1. I was excited when I found out that the sartorialist was in South Africa, specifically Johannesburg. He captured some amazing fashion shots. His pictures were able to capture a sense of modernity and the vibrancy that is associated with the African continent. I love that he did not succumb to the usual pictures foreigners take while here. As an African I cringe when I see pictures taken by non-Africans depicting the same things and that are stereotypical (the poverty, hungry kids etc). Granted, they do exist and must be highlighted. But I often wonder if they intentionally go to look out for such dire circumstances. When portraying people, a photographer must try to be objective. On your way to a remote village, you can capture the city dwellers and the infrastructures and also capture the villagers.
I remember once an international magazine came out with an edition where they had an expose on the ‘new Africa’. I was so excited I grabbed one to read. What I saw shocked me pictures of forests and a small dusty town. The expose was done in two countries, one of which was war torn or still at war. I could not identify with this ‘new Africa’ they were showing, I kept on asking myself how come they didn’t go to other lovely African countries for photos. Back to the sartorialist, I could identify with his pictures, it also opened my eyes to SA street style (eclectic and amazing). Recently he also posted pictures from Poland, I find them refreshingly different from the usual New York, Paris and Milan shots.
You can click here to see the shots or go to www.thesartorialist.com
2. This week at church I heard this sentence during sermon: ‘Happiness depends on your circumstances but joy comes from within you’. So profound and true.
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