a shit bag. Here it is no joke.
Hari Sulistiawan 4 months ago
very strong bw as always
Andre du Plessis  Thanks Hari, and regards
Monki Ho 4 months ago
nice photo!!
Andre du Plessis  I like your name:) Thanks!
Susan Brandt Graham 4 months ago
Very powerful image.
Andre du Plessis  Thank you Susan
really emotive!
Andre du Plessis  Much appreciated Alessandro
Daniel Portal 4 months ago
wow, Andre. One of my absolute favorites from your SA series
Andre du Plessis  Glad that you like this Daniel. I usually stay away from this type of work - enclosing a larger scene is not something that I feel I am good at. So it is pleasing for me to add this to my PF here, and as Phyllis mentioned, maybe fortunate, as it lends the viewer an opportunity to see the landscape of my portraits.
Vladimir Skendrovic 4 months ago
Nothing new here, another fantastic photograph, congrats! :)
Andre du Plessis  :) Thank you Vladimir, and Good Day to you!
Jole 4 months ago
Excellent and full of mood
Andre du Plessis  Much appreciated Jole. I shall get in contact via OE soon. Something that I want to say.
Jole  Sorry, Andre....I didn't read you had to talk to me. You're always welcome.
Henry Trust 4 months ago
wonderful portrait..
Andre du Plessis  Many thanks Henry
Jacob Tuinenga 4 months ago
Superb b&w image of the boy.
Impressive capturing again, Andre.
Andre du Plessis  Hi Jacob. Thank you for the lovely comment, Andre
Adrian Donoghue 4 months ago
Beautiful Andre, you are a master.
Andre du Plessis  Flattering words:) Thanks Adrian
Fernando Pinho 4 months ago
excellent
Andre du Plessis  Hello Fernando. Glad to hear that you like this.
Kim Ayres 4 months ago
A wonderful shot that creates a powerful story
Andre du Plessis  Thank you very much for the positive comment Kim.
Ralf Stelander 4 months ago
Intriguing photo with a lot of soul Andre.
Andre du Plessis  Hi ralf. Glad about the 'soul' that you mention ... that satifies a lot.
hardibudi 4 months ago
Well done capture Andre!
Andre du Plessis  Thanks, and best wishes to you over there.
Fulvio Pellegrini 4 months ago
stunning composition
Andre du Plessis  Much appreciated comment Fulvio ... thanks!
Robert 4 months ago
Very well done!
Andre du Plessis  Many thanks Robert, and regards
Wonderful image, André, and I like the title very much. It gives a much deeper meaning to the image! Enjoy Normandy!
Andre du Plessis  Thank you Frederic. Good news about the title. Bit cold over here, however, from what I read, child's play as compared to the big chill all over Europe. Giving vent to my SA needs tonight with a barbecue (..... in the snow)
Frédéric Verhelst (Papafrezzo)  A "braai" in the snow, that is not so typical SA, I'd say. Here it is quite mild as well, BTW. Gulf-stream effect.
Meike Hofstetter 4 months ago
The master at its best, touching portrait and story behind it.
Straight to the faves.
Andre du Plessis  Many thanks Meike:)
Farshad Davari 4 months ago
Great!
Andre du Plessis  Thank you Farshad
Johan Meintjes 4 months ago
André, the gymnastics was well worth it. An excellent picture that tells many stories. Very well done!
Andre du Plessis  Glad to hear that Johan:) The problem was that there was the window frame on the right that I had to exclude, get up close enough to frame him large, and then maintain a small enough aperture to get the BG reasonably detailed .... and all this in very very poor light, and Tuktuk is a very busy little fellow. No image stabilisation in my equipment to boot! Totally surprised that there were no motion artifacts.
Iuliana Dediu 4 months ago
Very touching picture !!!
Andre du Plessis  Thank you luliana.
Colmar Wocke 4 months ago
Including the settlement in the rear has told the story fully. Very strong and emotive image, Andre and congratulations to you.
Andre du Plessis  Thanks Colmar. This one was a back-breaker:) This room was tiny, and in order to obtain this frame we had to stand a bed on it's side against a wall, and I had to do gymnastics. No space for the tripod legs, so dear Tuktuk had to keep very still during this low-speed capture.
Christoph Hessel 4 months ago
Close and intimate but nonetheless story telling, a touching work Andre
Andre du Plessis  Thank you Christoph, glad that you read it this way.
Phyllis Clarke 4 months ago
,Andre - A different POV for you behind the lens, and so we get to see the surrounding area of where your shots are often captured. This image seems like a really important one for your One X portfolio. I say this because it brings a deeper understanding to many of your other images of SA. This picture tells yet another part of the SA story - not the whole of course, but a very important part. One could write a novel from this photograph...what does he see, what is he thinking? It stops me in my tracks not just for this child, but for all the children of the world that are living with all degrees of poverty. I love this picture. :) Phyllis
Andre du Plessis  I am glad that you feel this way about this image Phyllis, and I can only agree with you. It is good to be able to show how some of these informal settlements look, and here I was lucky to get a higher vantage point to include a bit of Qolweni. This place came about when influx control measures were dropped people migrated from the less industrialised provinces (and former Homelands). So Qolweni started as a squatter camp, and grew and grew over the past 15 years. Unfortunately Plettenberg Bay is essentially a holiday town, and there is only (very) limited opportunities for work, so most inhabitants are still without work, and scraping by. Piece by piece this settlement is being demolished, and the shacks replaced by low-cost brick housing, to give better protection against the elements, and which provide electricity and water. Nevertheless, as you pointed out, good to be able to give this overview of an original typical informal township.
Suresh Menon 4 months ago
Super image!
Andre du Plessis  Thank you Suresh
TJ Millar 4 months ago
powerful image and great title Andre, excellent work
Andre du Plessis  Thanks Tim. Arrived here in Normandy on the 4:00 ferry crossing an hour or so ago, and was settling into my early coffee when I noticed that Providence is up! Glad that you like the title .... took some head scratching, and decided on this. For me it encapsulates what I see here: An environment that he understands, supports and cares for him, and a place that he understands, and will understand in his future. Yet through our eyes we see something that we so easily frown at, and that appears so far removed from what we understand as comfort. Often when I visit these townships, and this one is very basic, I come away quite confused. Happy, and enriched, but confused, for after all these years I still cannot get my head around how the love for life and for one another managed to flourish in places like these, where the most basic requirements to sustain life can often be found lacking.
TJ Millar  Such a powerful story, thank-you for bringing it to us. Really appreciate the extra information in your reply to both me and everyone else who's written. I try to be conscious always of the very privileged position I have in this world, so fortunate to be born into a wealthy, peaceful country - but this picture gives a sudden, sharp edge to that gratitude: at once we see both the shared humanity - we are all the same - and yet our circumstances are so different.
Andre du Plessis  "at once we see both the shared humanity - we are all the same - and yet our circumstances are so different."
I like that bit very much Tim.
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Equipment
D3, 15-35mm, ISO 3200
Location
Qolweni Settlement, SA
Unique views
16565
Comments
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Category
Portrait
 
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