In the blink of an eye, a moment passes. It is gone forever, lost to memory and time.
But see that moment through the eye of a camera, let the light in for a fraction of a second, press the shutter…and the moment is frozen, a slice of living history in the form of a photograph.
Thanks to the rise of the smartphone, more people are taking more photographs, of themselves and each other, than ever before. Is there still room for the professional portrait photographer in our selfie-obsessed society? Yes, believes Joy-Anne Bromilow.
Based in the village of Kommetjie, near Cape Town, she is a ”family and lifestyle” photographer whose speciality is evocative, unposed images of moments of transition, shot in striking black-and-white.
Her own career has led her through transitions from bar steward to au pair to wedding planner to social media manager.
Now, with a camera in her hand, and life happening before her eyes, she has found her niche and inspiration.
We caught up with Joy-Anne to ask her about photography, change, family, and being an eyewitness to life’s fleeting moments.
Q: If you could change one thing about yourself for the better, what would that be, and why?
I’d love to be a true minimalist. I’m not a massive hoarder but I feel so much more peaceful and organised when I have less stuff around me. But I am so sentimental, it’s hard to just get rid of things that have memories attached to them. They’re part of my journey.
Q: What do you love most about change?
Change shakes you up and forces you to re-examine long-held beliefs and see life from a different perspective.
Q: Where do you go when you feel like a change of scenery?
I live between two oceans, so spend lots of time at the beach, which I love. But for a change, I head to Tokai Arboretum and hang out with the trees.
Q: Do you remember your first camera, and the first photograph you took?
My first camera was a gift from a person I’ve never met in the flesh. We connected on a pre-Facebook social media site called 43 Things, where users anonymously listed goals, and helped each other try achieve them.
One of mine was to get a camera. As a freelance writer and single mom at the time I couldn’t afford one. One of his was to commit random acts of kindness to strangers. One day I received a parcel in the mail, all the way from Australia. We both achieved those goals that day.
The first set of photos I took were of my then five year old in his “pilot jacket”. He’s still my favourite model, now 17.
Q: Why do you think we still need photographers, when almost anyone can take a photograph with their mobile phone?
Photographs serve many different purposes. I use my mobile all the time to capture the moment on the fly. But when you pick up a camera with intention, to create, it takes time, focus, thought. It’s an art form.
And everyone will see the same scene or face in a different way. I love how another photographer can see and capture me, or people and places I love and know well, in a whole new way.
Q: In what way do you think photography can help us to learn more about ourselves, and maybe even change our lives for the better?
As a photographer, I see the world around me in images. And not just the obvious beauty of sunsets and mist and mountains, but the beauty in the derelict, the un-lovely.
Being able to see beauty everywhere makes life better, for me anyway.
Q: What is your own favourite photograph, and your favourite photograph by another photographer?
I have a hundred favourite photographs, but my latest favourite is of my son and my dad, taken at Dad’s care home recently.
On any given day I can have a different favourite photo by any of the many famous and unknown photographers in the world. Today I choose this haunting image by the controversial Sally Mann.
Q: As a professional photographer, what do you think about the phenomenon of selfies?
Selfies can be fun! You have a mobile phone; you have a face – why not? As long as you’re not duck-facing it’s all good. But if I want to take a good photo of myself I prefer taking time to create a self portrait, using my DSLR.
Q: How did your Transitions project come about, and what does it mean to you?
I had the idea while on an aeroplane flying back from the UK in 2010. I had just watched the Annie Leibovitz documentary Life Through a Lens and was captivated by her early work for Rolling Stone magazine where she was just this young woman with a camera in the background of these rockstars’ worlds, capturing them raw, no posing.
The idea of doing a ‘fly on the wall’ shoot of real people living their lives appealed to me. It seemed that a good time to do something like that would be when the subject was going through one of life’s many transitions. Not a posed family shoot with props and direction, just life, happening.
Q: Why do you favour black-and-white as a medium for your Transitions photographs?
Black and white seems to distil the essence of images. Colour can cause clutter. With “Transitions” I want each image to be pure and simple, and black and white makes that happen, for me.
Q: What was the single biggest and scariest change you have ever made in your life?
Not sure it’s the biggest but it’s recent and pretty scary. Quitting my full time job, copywriting and social media marketing for a travel company, after eight years to start my new company FaithJuice. We make and deliver raw juices daily.
I could never have done it without my husband Graeme’s unwavering support. It’s still scary. I need to nurture it and help it grow and survive. It’s just like being a new mom all over again!
Q: What is the one piece of technical or creative advice you can give us, that will make better photographers of us all?
I’m so not a technical photographer! My equipment is basic and I rely heavily on my eye and on the mood I want to create. So best creative advice?
Something I was advised to do as a noob was to change perspective when shooting. I often stand on tables and lie on the ground to see things from another angle. It’s not unique advice by any means but it’s really helped me. That, and breaking the “rules” sometimes.
Q: What do you like most about Cape Town, from a photographer’s point of view?
Cape Town is so pretty. But most of all I love the people. So many different people, different faces, races, cultures. It’s a very rich place. I always prefer portraits to scenery, so the faces I see daily inspire me.
Q: Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
Living right where I am. We just moved into the home we have been building, out towards Kommetjie. But when our kids are off in the world, travelling a hell of a lot more with Graeme. And hopefully by then FaithJuice will be established and doing well.
Q: What are the benefits of living your life as a mermaid with green hair?
I actually have had green hair two years back. And that was fun. But mostly that name is about my deep and abiding love for saltwater.
Q: What inspires you most about living in South Africa in the 21st Century?
The freedom. And the really great craft beer available here now.
*For more information on Joy-Anne and her photographs, visit http://greenhairmermaid.co.za.
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