Children’s Photography Masterclass

An old favourite re-edited on what is perhaps a more soulful approach to children’s photography.

I include a small portfolio of pre-schools in the photography work that I do around the greater Durban area, offering an attractive alternative to the traditional style of school photography that is perhaps more the norm. I give 20% of all my income directly back to the schools I work with for them to spend buying something that the kids need; it’s nice to give back when you can.

Download the showcase editorial for free HERE (3.75Mb)

Children's photography, For Photographers, Masterclass Tutorial

Childrens photography masterclass, Durban childrens photographer, Durban school photographer, simple soulful sensational, soulful black and white children's photography

July 26, 2013

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City of London

It’s a tough job but I was in London earlier in the year shooting some images of ‘The Shard’ (Qatari-owned) for my Qatar image collection. London is such an awesome city and there is of course an endless abundance of tremendous architecture all over the place, both old and new, just begging to be photographed so here is a small selection of some of mine shot in the cold and the snow on a blistery winter’s day…

Architecture, City of London, For Photographers, News

City Hall, international architectural photographer, London architectural photographer, London Eye, London Underground, Qatar buildings in London, Southwark Station, The Shard

July 12, 2013

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Stock Clearance Sale

It’s that time of the year again as we have a massive clear-out of all the photography bits and pieces buried in camera bags at the back of cupboards that just NEVER get used.

My original Canon EOS 5D camera has been the backbone of my business for the last four years but just doesn’t get used anymore now that I’ve upgraded to the 5D MK2. There’s arguably not a lot of difference between the image quality of them both, especially shooting architecture on a tripod at ISO100, so the 5D MK1 full-frame camera is an awesome buy! It’s got the BG-E4 battery grip included for FREE along with a 2GB Compact Flash card. The camera has just been fully serviced by CameraTek in Johannesburg and I have just put a brand new anti-aliasing filter into it so this is essentially a brand new camera.

I bought the Canon 100-400m lens & 2x converter to aiming to shoot some wildlife and sports imagery but I just don’t get out enough to use it. The Canon 15mm fisheye is a real gem, essentially brand new and extra special as Canon just don’t make them anymore so they are REALLY hard to source.

The Lensbaby is a heck of a lot o f fun to shoot with creating some wonderful arty type imagery; I shot 10 of my FIFA World Cup images of the various stadiums with this lens, it’s THAT good.

Everything MUST go so give me a shout if you’re looking for anything…

For Photographers, KwaZulu Natal, News

July 8, 2013

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Architecture & Construction Photography Masterclass

Wow, it’s certainly been a mad busy last 6-months flying back and forth to Qatar working on an extensive image-based PR campaign for the Qatar Financial Centre Authority in Doha.

In the first 6-months of our project we have built up an exclusive members-only image stock library with some 850 high-impact photographs and had 73 of those published alongside editorials in some of the world’s leading financial magazines, giving our client a 314% return in relation to the cost of the project.

With the searing summer heat now sweeping across the Middle East it’s a good time to take a deep breath and focus on some local work promoting South African architects and architecture where we can.

To showcase some of the sensational architecture we have photographed both locally and abroad it seemed like a good idea to compile an ‘Architectural and Construction Photography Masterclass’ to help demonstrate the work we’ve done and the style of imagery we typically shoot helping promote architects where we can.

Feel free to download it HERE (4.11Mb) and to distribute as you like…

Architecture, City of Durban, City of London, For Photographers, KwaZulu Natal, Masterclass Tutorial, News, Published work, Qatar, United Arab Emirates

Architecture Masterclass, construction photography, London architectural photographer, Qatar architectural photographer, South African architectural photographer, UAE architectural photographer

July 2, 2013

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Canon Professional Services

HOORAY, after probably 20-odd years of shooting exclusively on Canon products (EOS 600 & EOS 3 film cameras) and over eight years shooting digitally as a professional photographer (using my Canon EOS 5D) I have finally just managed to secure membership of the world-wide Canon Professional Services club.

My camera bag includes the original and impressive EOS 5D MK1 (an incredible workhorse that has served me well for over 8 years of shooting) and had a bag full of L-series lenses (including two of their top premier lenses – the 17mm Tilt & Shift lens specifically for shooting architecture & the 85mm f1.2L which is quite sensational for portraiture and capturing children in low light). I have recently added a second EOS 5D to my arsenal by upgrading the the 5D MK2 which offers double the resolution, double the detail and double the clarity on my imagery over what the 5D MK1 was capable of producing.

It is commonly preached “buy what you NEED, not what you WANT”…  whilst I’d love to shoot on an 80 mega-pixel medium format system, with full 16-bit capture, no anti-aliasing filter like all 35mm DSLR’s have (which naturally softens images), the truth is that the industry at large simply doesn’t demand that level of image quality anymore when the imagery off an old 5D MK1 is still sensational enough to satisfy most clients requirements and is acceptable for any international photo library submission.

My 5D MK2 comfortably outperforms what I need it to do, currently shooting for and managing an exclusive members-only international image stock library. My Canon gear is reliable, performs beautifully and gets the job done! Now I wonder if  I can get Canon to send me a nice T-Shirt and a peaked cap…?

Architecture, News

architecture, Canon Professional Services, Fundamental Exposure, Qatar photographer

March 5, 2013

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Reach for a Dream

We’re very pleased and excited to have just donated one of our very exclusive FIFA 2010 Fine Art Artist Proof prints to the Reach for a Dream Foundation to help raise some money for children that are fighting life-threatening diseases.

Reach For A Dream believes that no child should live without hope. Childhood can be the most magical phase of the human existence, filled with dreams, aspirations and most of all… fun!  For children who have been diagnosed as having a life-threatening illness, the magic of childhood may be lost in the emotional, physical and financial strain of dealing with their illness. Reach For A Dream tries to alleviate some of this strain (which often affects the whole family), by creating a different environment for the child – one that is not focused on her/ his illness. We would like our children to find their laughter again and therein find the strength to live beyond their illnesses.

Reach For A Dream fulfils the dreams of children between the ages of 3 and 18 who have been diagnosed as having a life-threatening illness by a medical practitioner. We do not discriminate based on race, culture, financial status or any other factor.

The rare fine art print we have donated is one of our own favourite’s, of the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, valued at R45,000 (US$5,300). The print is an absolute one-off officially endorsed by FIFA as a licensed fine art product of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. It is the one single print in the series that was ever produced of this architectural photograph; the FIFA Fine Art license has expired so these prints can never be reproduced adding to their value and rarity for fine art collectors and investment art buyers.

The print is available for purchase through the Imbizo Gallery at the Lifestyle Shopping Centre in Ballito. 100% of the money raised through the sale of the print goes directly to the Reach for a Dream Foundation. Sized at 850x610mm the image is printed on museum-quality archival cotton rag paper, numbered and signed, embossed with the official FIFA World Cup stamp and framed ready-to-hang…

Go on, you know you want it, and it IS for a good cause…!

Architecture, City of Durban, FIFA World Cup 2010, KwaZulu Natal, News, Published work

2010 Fine Art, Charitable donation, Durban architectural photographer, FIFA World Cup photographer, Imbizo Gallery, Moses Mabhida Stadium, Reach for a Dream

December 23, 2012

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Featured: ‘SA Roofing’ magazine

Hooray, there’s no nicer treat than learning that your work has been featured in another of South Africa’s leading trade publications. Below a copy of a 4-page editorial showcasing the work I have with Safintra Roofing this year shooting their Great South African Architecture campaign.

The feature showcases the wonderful New Jerusalem Children’s Home in Johannesburg (by 4D+A Architects), House Strey in Pretoria (by Strey Architects), and Elphick Proome Architect’s office studio in Durban (by Elphick Proome Architects).

You can download a copy of the full high-res file HERE

Architecture, Published work

4D+A Architects, Durban architectural photographer, Elphick Proome Architects, Great South African Architecture, SA Roofing magazine, Safintra Roofing, Strey Architects

December 4, 2012

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Stormy weather!

Apologies, I know that the Blog has been a bit quiet of late – I’ve been away travelling working in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar and back here at home we’ve had seemingly nothing but rain and stormy moody cloud for the last 6-8 weeks so it has been hard to get out and take any photographs (or make any money), such is the challenge of being an architectural photographer.

Moody cloudy skies of course provide the most sensational opportunity for shooting interesting moody-looking high-impact images (it’s one of my favourite times to be out shooting and creating) but the resultant imagery doesn’t do much for estate agents, architects and property developers who much prefer wonderful blue-sky weather shots to showcase and market their properties in the ‘best available light’.

Non-the-less below a moody image of a new building I’ve been shooting over the last few weeks for Elphick Proome Architects in the Ridgeside Office Park near Umhlanga Rocks north of Durban.

Architecture, KwaZulu Natal

Durban architectural photographer, Elphick Proome Architects, Oakbrook Holdings, Ridgeside Office Park

December 1, 2012

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This is Formula 1

Well Kimi Raikkonen on winning the 2012 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in fine style, another sad day for Lewis, that’s motor racing I guess?

 

 

 

 

Published work, United Arab Emirates

2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Abu Dhabi photographer, etihad airways, F1 photographer, Kimi Raikkonen, this is formula 1, Winner Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

November 4, 2012

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41,000 BIG ones!

Wow, my Blog just clicked over 41,000 hits this weekend – that’s over 98 Boeing 747’s packed full of people who have visited my Blog and have followed my work.

So if you’re one of those a HUGE thank you to you from me!

Kindest regards,

Dennis

Architecture, News, Published work

November 4, 2012

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Qatar National Exhibition Centre

Below a few images from my recent visit to photograph the very sensational ‘Qatar National Convention Centre’ (QNCC) which achieved an impressive ‘LEED Gold’ sustainability award under the US Green Building Council sustainability award system!

Designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, the Qatar National Convention Centre, which opened in 2011, features nearly 40,000 sq meters of exhibition space without pillars divisible into 7 halls.  The flexibility of the building offers the capacity for a conference or gala dinner for 10,000 guests.  There is a dedicated multi-purpose hall for 4,200 guests.  In the convention centre, there is a 2,500-seat auditorium, a 500-seat theatre, an auditorium with capacity for 300-472 delegates. It is one of the largest convention centres in the Middle East. The roof contains 3,600 m² of solar panels which  supplies about 12.5% of the buildings total energy needs.

The stunning architectural design is centred around a steel replica of the Sidra tree. Traditionally, the Sidra tree was a retreat for poets and scholars, who gathered beneath its branches to discuss and impart knowledge. The QNCC also recently won the much coveted title of ‘Middle East’s Leading Exhibition & Convention Centre’ by World Travel Awards (WTA) 2012.

 

 

Architecture, Qatar

arata isozaki, Arata Isozaki architect, Qatar architectural photographer, Qatar National Exhibition Centre, Qatar photography, Sidra tree

November 3, 2012

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House Indhul, Simbithi Eco-Estate, Durban

Some of my (unpublished) images of the quite-sensational House Indhul in the Simbithi Eco Estate north of Durban, photographed on commission for the premier South African sustainability-orientated Earthworks magazine recently.

The October-November 2012 edition of the magazine is due to hit the shelves on Monday (at all good bookstores and supermarkets near you) so keep an eye out for it to read the full eight-page editorial containing my imagery and to read all about the incredible sustainability initiatives which were employed in the design and construction of this wonderful home for the architect owner/client Suren Indhul at i3LAB architectural practice in Durban.

 

 

 

Architecture, City of Durban, KwaZulu Natal, Published work

Durban architectural photography, Earthworks magazine, Green building design, House Indhul, Simbithi Eco-Estate

October 3, 2012

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COVER: ‘earthworks’ magazine (South Africa)

Hooray, ‘Dennis Guichard Photography’ bags another sensational new magazine cover, this time for the sustainability-orientated Earthworks magazine (South Africa’s leading magazine on sustainability in the property and construction industry). We’ve got the cover AND an eight-page editorial inside featuring a portfolio of images I shot on the environmentally-friendly House Indhul in the Simbithi Residential Eco-Estate north of Durban recently. The editorial is wonderfully written by the talented Georgie Chennells at the KwaZulu Natal Institute for Architecture in Durban.

The October-November 2012 edition of the magazine is now back from the printers I am told so should be on the shelves from Monday next week.

Look out for it; it’s probably their best edition yet… ;-D

Architecture, City of Durban, KwaZulu Natal, Published work

Durban architectural photographer, Durban residential architecture, Earthworks magazine, House Indhul, Simbithi Eco-Estate

October 3, 2012

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Blackburn Bridge

Here at ‘Dennis Guichard Photography’ we even make bridges look sexy (which they of course all mostly are anyway aren’t they?).

Presenting the Blackburn cablestay pedestrian bridge spanning the N2 freeway near the Gateway Precinct north of Durban…

Architecture, KwaZulu Natal

Blackburn Bridge, Durban architectural photographer, infrastructure photography

September 14, 2012

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FEATURED: ‘Leading Architecture’ magazine

It’s always a tremendous feeling to receive some recognition for the work that you do so I’m indebted to the prestigious South African ‘Leading Architecture’ magazine for their ongoing support and the platform they provide to enable me to repeatedly showcase my photography and thereby also help publicise the many amazing architectural projects that I get to shoot across the country.

You can download a high-resolution copy of the double-page editorial HERE (2.26Mb) which is currently being featured on their website.

 

Architecture, For Photographers, KwaZulu Natal, Published work, United Arab Emirates

architectural photography, architecture, architecture magazine, dennis guichard photography, Durban architectural photographer, focus on architecture, international architectural photographer, Leading Architecture magazine

September 10, 2012

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