Pro photographer, videographer, editor, co-founder of Outdoor Video & Photographic, former SA Best Photographic Blog Winner and 2 x Runner Up.
Dave & Naomi Estment of OV&P

Cheers to 2019!

Wow, are we really rounding out a decade? It feels like time is flying. Guess that means we’re having fun, and we hope you are too! As we wrap up 2019, we want to say a special THANK YOU to each and every one of our wonderful clients, associates,  friends and family for everything you’ve contributed to our lives and business this year. You totally rock, in case you don’t know that already! How are you feeling about the past year, and are you planning some restful time out to contemplate all that you’ve achieved and enjoyed?

There’s a lot of buzz about, which focuses on the last decade in review, while looking forward to 2020 with renewed energy and drive. Life is pretty full for most of us, making a single year review interesting in itself, never mind a decade! Here at Outdoor Video & Photographic, we’ve had plenty of wins and challenges throughout the past 10 years, including countless fabulous photo and video shoots, three SA Blog awards, three years dedicated to conservation projects, plus numerous adventures around Southern Africa.

Narrowing the view down to the past year, for us it’s included a whole lot of high climbing in the process of capturing time lapse images and aerial photos and videos of multi-story construction projects for our clients. One thing we’re never short on is amazing perspectives, for example in this selfie that we shot quickly on a crane, overlooking the heart of Sandton in Johannesburg:

Dave & Naomi Estment of Outdoor Video & Photographic

Closer to home, our studio in Randburg has also been busy, buzzing with our own photo and video shoots and others as well, since it’s available for hire when we’re not using it. Please keep this in mind if you have any need for a dedicated space that’s fully kitted too. We thrive on the vibrant variety of photography and videography work that we do for our corporate, commercial and entrepreneurial clients, and we value every one of you. We’re here to support you in making 2020 your best year yet, in the most meaningful way!

In the meantime, let’s celebrate the final stretch of 2019 and have a magical wrap to this decade . . . cheers to you and yours!

Blakes Maphanga Team

What A Team

When last did you update your website photos? For you, this may mean compelling profile pics of you and your team, if you have one, as well as some captivating behind-the-scenes shots of you all at work, doing what you do. It’s also key to showcase where you work by featuring attractive, welcoming images of your premises, indoors and outdoors (including aerial) if that’s appropriate for you.

We recently had the privilege and pleasure of capturing fresh website photos and footage for the fabulous team at Blakes Maphanga Attorneys in Randburg. An esteemed, long-established law firm that specializes in providing expert legal services, they have beautifully maintained premises including a library filled with law books. It’s special ambience contributed to creating a perfect setting for some of the team and individual photos, and for strategic filler pics that evoke mood for their new website:

Blakes Maphanga Website Photos

These filler pics purposely focus on relevant items such as law books, branded pens, spectacles, notebooks, cups of coffee and discreet vases of flowers, with the background blown out of focus. What items can help to showcase what you do and offer visual insight to enhance your website and amplify your brand? It’s worth considering this for your next photo and/or video shoot.

You want to help prospects instantly and easily imagine what it will be like to work with you, while building the ‘know, like and trust’ factor for your brand. Ideally, shoots will also promote teamwork in a powerful way, revamp your company spirit and reinforce your and your clients’ confidence in your business. Of course, professional video content can ramp up the impact of this even more.

Professional shoots that leverage skillful lighting as well as experience and expertise in composing photos and assisting you to pose attractively, can dramatically up-level the success of your marketing, online and offline. They can also help to position your brand as premium, empowering you to charge premium prices, if this is in alignment with the value and quality that you offer.

Mid-year is a great time to refresh your online presence and spice up your website with an up-to-date look and feel, to help you and your business finish the year strong! If you need help with professional photos and videos, you’re welcome to contact us.

Dimanzi Eau De Parfum

Premium Product Pics

Do you have a need for compelling product photography? If so, you likely know that creativity and attention to detail are key to success. This is particularly relevant when these principles have also been applied to the product being photographed. For example, a significant amount of time, attention and care went into creating the beautiful Dimanzi perfume and branding that you see here.

We had the pleasure of attending an enchanting presentation recently by Di Thompson, the founder of Dimanzi. She has a captivating story, infused with meaning, that spans her experiences in South Africa and France, including studying at the prestigious House of Guerlain on the Champs Elysees in Paris. Her journey led to her creating this “rainbow floral green fragrance with fresh and woody notes capturing the essence of our African spirit and aligning it with true French chic”.

Each aspect of the product and packaging has been specifically selected by Di, from the essential oils that are sourced from Grasse in France (the home of many great perfumes) and the glass beads that are made by local women in the rural areas of the Kwa Zulu Natal Midlands in South Africa, to the black and white zebra design that reflects Di’s personal Burchell heritage. The name Dimanzi also intentionally combines her name with the word “Manzi” which means water in the Zulu language.

To photograph this gorgeous product, we placed it on the light table in our studio and used a combination of 3 flash lights with adjustable intensity. Two of the lights were set up to shine through soft boxes, from either side of the light table, a bit above and in front of the product. A third light was positioned on the floor beneath the light table, shining upwards through a sheet of blue gel, which looks like a piece of extra strength cellophane. That created the blue glow in the background of the image.

This is one example of how to showcase a product with the introduction of a colour hue to contribute mood. Of course videography can evoke another level of interaction and sensory involvement, combining the art of motion with audio cues that can orchestrate emotion and motivate action in your viewers. We love to do both, hence why we’ve specialised in photography and videography genres since launching Outdoor Video & Photographic over 18 years ago.

If you’re looking for fresh ideas and professional photos and videos to showcase your products, contact us today to discuss how we can help.