Kay Photography | Karen Kay Agenbag

Vuvuselas at the 2010 World Cup

2010-06-17T04:18:00.000-07:00

To Vuvu or not to Vuvu?

I'm not really going to get into that discussion as I have mixed emotions about it :) All I WILL say is that I love being African... and if that includes the spirit, noise and rhythm that goes along with it... then VIVA VUVU :D

This pic was taken at the International Football Village at Birchwood in Boksburg during the Bafana Bafana vs Mexico game on June 11.

New photographic studio for hire!

2010-06-17T02:46:00.000-07:00

Floor Plan

We are currently in the process of building a studio in Bryanston/Douglasdale, Johannesburg. It will be fully equipped with dressing room, full bathroom and kitchenette. The total studio area will be 70.8sqm with a white infinity curve as illustrated above in the architect's drawing.

**Rental from R250 per hour with a minimum booking of 2 hours.

***Available from June 2011.

For more updated info please visit my website (www.kayphotography.co.za) - I will post photo updates there as building progresses.

Jewish Wedding - Beautiful Bride

2010-06-08T04:23:00.000-07:00

I hate having to pick a favourite photo from a wedding but I'd have to say this shot of Tammy really stood out. I just loved the simplicity of it. The photo was taken before the Bedekking which is part of the Jewish Wedding celebrations. The groom will unveil and identify the bride as his own. It's always a accompanied by singing from the boys as they approach the area she is waiting in :)

Much fun :D

Jewish Wedding Photography

2010-06-08T04:11:00.000-07:00

I've recently started doing Jewish Weddings here in Johannesburg. What an ABSOLUTE blast!!! There is so much energy and I LOVE the HORA dancing :D As a 'Jewish Wedding Photographer' you often deal with bridal parties with up to 10 bridesmaids & 10 groomsmen! It certainly makes for fun and interesting photography. Looking forward to doing many more!

The Race-Ist on M-Net's All Access!

2009-09-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

Some behind the scenes footage was featured on All Access (M-Net) on September 10!

Follow the hyperlink below to view the episode! If you squint you'll see me in the background a couple of times doing footage for the film on my Canon 5D MarkII :)

http://www.mnet.co.za/mnetvideo/BrowseVideo.aspx?ChannelId=1&vid=17660

The Race-Ist FILMING COMPLETE!

2009-08-26T14:47:00.001-07:00

Well, four weeks of long shifts and all nighters and the filming is complete!! I have NEVER experienced something so tiring and awe-inspiring at the same time :) Working with a film crew was a first for me and I've learnt SO much!!

There were so many exciting scenes in the movie that had my heart pumping and adrenaline rushing but I've been sworn to secrecy ;) All I can say is that you've never seen anything like it in South Africa! As much as we're relatively new in the film sphere I think South Africa has some awesome talent to offer where both cast & crew is concerned. As this industry grows let's all support those like Andrew Wilmot (Race-Ist Director in above pic) who are trying their best to put South Africa on the map. How can you do this? WATCH THE MOVIE :)

December 2009

PS: My Canon 5D Markll rocks my world! That baby performed so well in low light conditions on set! I wasn't allowed to use flash, so coupled with brilliant ISO and decent lenses my job was a breeze. Shot mostly between 800 & 3200 with no noise... ever so often a tad higher with some noise but still worth the shot.

Also captured some HD video which will be used in the movie!! Best was to shoot this at 1/30 and 400-600 ISO (mostly at f2.8). We did some low light tests on the video and found that ISO-wise, anything over 1200 was noisy.

My 2cents worth ;)

Carte Blanche Wedding Photographer

2009-08-10T06:57:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks I've lost track of the amount of people asking me whether I saw the episode of Carte Blanche featuring "The Wedding Photographer". So much so that I eventually Googled it: http://www.mnet.co.za/mnetvideo/browsevideo.aspx?ChannelId=1&vid=15353&Search=carte%20blanche&CategoryId=0&sortby=4&CPage=0

In the world of Wedding Photography you will always find those that are in it just to make a quick buck! Some are downright dishonest where others will often do as little as humanly possible for the rate they've charged. The question is: How would you know the difference until it's too late??

Here are a few methods (some require more effort than others) that will give you some peace of mind:
1) Google them! Find ANYTHING written by someone other than themselves! It might not all be wedding related but positive feedback in any way or form says something about their workmanship.
2) Go to www.hellopeter.com - Here people praise or mostly complain about services rendered from all sorts of industries. Type in the photographer's name and see what people say. If they don't feature, it's usually a good thing.
3) Ask the photographer if they would be willing to give you the contact details of at least 3 past brides... even if you don't phone them!! If they've got something to hide they'll make some sort of excuse. It's easy to have 1 happy client (for all you know it could be their sister!), but more than AT LEAST 3 shows consistency.
4) Phone those brides if you can! They will be brutally honest.
5) When you meet with them ask them to show you a full album, not just their 50 best photos. It's easy for someone that's been in business for more than a year to have 50 killer shots, but how many boo-boos and bad shots were there amongst those? If they can show you a full album from start to finish you'll get a better idea of what they're really capable of.

That should do it.

Lastly, I've often had other wedding photographers whom I've befriended over the years ask me whether I've ever had to fix another photographer's bad work. Until recently I've never had the 'honour' - but alas, about 3 weeks ago a friend of mine phoned me close to tears. They had wanted to book me for their wedding but unfortunately I had already been booked for another. They decided to go with this photographer who, if their website was anything to go by, was going to do a sterling job of it! However, the end product was an utter disappointment. The easiest way to describe it was lazy photography! Apart from major technical no-no's like soft focus and warped white-balance they put little to no effort into framing the shots. Cluttered backgrounds, power cables on the floor and random guests in the background of so many 'posed shots' spoiled almost every shot taken on the day.

Well, enough ranting now. I really pray that you take this to heart! Sorry for sounding so passionate about the subject but there is nothing worse than looking into friends' faces who are devistated by the quality of their wedding photos. I'd hate to see it happen to you.

Kiddies Birthday Party!

2009-07-06T13:21:00.001-07:00

It's not often that I photograph kiddies parties (I cherish my late Saturday mornings ;) but a very dear friend of mine asked me to come take photos of her 1 AND 2 year old's birthday party.

I adore children and loved watching their expressions as they opened their party packs, saw a real life Mickey Mouse & pack away as much cake as a truckload of starved teenagers!!

This image just summerized the events of the day for me :)

2010 FIFA World Cup WINNER'S TROPHY

2009-06-29T13:44:00.001-07:00

It's not too often that you get the opportunity to come within 3cm of the FIFA 2010 World Cup! This 6kg chunk of solid gold came with it's own two 'body'guards - complete with earpieces and fancy suits!

I had the amazing privilege of covering the stay of some VISA delegates this past week. This included everything from visiting a school in Soweto & meandering through the Pilanesberg, to meeting the infamous Carlos Alberto Torres!

It's simple - I love my job :)

Johannesburg CBD Wedding

2009-06-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

Last night's wedding was off the wall!! Keith & Kirsty, you guys are a special kind of special :) We had great fun taking photos in the city streets of Joburg CBD. I'd been dreaming of doing this wedding ever since Kirsty told me where the venue was! I loved the idea of wedding couture in the urban jungle, an unlikely combination at best. I wanted to show the skyscrapers at dusk to capture the vivid blues so opted for the 'Stobist' way - using my 580EXII & infrared transmitter. My darling assistant had to play traffic control & 'flash-umbrella holder' off to camera right (thanks Jannah!).

The Race-Ist

2009-06-05T02:20:00.000-07:00

Mark your diaries people! December 11, 2009 - Release of a local movie called the Race-ist. Awesome cast, awesome crew!!

I'm honoured to be taking photos of this movie as it unfolds. From on-set stills to promotional events. The movie will feature big names like Ian Roberts, Johnny Pienaar & DJ Fresh!! I'll give a more detailed list when all goes public :) Filming is set to commence next month so let the hype begin!!

Go see the trailer so long on YouTube!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWiqme8LGF4

Hot chicks, hot cars & funny as hell :)

I'm hoping to get my 5D markll before then so I can do some HD video with interesting lenses! The whole movie will be done in HD anyhoo so might just catch some 'bonus angles' from my side.

Later.

Greetings!

2009-06-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Creating a blog wasn't as scary as I thought it would be :) Call me technologically challenged but it's all kind of daunting for me. 50 more sleeps and I'll be doing this with my eyes closed.

I'll be commenting on shoots as they happen and hoping to keep whoever's interested up to date with what I learn along they way. Photography's a journey - I'd love for anyone to be a part of mine.

Today's one is short and sweet. On Thursday I was at the Constitutional Court with one of my regular corporates for "Bring a girl child to work day". I'd been to the adjacent prison before, but I'm always struck by how people could treat people :( I recommend that tour to anyone! South Africa, we've come a LONG way since Apartheid!! Well done and let's keep building :)

I also met Greg Melvill-Smith (life coach/motivational speaker/actor etc). He was the guest speaker and encouraged all the girls to put their mind to it and break a plank with their bare hands. I also gave it a go.... what can I say? Third time lucky :)

Til next time!