YOUR PHOTO

There is something special in absolutely everything around us – you simply have to look a little closer, says Charmain Gouws of Fochville, who pictures her world with her Samsung A5 phone.

“I do have a camera with lenses, but obviously don’t always have it on me. My phone is usually at hand, though, and that’s why I use it to take a lot of pictures. My preference is photos of nature, but I also like close-ups. You need to zoom in because there is always something beautiful to see when you look closer. The world is so dark, and we tend to take everyday things for granted. You just must stop for a moment and pay attention. It’s important to decide on the subject’s placement in the frame. Maybe you should turn the camera on its side or come from another angle? That way you might get an even better photo. Here are some of the ‘everyday’ from my garden.”

Photos offer the opportunity to draw a frame around what’s in front of you… giving it new life. You can clearly see this in Charmain’s photos. Succulents and dry tree stumps are as commonplace as can be, but when you capture the shapes of a plant, for example, inside a frame, well, then the photo turns into a work of art. The viewer interprets it according to his or her own experiences.

Charmain’s portfolio deserves a pat on the back. It’s reminiscent of the work of the American photographer Edward Weston, who was known for his prints of fruit and vegetables. His photograph of a green pepper – the so-called Pepper No 30 – was one of his most famous works in the early years of the previous century. His photos were monochromatic, and some of Charmain’s photos are just as striking when in black and white.