Always in the frame
Durban photographer shoots her 45th July
Anita Akal is a familiar face in the winners’ circle and has snapped it all when it comes to the sizzlers and bloopers of fashion at the Durban July.
A legend behind the lens in the industry, Akal sat down with The Independent on Saturday this week as she prepares for her 45th Durban July.
“I started out doing child portraiture and one day my husband, Ronald who owned race horses, asked me to do some colour photographs. Back then, all the photos were being done in black and white with the colours being painted on.
“So I started doing colour photographs for my husband and a close circle of friends.”
Akal is the first to admit changing to action photography from portraiture was a challenge, describing it as “practise, practise, more practise and many mistakes.”
She was soon approached by Durban and Clairwood Turf Clubs and Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg.
“There were no women photographers and the men would look at me as if to say ‘what’s she doing with a camera?’ But there’s no peace for the wicked and every weekend since I’ve been involved.”
And short of the odd holiday when she has organised a replacement photographer, Akal has not missed a meeting since.
“I have to thank my husband and children for putting up with me for going off to the races for all these years. They’ve all stood by me.”
She has also evolved with the rapidly changing technology, saying today’s digital photography is far easier.
“With the old cameras, when you took the July, you only had one chance.
“It took me a while to go digital. A lot more work went into working with colour negatives and you could not manipulate them. Now it’s so much easier with digital, you can see what you have taken and can take 10 to 15 shots in a row. But all the photographers on the course help each other.”
But she did miss one very important shot and that was when her husband’s horse Versailles ran second in the July and she had to take her place next to her husband in the winners’ area – in front of the lens.
Akal has a long list of famous and infamous people she has snapped, headed by Queen Elizabeth when she visited Greyville Racecourse and Princess Anne when she toured the Jockey Academy.
“There’s so much protocol, although I did have a lot of free reign when we were moving around. When I started taking photos of Princess Anne, she didn’t like it, so I backed off for a bit and then she relaxed. She was an absolute star.”
Other notable figures include King Goodwill Zwelithini, Professor Chris Barnard, Chad Le Clos, Henry Cele, Gary Player and a bevy of Miss World and Miss South Africas and a formidable line-up of rugby players.
She has also been on hand to record fashion faux pas and oddities, including one man who came dressed as a “car crash” covered in fake blood and dressed in a pair of high heels and mesh over his parts.
“He was escorted off the course. But there have been so many beautiful outfits. The stand out for me was when Anneline Kriel came out on to the course in a pink outfit, the year she was Miss South Africa.”
Does she worry about what she is going to wear ? “I stay comfortable. I wear a bib so there’s no use dolling up.”
Asked who she thinks will win, she let out a loud laugh. “I never bet and haven’t the foggiest. Let the best horse win.”