Posted by Hilton Hamann on Tuesday, February 7, 2012,
Posted by Hilton Hamann on Sunday, February 5, 2012,
Recently I went along with hair and make up artist, Claire Calvert, to
grab a few shots of the bridal preparations at wedding at which she was
booked to make the bridal party look beautiful. The event took place
in Cullinan the site where the Cullinan Diamond was found. At the time
it was the world's largest diamond. The stone is now part of the British
Royal Family's Crown Jewels. I was not the primary photographer, in
fact I never even got to see the bridegroom and when the bride got i... Continue reading ...
Posted by Hilton Hamann on Saturday, December 24, 2011,
 December 16 is considered, by many Afrikaners, their most holy day.
It
commemorates the December 16, Battle of Blood River in 1838 when they
believe God gave them an unlikely victory against thousands of Zulu
warriors.
Each year, thousands of Afrikaners gather at the
Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria to celebrate and remember that day and
reaffirm their culture values and beliefs.
New Blood River
In many ways they are once again engaged in a 'new battle of Blood
River' as whites - and...
I have three gallery exhibitions coming up in the next couple of months and have been busy printing cyanotypes over the past couple of weeks. It's been somewhat frustrating with all the rain and cloudy weather. I have, however, managed to get a few printed. I will have a permanent gallery exhibition at a new gallery in Pretoria soon, will also be exhibiting in Magaliesberg and later may exhibit at Smuts House in Pretoria. Here are some of the limited-edition prints that will be on display. Continue reading ...
Posted by Hilton Hamann on Tuesday, November 9, 2010,
 It's amazing how many blog posts, all over the internet, start with the phrase: "...it's been a long time since I've posted on my blog."
In keeping with that fine tradition, it has been a long time since I have posted on my blog. Life always seems to get in the way and I have had my head firmly down making cyanotypes and prints for a solo exhibition that will take place next week. I have also had a number of commissions that needed to be completed.
But along the way I purchased a 1950s Minol...
Posted by Hilton Hamann on Wednesday, May 12, 2010,
Sunday was Mother's Day and I got to take some formal, set up, portraits at the local Baptist Church. I brought in lights and a backdrop and shot the pics with a Nikon D70 as people wanted instant feedback. I prefer to shoot portraits in black and white with a medium format camera, using real film but as the images will only be enlarged to 8" x 12" digital was just fine. I think the pics work well in colour. Continue reading ...
Posted by Hilton Hamann on Wednesday, April 14, 2010,
On Saturday 10 April I got hired to photograph Ceilidh Vigoriti's 30th birthday. The celebrations took place at Pomodoro Ristorante in Morningside, Johannesburg. We set up a "photo booth" with studio lights where guests were photographed when they arrived, many choosing to ham it up with supplied props. Throughout the rest of the evening I shot digital pics of the proceedings which were printed out on the spot and given to the guests. It was a great idea and worked wonderfully. In addition I... Continue reading ...
Posted by Hilton Hamann on Thursday, April 1, 2010,
I am beginning to think I have super-powers and should be called "the Rain-maker" -- but don't tell prospective brides who want to hire me! The last couple of weddings I've done have all had one thing in common -- rain and rapidly-changing, poor light. Danielle and Wimpie's wedding was not different. When we arrived at the venue, the Thatchery in Muldersdrift, it was overcast and threatening to rain but every few minutes a gap in the clouds would appear and bright sunlight streamed through. T... Continue reading ...
Posted by Hilton Hamann on Tuesday, March 9, 2010,
 A little while ago I was asked to photograph the golden wedding anniversary celebrations of the parents of two of my best friends.
Werner and Klara Hollenstein (the couple) are Swiss/German and I wanted to use a camera that would be appropriate for the occasion. Something German and around 50 years old.
I had a couple of options -- a Zeiss Contaflex, a Voigtlander Prominent, a Rolleiflex -- but I opted for a 50 year-old Kodak Retina Reflex. The Retinas were made by Nagel & Co in Germany and ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Hilton Hamann on Monday, February 8, 2010,
I've been scouring the Internet in search of easy-to-make "kitchen-table" developers. Why, when there are good commercial developers available? Firstly because it is fun and secondly because I am committed to film and do not want to have to rely on the whims of companies whose only consideration is whether a product makes a profit or not. Elsewhere I wrote about Caffenol and Caffenol C but, with current the price of pure coffee, I wanted something cheaper. My search led me to a recipe publi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Hilton Hamann on Thursday, January 21, 2010,
 I had a great time photographing two year-old, Josh Cachia. The little
guy never stops moving which explains why his face is slightly blurred
unlike that of his long-suffering dog. The weather was overcast and
damp, which meant I had to shoot wide open with the rangefinder camera
I was using at 1/15 of a second. But I think the slight blur
captures the little tyke's energy and says something about him.
Sometimes an out of focus picture can be more effective than one that
is blindingly sharp. ... Continue reading ...
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