The Harmony of Raw and Refined...

There is a specific thrill in photographing a home that understands the balance of materials. In my latest architectural shoot, I had the opportunity to document a residence that perfectly marries the rugged, grounding presence of natural stone with the ethereal lightness of expansive glazing.

From the moment you approach the facade, the scale of the stone-clad gables sets a tone of permanence. Yet, as you move toward the pool deck, those heavy elements seem to float, interrupted by glass walls that dissolve the boundary between the interior lounge and the manicured gardens.

Chasing the Light

For an architectural photographer, this house is a playground of light. In the main dining hall, the double-volume ceiling and high windows create a "light box" effect. I wanted to capture how the midday sun emphasizes the grain in the wood finishes and the polished sheen of the floors without losing the softness of the interior palette.

Focusing on the Details

While the wide-angle "hero" shots of the pool and facade tell the story of the structure, the smaller details reveal the home's soul:

• The Textural Contrast: The rugged exterior stone transition into sleek, dark marble in the master ensuite.

• The Gilded Edge: A standout feature was the master bedroom’s gold-leaf textured wallpaper—a bold choice that adds an unexpected layer of warmth and luxury when hit by the afternoon sun.

• Indoor-Outdoor Flow: The seamless transition from the kitchen to the outdoor "braai" and lounge area highlights the modern lifestyle this home was built for.

Final Thoughts

Architecture is about more than just shelter; it’s about an experience. Capturing this project was about finding those angles where the architect's vision and the homeowner's lifestyle meet.

Photographed for architect Bruce Rowlands.

Are you an architect or developer with a recently completed project? I’d love to help you tell its story through professional imagery. [Click here to get in touch] and let’s discuss your next shoot.

The Art of Living: Capturing Contemporary Grandeur...

This recent shoot for Bruce Rowlands Architects was a fantastic exercise in capturing grand architectural scale without losing the "soul" of the home. As a photographer, my challenge was to translate the flow between the highly structured interiors and the organic beauty of the surrounding gardens.

Mastering the Light

The interiors of this estate featured a beautiful mix of high-contrast finishes—specifically the deep forest-green kitchen and the black-and-white checkered foyer. To do these justice, I focused on balancing the strong natural light flooding through the French doors with the ambient interior glow, ensuring the textures of the marble and timber remained crisp and true to life.

Composition & Connection

One of my favorite aspects of this project was the transition from the formal living spaces to the functional vegetable garden. I chose specific angles to emphasize this "indoor-outdoor" connection, using the garden's symmetry to lead the eye back toward the house.

The Final Frame

We wrapped the shoot at dusk to capture the estate’s "hero" shot. Utilizing the pool as a reflective surface allowed me to double the visual impact of the architecture against the evening sky—a perfect example of how the right timing can elevate a property’s presence.

Modern architecture with APS...

I have been working with Harare’s Architectural Planning Services for many many years now and I am always excited to get a call from them when a newly completed project is ready to be photographed. This was no exception when I got the call a few moths ago to photograph a newly completed private residence in one of Harares’ more hilly areas. Perched on the top of a rise with stunning views into the surrounding Msasa tress and valleys this modern take on a tuscan style home takes full advantage of the stunning views that surround it. You can read more about and see more of my images on the APS website as well as the images below, as usual I would love to hear your thoughts on the results!

Burnt Earth Designs...

I had such a fun time with Burnt Earth Designs recently! They manufacture bespoke clay mosaics in Harare. The sheer creativity and devotion that goes into each ceramic piece is amazing, and the results are breathtaking! I was lucky enough to get to photograph a variety of Burnt Earth installations recently, and you can see for yourself how stunning they are below.

Now these amazing installations would not be possible without being able to implement that creative vision in the workshop. Each piece is hand made from scratch by a small, talented team in their Harare worksop.

Possibly even more impressive than the team at the workshop is the team at the studio who make the ceramic pots, cups and cutlery using a potters wheel. The skill, practice and patience required to create the beautiful results is a pleasure to watch!

A tasty calendar...

I am lucky enough to do a lot of food photography, so I was more than pleased when I was approached by Freddy Hirsch Zimbabwe to help them create images for their 2019 calendar. The meals where prepared by the awesome chefs at The Bistro Restaurant and my good friend Giani DiTano was in charge of the art direction. The brief was to photograph scrumptious dishes of food that showcased the range of Freddy Hirsch spices. I also photographed each spice pack in the studio along with a heaped pile of the spices to showcase the vibrant colours of each spice. I am sure you will agree that the combination of delicious food and vibrant colours complement each other well in the calendar.

Sitting under the stars...

I’m not sure if there is anything more peaceful to do as a photographer than to sit under a million African stars in complete silence, with only the occasional clatter of your camera’s shutter disturbing the peace. Whenever I get the opportunity to do it I always wonder why it has been so long silence I last did it, and resolve to do it again soon!

Thankfully that is often easier than it sounds, especially in Africa where, even near a large city like Harare, the light pollution is not too bad. These photographs where taken at a popular tourism destination, Domboshawa, just a 15 minute drive from the edge of Harare. In a matter of a few hours and with 2 camera’s set up I manage to capture a variety of different angles of the iconic boulders, in amongst my musings at the stars!

If you would like to learn how to photograph the stars I will be leading workshops out to Domboshawa soon, please feel free to contact me if you would like to learn more, or check out our available courses here.

Bustling around Banff Lodge...

Earlier this year I was asked by the team at Banff Lodge to create some new marketing images of their BnB. Situated in the Bulawayo suburbs this family owned BnB was a real pleasure to shoot!

I was asked to cover all the public areas of the BnB in different lighting conditions and including some of the staff at work in the restaurant and their popular pool deck, I particularly like the images of the pool and external images of the BnB in the blue evening light, check them out below and see for yourself.

In addition to the general public areas some of the rooms had been newly refurbished and so some great images of these were also needed, what would a hospitality shoot be without pictures of the sumptuous rooms on offer?

Another highlight of the day for me was shooting their new food menu, the main challenge here was keeping my grumbling tummy at bay during the duration of the food shoot! Check out some of the delicious results below!

Its always a pleasure for me to do hotel photography and on this occasion with Banff lodge it was no different, I would like to say a huge thanks to the team on the ground who made everything happen to effortlessly!

Batonka and the beautiful Blue...

Batonka Guest Lodge must be one of the most well appointed small boutique lodges in Victoria Falls so when they asked me to help them update their marketing gallery I was thrilled! Although the focus was to create some fresh material to be used as signature images for the lodge's new marketing strategies some more general shots of the public areas and rooms where required to replace older images. You can see some of the great results below.

The owners of the lodge really love the look and vibe of the property in the 'blue light' just after sunset so as the sun started to dip over the horizon there was some frantic activity to ensure that all the areas we wanted to cover were well prepped and looking fantastic. I'm sure you will agree that the character of the lodge is really accentuated by the soft tones and poppy colours of that magical blue hour. 

In addition to the beautiful blue images above we took to the air to look for some unique angles of the lodge that really showcase the green haven that it is. As usual my drone did not disappoint and I was able to capture a stunning sunset above the lodge. 

All in all I am sure you will agree with me that the shoot was a great success, thankfully so did the owners of Batonka Guest Lodge who where thrilled with some of the fresh angles that we managed to capture! I had great fun shooting Batonka and would like to thank the owners for the opportunity to shoot and showcase the lodge.

Sweet experiences in Zimbabwe's lowveld...

I have been very fortunate to shoot for Tongaat Hulett in Zimbabwe's low veld sugar hub for the past several years and have enjoyed working with the sugar giant immensely. The scale of the agriculture and the overwhelming size of the production process offers almost unending photographic opportunities.

I was contracted by Tongaat to photograph their Zimbabwean operations for the 2017 annual report. The brief was to get as many dynamic shots of their operations, production and people as possible, with a key focus being on capturing unique and captivating images of their staff at work in all environments.

This really pleased the portrait photographer in me and I think i can say that i managed to get some honest and engaging shots of the Tongaat staff...

Tongaat have a massive agricultural footprint in Zimbabwe's low-veld, focused around the Triangle and Hippo Valley Estates with total land under sugar cane of roughly 40 000 hectares. When the operations are in full swing there are so many photographic opportunities avaiable that I was spoiled for choice. Cleary a major part of the brief was to capture the agricultural and harvesting side of the operations, which you can see below.

Each estate has its own sugar mill and combined can crush over 4.5 million tonnes of sugar cane annually, which produces roughly 600 000 tonnes of sugar! Massive is the only word that really describes this undertaking! I was lucky enough to spend a few days in the mills documenting the process form start to finish and learning all about the fascinating process that eventually results in processed sugar. 

The best way to appreciate the size of the agricultural footprint as well as the mills in my opinion is with aerial pictures. This is were my drone always shines, allowing me to capture unique angles and wide, stretching vistas.

All in all I always enjoy my assignments down to Tongaat Hulett and am already looking forward to my next assignment! If you have an agricultural project that you would like photographed, please don't hesiatte to contact me.

Shooting Sports....

In my line of work I am lucky enough to shoot a huge variety of content, and that is not limited to quite a few sporting occasions. Being a great lover of wildlife photography I have all the necessary fast camera's and long lenses to effectively shoot a large sports occasion. I love the challenge of a fast rugby game or the patience and observation required to shoot golf.

I have been lucky in my career to shoot a large number of golf days for corporates, as well as the internationally renowned Zimbabwe Open Golf tournament, check out a small selection of my golf images below. If you have a golf day coming up and would like it covered please don't hesitate to contact me.

I was very lucky to be commissioned by Old Mutual earlier this year to shoot the 2 super 15 games that were played here in Harare by 4 South African teams. Namely the Lions vs The Bulls and the Stormers vs The Cheetahs.

A few weeks ago I was commissioned by VHM Events Management  to shoot the Zimbabwe Polo Open, a sport that I had little experience with but loved every minute of!

Every year I am lucky enough to be asked by Old Mutual Zimbabwe to cover all their major sporting events, which includes a lot of Marathons, they are early starts and involve a lot of bumping around in the back of open vehicles but are incredibly fun to shoot!

If you have enjoyed these pictures and have a sporting event coming up that you would like covered, don't hesitate to contact me for a quote or more information.