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Impressions of Jeffreys Bay
A Photographic Journey through Jeffreys Bay
This book is not a commentary on Jeffreys Bay, past and present – it merely seeks to record the “Impressions” of many of the residents of and visitors to this wonderful town in the southern part of the Eastern Province.
The book is about presenting the sights and impressions of the town and is a sincere attempt to provide a glimpse of its soul, and to try to convey what it is that makes people come back year after year. -
Impressions of My Home Town
A Photographic Journey through Graaff Reinet
A review by Brett Adkins [The Herald, 16:11:2012]. Re-used for this 2nd edition [2019]
It may be known as the jewel of the Karoo, but this probing photographic take on Graaff Reinet reflects a very different wealth which the historical town undoubtedly possesses. Very much focussed on its structures – from the humblest to the ornate architecture of some of its most familiar buildings – the pictorial mostly moves right away from the grandeur of some of the latter, and finds many more many interesting, colourful gems in some of the community’s less privileged areas.
Born in Graaff Reinet, Mzuvukile Maqetuka clearly knows his hometown inside out and his camera moves through its dusty streets – and sometimes into more lofty vantage points- to capture the quiet and attractive nature of its lifestyle, without – remarkably – using any of its inhabitants to tell his story. Rather, it’s the shanties, homes, business, churches and other diverse facades which makes up collective snapshot – often forlorn-looking on the face of it, but rich in character.
His lens takes in the township of Umasizakhe in all its multi-layered complexity – and that throws it into a golden light. Indeed, shooting in light that enhances the most modest of homes that are often painted in cheerful shades like peach and turquoise, adds more depth and interest to this catalogue of structural studies. There are breaks from this journey when Maqetuka transports us to the dizzying heights of the Valley of Desolation and presents striking, strangely vibrant images of its unique rock formations, as well as an aerial-like shot of the sprawling town below.
It is a meandering picture story which anyone familiar with the haunting of many a Karoo town will find fascinating.
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Impressions of St Francis
Photographic Journey through St Francis Bay & Cape St Francis
There are many other seaside resorts, so what is it about St Francis that has appealed to so many? Were you to conduct a survey among the homeowners, ‘sea’ and ‘surf’ and ‘fishing’ and ‘boating’ would crop up time and time again, but no two answers would be precisely the same.
So take a long glass and pour yourself a frosted drink. Settle back in your favourite chair. Now, while a passing zephyr cools your brow, study the images provided by local photographers. Look carefully to see if you can discover what it is that makes St Francis, despite the sea and the sand that it shares with countless other resort towns along the South African coast, so very special.
Bartle Logie
St Francis Bay
