Photographer Interview: Jeanette Verster
Jeanette Verster or @Jenty as she is known to those who follow her on Twitter is a very inspirational and in my opinion, talented portrait photographer. Learn a bit more about her and her photography with the first of my monthly photographic interviews. Should you wish to contact Jeanette her details are available at the end of the interview.
How long have you been shooting photos for, both socially and professionally?
I’ve always loved taking photos, but in May 2007, while I was on maternity leave, there was a challenge on a local online parenting forum to take a photo a day and post the photo on a blog. I thought that I would give it a bash, it would be a way to take photos of my kids every day. LOL, after about 3 months I was the only one out of the original 15 people still doing it. After I won the 2008 SA Photographic Blog of the year, I thought it was time to buy a proper camera – and my husband bought me a DSLR for my birthday. That’s when I really started learning. I joined a camera club, and started taking it more seriously. I started building my portfolio in about September 2008, and I started charging for shoots in January 2009.
What camera gear do you use?
Canon 350D. I hardly use the kit lens anymore. My favourite lenses are my Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 and my Canon 50mm f1.8. I also have a Sigma 70-300mm APO f3.5-4.5 which I rarely use. I also have a Speedlight 430EX with a diffuser.
What camera gear do you have on your wish-list?
Oooh where do I start… I’d love to upgrade my camera body to a 5DII, but more realistically a 50D. I would also like a proper macro lens, and a proper wide angle lens… and also a 85mm and an upgrade on my 50mm.
For post work, are you a PC or MAC lady?
PC
What software do you use for editing and post work?
I use Adobe Bridge and PS3
Can you briefly explain your post production workflow?
This needs finetuning, because I’m spending huge amounts of time post processing at the moment. I use Adobe Bridge to see the RAW files, and then choose which ones to change to jpg (which is normally most of them). Then I open the JPG in PS3, play with curved first, and then apply some of my favourite actions to see whether they work on that particular image. Once I have basic images for all of the ones I like, I then run a B&W action on them all.
What style of shooting is your favourite?
I lean more towards photo-journalistic style and on-location portrait work. I prefer taking photos of people interacting naturally than posing for me. I LOVE going out with fellow photographers to take photos of places and people etc (like the Soweto outings I’ve done lately).
What style is your least favourite and what would you NOT photograph and why?
My least favourite is landscape photography. I’m in awe of some of the local landscape photographers, but I really struggle with it, my landscape work is quite bland, I think. The only thing I can think of now being able to photograph is something dead – you know like some of the photographers in the US that take photos of babies that have just died – that does not appeal to me at all. It’s far too sad, and yes, I know it’s a way to remember, but I couldn’t handle doing it. Other than that, I’m game to try anything.
What inspires you to shoot photos, and what inspired you to become a photographer?
My inspiration started as a way to record my kids lives, but now it’s more about showing people what I’ve seen. I love everyones reactions to the photos I take. I love that it’s a permanent record of where they were at that point in time. I must say though, that I get inpired by fellow bloggers all over the world all of the time. I often read a blog post and think that I should really try that out too. And then I go and make it happen… but in my own way with my own interpretation.
What is your favourite photo-shoot to date, why, and can you send us a link to your favourite picture from that shoot?
My favourite shoot is the one I did with my sister and her friend last weekend – http://www.jeanetteverster.com/2009/05/best-friends-johannesburg-lifestyle-photographer/. It didn’t pan out the way we planned it. It was supposed to be about them in the veld in evening dresses, but it was so very cold that they stayed in jeans and jackets. I love how it turned out. I love the interaction between them, and the funkiness of some of the shots. My sister has been dying to get proper photos of her on a horse, and I’m thrilled at the way they turned out… I captured her love of horses, and the way that they respond to her – the horse in the photos hadn’t seen her for more than a year and hadn’t been ridden for a year. My favourite photo from the shoot is…http://www.jeanetteverster.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/friends-at-the-broken-down-house.jpg
Have you ever had one of those “Damn, why don’t I have my camera with me now?” moments, and what was it you wish you could have taken (a) photo(s) of?
Often!! Especially now that I have a DSLR and I don’t have it waiting on the passenger seat in the car for the next perfect moment. My most recent moment was at that shoot. I didn’t have my zoom lens on me as I was doing close portraits, and 2 zebras were calling the horses and eventually the horses were on the one side of the fence in the paddocks and the zebras just on the other side. As soon as we got closer for a photo, they ran away.
What’s your preference and why?
Lots of small capacity memory cards, shoot to disk or extremely large capacity memory cards (16-32GB). I only have 2 cards – a 2GB and a 4GB memory cards. I clear them as soon as I get home and download them onto the PC and eventually an external hard-drove. I’ve only filled both of them on one occasion where I didn’t go home between 2 shoots. I should really get more.
Have you ever had your work displayed in a gallery, and would you like to have your work displayed – again, if yes – and would you ever consider a collaborative display with say, 5 – 10 photographers?
No, but I do submit my photos to a camera club every month for judging. That has improved my photography immensely. I’d love to display it one day, but then I’d have a problem choosing what to display. That’s my problem with camera club, I can only submit 3 images yet I take so many every month.
Lastly, in the interest of promotion, please could you let the viewers know where they can view your work and keep in contact with you? i.e. Twitter, Website, Flickr, IM (if you want), etc.
Website: http://www.jeanetteverster.com
Twitter: @jenty
flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenty/
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeanette-Verster-Photography/36834487444
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Thank you for talking to us Jenty, what a cool interview
Very cool!
just so everyone knows.
if i ever get married?
this woman is SO *my* photographer!
Jeanette is such an awesome photographer. She has an absolute talent and I would noy hesitate to get her to shoot an event for me.