An interview with photographer, Belia Oh

We asked you to choose a photograph that sums up your inspiration for photography.  What do you like about this particular one?

 

Faces have always intrigued me. I have a background in art and music, and I really appreciate good photography, mainly portraits. I started going to SA gigs a few years ago so I love doing that anyway. When I got my camera last year, I started photographing almost anything. I'm very close to Fanbible ambassador, Shannon Hope, so I decided to photograph some of her shows in Cape Town. I liked it. I started shooting a few gigs here and there, as well as a press shoot for Shannon and we were both very happy with the outcome of those shots. 

 

When I photographed the Folk 'n Acoustic Music Festival at the CTICC in Dec 2011, my photographs got some attention which gave me some extra motivation to keep doing this. I crop my shots quite close and have realised that I'm doing what I've always wanted to do: photographing interesting faces and capturing great expressions that help to translate the music I love in a visual way. This shot of Tombstone Pete shows the movement, music, passion, expression and emotion that I appreciate so much.

 

 

 

 

What about South African live music makes you want to spend so much time photographing it?

 

I go to a lot of SA gigs because I love music and I appreciate the talent that we have in this country. People pay hundreds of Rands to see international artists, but we have so much talent right here and most of the gigs are under R100, sometimes as low as R20 or even free. What an underrated opportunity. I like supporting SA music and I know musicians always need new photographs, so it’s a win-win. 

 

I feel almost like there is a magic in capturing the music that I love so much in photographs, almost as though I'm stealing special moments, like a small tender touch between Rouchelle and Darren from Diesel Vanilla, Sannie Fox from Machineri gathering herself between verses as she sings her soul to the world , the sublime facial expression of Mark Fransman making love to his accordion, or Shannon Hope smiling as she lives the lyrics of her songs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You've shot artists like Fanbible Ambassador Shannon Hope, Machiniri, Hog Hoggity Hog, Plush, Guy Buttery and many more. Do you photograph different artists in different ways or is there a theme throughout?

 

I’ve only been photographing for five months, so I’m still figuring out my style. I choose who I photograph because I love their music and vibe, or because they have an interesting look, or because they have great facial expressions on stage, like George from Hog Hoggidy Hog. I'm still learning how to photograph different settings - acoustic, full bands, outdoors, indoors. Lighting is my biggest challenge at the moment but I'm learning with every gig. My theme, I suppose, is portraiture. I like cropping out all the noise to create something more intimate.

 

 

 

 

Where do you see your photography in 5 years time?

 

Obviously I’d like to develop my craft and improve the quality of my photographs with more experience. I look forward to meeting the artists that I'll have the opportunity to photograph. Meeting the legendary Koos Kombuis, for example, was such an honour! He is not someone I would have ordinarily met. On my "Bucket List" is a book. I've always wanted to publish a book of my own photographs, so perhaps one day I'll be able to document the current music scene and fulfill one of my dreams at the same time. I don't want to commit to charging for shoots now, but maybe one day people will want to buy my work.

 

 

 

 

Photographers love shooting in black and white. Can you explain what the attraction is to this particular medium?

 

Black and white has always appealed to me in photography. I sometimes feel like the colour detracts from the focus of what I'm trying to capture, but I just like the mood of black and white. I can't quite put my finger on why.

 

 

 

Composition in photography is everything. Tell us a little bit about your approach to composition with regard to snapping shots of the artist or audience.

 

I like to crop my shots so that there is little in the shot that can detract from my main focus. Stage backgrounds aren't always what I want in my image. I love watching people and I like to pay close attention to detail, which can often say so much more than the whole picture sometimes, like the wings on the back of Sannie's jeans. I generally don't concentrate on the audience but if someone or something stands out, then I like to capture that moment. I love people who look different, people watching the music with focused attention (like the young girl at Hot Water) , people dancing and having fun. It's all part of the magic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And there's more where these came from. Check out Belia's Facebook page here.