Learn about photography in Cape Town

By: Penny Swift

If you enjoy photography and want a perfect location where you can learn the craft and experiment with what you have learnt, Cape Town is the place to be.

Without a doubt one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Cape Town offers incredible opportunities for people who want to capture amazing images.

It is a city of contrasts offering sophisticated lifestyles back-to-back with squatter camps and long-established urban townships. This in turn gives the ardent photographer the opportunity to find a wide range of people and places within a relatively small area. Then there is the scenery, from the ever-changing Atlantic Ocean to the city's own glorious mountain, with or without its characteristic "tablecloth". The urban landscape is also vastly varied, from the lower slopes of Table Mountain where zebra and various buck (including Wildebeest and Impala) graze within sight of the city centre and the bustling harbour, to streets of historical buildings that will thrill photographers with an architectural bent.

There are numerous venues where you can learn the art and craft of photography, and the type of course you opt for will depend on:

• your needs;


• how serious you are about learning new skills


• how much time you want to spend studying; and


• what you are prepared to spend on the course.

Here are a few options to explore.

Cape Town School of Photography

based in the heart of the old city not far from the historic Roeland Street Gaol, offers both fulltime and part-time courses from introductory to advanced photography. Classes are generally small and personalised, and they run for between eight and ten weeks either in the mornings or evenings. The school, launched more than nine years ago, also offers individual sessions and weekend workshops.

The Cape Town School of Photography courses for beginners are largely practical but will teach you all the basic technical skills that you need to get started. Every week you will be given a weekly shooting assignment to practice what you have learnt and build up your own personal portfolio.

The school recently launched a "social documentary course" which focuses on simple photo journalism. Another new offering is a photographic wedding course that ends with students doing a full-on wedding shoot at the beautiful Constantia Uitsig Wine Estate, situated down an unpretentious dirt farm road on land that once belonged to Cape Colony governor Simon van der Stel.

Fast Forward Photography Courses

established in 2004, is located close to the centre of Cape Town and within walking distance of the city and the original Cape Colony Gardens which is now an open public park.

Run by successful professional photographer Mareli Esterhuizen, Fast Forward offers inspirational part-time courses and workshops that will teach you basic technical skills. All classes are limited to small groups so that you get individual attention and fun group interaction. Mareli, who also teaches at the well known Ruth Prowse School of Art in Cape Town's very first suburb, Woodstock, organises regular practical exercises and gives regular assessment sessions for students.

The Fast Forward basic course is held over five weeks (with sessions twice a week). Practical exercises include a visit to the picturesque Kalk Bay Harbour with its wooden fishing boats and characterful fishermen and women.

After you have done the basic course, there is an optional advanced photography course that is run over three sessions. There is also a wedding photo course.

SAE Institute

offers informal and creative photography sessions that focus on the practical aspects of photography. Classes are limited to small groups (but at least 10 students) to ensure one-on-one training and a non-intimidating environment that students can enjoy.
The basic course is a three day workshop that includes theory, practical and critique sessions.

The SAE Institute is in Church Square which is right in the centre of the original city, and surrounded by beautiful architecture.

Cape Photographic Company is based in the Noordhoek Valley, one of the more rural parts of Cape Town, and a good 40 minute to an hour's drive from the city centre. Run by professional photographer, Peter Haarhof who is also a qualified tour guide, Cape Photographic Company specialises in photographic day tours in and around Cape Town.

A range of photography courses and workshops are offered, either "in the field" or at the Company's headquarters that overlook the small, private Solele Game Reserve. All the courses and workshops comprise both theory and practical work and are geared for any level of experience, from total amateurs to professional photographers wanting to improve their techniques and skills.

NB:

All the photo courses mentioned require prior booking and a deposit to secure your place.

By: Penny Swift

Penny Swift is a seasoned writer who has worked for newspapers, magazines and has produced numerous books on many different subjects. She also writes long-distance courses and tutors for a correspondence college.

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