A Lockdown Is Not a Barrier To Creativity: Why our creative passion projects make us better photographers

ABOUT

From Paris to SA – Lampost photographers Chris Saunders, Lesedi Mothoagae, Justin Dingwall and Bianca Theron share their passion projects and how these creative expressions don’t just boost sanity–they feed back into their daily jobs of creating great concepts and images for their clients. 

As creative professionals, this way of being creative should come naturally, but it's often hard to justify the luxury of a passion project. However, a certain sense of creative freedom or opportunity to pursue a project just for the sake of enjoyment, makes one likely to feel inspired, refreshed and reconnected with the work.

The lockdown has given permission to many of our photographers to do just that - spend time on their passion projects, honing in on their conceptual thinking and upskilling themselves in unexpected creative ways. 

The webinar will be hosted by Kassie Naidoo, Lampost's Creative Director and will be prepared with images/visuals that will take the audience on a

creative journey during Lockdown.

A Webinar in Collaboration with Lampost Productions.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Kassie Naidoo

Kassie Naidoo built her career over three decades as a creative director at agencies, expressing her creativity through design, branding and art direction. Leading small and large teams within the advertising industry, she discovered that her strength lies in mentoring and guiding the energy of the next generation of creatives. Over the last four years, Kassie's work has developed into a deeply collaborative way of creating, which has led her to putting her time and energy into exploring positive social impact through creativity. As a director of Lampost's non-profit fellowship, Lampost Luminaries, Kassie's passion for mentoring young female creatives comes to the fore.

Lesedi Mothoagae

A rising star of South African photography, Lesedi Mothoagae has spent five years working his way up through the ranks, being mentored by some of SA's great talent such as photographers Ross Garrett, Sacha Waldman and Chris Saunders. This former award winner for Best Visual Techniques at the University of Johannesburg is now a firm favourite of the advertising industry and celebrity Ricky Rick. Lesedi's passion for visual communication is felt not only in photography but in film, and a soon-to-be-released movie he is writing, directing and shooting. Much like his photographic work, the film is a personal one and pays homage to his upbringing and environment.

Bianca Theron

Bianca Theron's photographs are complex studies in simplicity. Her work focuses on the essentials of her subjects, allowing beautiful lighting and simple composition to draw the viewer in for another look. Bianca is inspired by innovation, emotion and energy, and approaches each shoot with careful planning and a clear vision of the final outcome. Having carved out a successful career in still life, fashion brands and cosmetics, Bianca's work on hair campaigns has made her a favourite of client L'Oréal.

Justin Dingwall

With an eye for the unusual and a passion for exploring unconventional subjects, Justin Dingwall's photographs have gained wide acclaim for their powerful composition and emotional resonance. His professional photographic career began after he graduated cum laude from the Pretoria Technikon Arts Campus. While making his name as a commercial and fine art photographer, Justin has won numerous awards including a gold in the Fujifilm Awards for portraiture.

“My imagery is not bound by language or culture,” he explains. “I want people to be affected by my images. As long as someone is feeling something, I am achieving my goals”. Justin's critically acclaimed series, Albus, explores albinism in contrast to idealised perceptions of beauty through exquisite portraits with models Thando Hopa and Sanele Xaba. The series has been exhibited widely, including the Joburg Art Fair, and is currently on an international exhibition tour. Justin's work is displayed around the world in museums, as well as corporate and private collections.

Chris Saunders

A photographer and director, Chris Saunders's work is typically vibrant, fresh, appealing and experimental, with a characteristic "street" quality and engaging humour. Hailing from a background in fashion photography, Chris increasingly approaches all his projects from the standpoint of a visual storyteller. He seeks to create realistic, believable characters from all walks of life, and uses a considered, research-driven process to build authentic, emotionally stirring stories in visual media.

In all team work, Chris seeks out individuals who are "masters" in their own creative fields; those he can learn from. He is in continual pursuit of knowledge, dedicated to pushing boundaries, to "always incorporating something new, interesting and fresh". Chris has worked with leading agencies both locally and internationally, including the BBDO Group, Jupiter Drawing Room, Ogilvy Johannesburg and Cape Town, M&C Saatchi Abel, and Saatchi & Saatchi London; brands such as Virgin Active and Red Bull international; and magazines such as Dazed, among many others. He is represented by Lampost for stills photography, and Ola!Films for his work in direction. In 2010, he was the recipient of a year-long grant at Fabrica, Benetton's creative research facility.