Images with such impact and resonance do not come about by accident, they are the product of a unique vision coupled with resolute commitment, sound technique, bucket loads of persistence and fierce determination. Clearly Adriaan has exceptional reserves of all of these qualities.
David Noton (one of the top landscape & travel photographers in the world), Dorset
Adriaan’s photography is far more than a visual experience. When looking at his African photographs in particular I am transported; I can’t help but feel the oppressive heat, my throat becomes dry from the dust filled air, and the power and energy of Africa’s wildlife is inescapable. His cool, tranquil seascapes are the perfect counterpoint, providing visual holidays where one can practically smell the salt filled air and feel the cool ocean mist against one’s skin. As with the best fine art, Adriaan’s imagery takes one on an emotional, as well as visual journey.
Kathryn Roberts, Founder of Your Art Image and the Cork Street Open Exhibition, Herefordshire
Adriaan certainly knows his stuff. He is very patient and knowledgeable. It was good to be with someone who knows the area and wildlife habits. A great morning, well worth it, got some lovely images. Recommended 🙂
Heather Buckley, RHS Photographer of the Year 2013, Brighton
What achingly beautiful images!
Tracey Polea, artist, Malta
It was most definitely an amazing and unique experience. Thanks for a fantastic day. I can heartily recommend this workshop experience.
Simon Wellsted, Unity Body MOT
Your photos are exquisite!
Jeanette, marketing manager, Dorking
You clearly have a special talent.
Dominic Alldis, jazz musician, London
Adriaan, you definitely know how to sling a camera about! Your photos are lovely from start to finish – I especially like the mom and baby elephants, the beach scene with not only the birds but with lots of life in the background and the shots of Wales and Northumberland.
Art Forums Moderator, USA
Your photos are so cool! The one I really like is the one of Zuma Beach, Los Angeles. It has a really nice composition, colour and structure. The picture elicits a special feeling.
Coco, artist, Hong Kong
These photographs totally transport you to Kruger Park. You can actually feel the atmosphere of life in the wild. What a talent to capture such detail and composition.
Christopher, Guildford
The course began with a review of a handful of photos I’d taken previously – discussing what was good, what could be improved on, etc. Adriaan quickly identified that my landscape photos would benefit from skies with more contrast – that is, better definition amongst the clouds. To address this, in the field, Adriaan showed me how to take multiple shots of the same scene with different exposure settings, in order to combine them together into one high dynamic range shot. In order to maximise depth of field Adriaan showed me how to calculate the hyperfocal distance, a concept I had not understood before. He also showed me a fun technique in shutter speed priority mode: taking deliberately blurred photos of scenes with high contrast parallel elements, in this case a silver birch forest. Finally it was time for sunset photos over a lake. Although the conditions weren’t perfect, I had fun taking some abstract shots using off-camera flash. Afterwards we reviewed the photos and edited them using Adobe Lightroom. Overall, I came away with some key pointers on how I can improve the photos I take, as well as a handful of handy and fun practical tips. A thoroughly fun afternoon, and I learnt a lot about photography.
Geoff, scientist, Cambridge
All-in-all I thought the workshop was terrific and I would have no hesitation to recommend you to others.
Peter, IT professional, Sevenoaks
I have to say your photos are fantastic. Some of them are really humorous and made me laugh out loud!
Corinna, tour guide, London
Fantastic atmosphere in these beautiful photos!
Samia, artist, London
Amazing quality! Picture photography at its best.
Jackie, exhibition visitor, Bollington
Wonderful, painterly quality to several of the photos. Such beautiful light and colour—quite sublime.
Fiona, gallery manager, Bollington
Your pictures are so much more interesting than most of the photos by other photographers that I have seen on the internet. You seem more interested in the particular, individual, and you create very beautiful pictures. Thank you so much.
Cornelia, masquerader, Venice
Adriaan has an amazing talent for capturing unusual details and cleverly revealing the character of his subjects.
Madeleine, company director, London
I am in the fortunate position that, for the last three years, I have been living close to the Kruger National Park (South Africa) and therefore have the opportunity to visit it regularly. I am a zoologist by profession and a keen amateur photographer and have taken several thousand photos of scenery, plants (I love the trees!) and animals in the Park. But recently I went on a three-day photo safari organised by Adriaan, and it was a wonderful experience. We were taken around in a special game-viewing vehicle and the driver-guide, Doug, really knows his stuff: he knows where to find the animals, and is a fundi on spotting and identifying birds. The result was that, in the course of just these three days, I saw a greater variety of animals than in all my previous trips combined. Because of the elevated seats in the vehicle we were also in a much better position to take photographs. What was even more wonderful was the guidance Adriaan gave on taking wildlife photos. Previously my photos would have qualified as zoological record shots but not as quality wildlife photos. After each day’s rambling through the Park, we would download the day’s pictures on our respective laptops and then he would give pointers on how I could improve each shot. Afterwards he would show me his photographs of the same scenes, and then his professional skills are apparent. He knows his cameras back to front, so that he can make optimum use of them, and also has the fantastic ability to select the right angle and frame for each photograph. His website demonstrates this skill very well. Lastly, I have to confess that although I’ve had my Nikon for six years now, Adriaan pointed out its capabilities to me … I’m one of those if all else fails, read the instructions fellows – and then stop after the second page because you don’t understand that either. In future I will be able to use it far more effectively. In addition to all the above, we had wonderful suppers each night, skilfully prepared by Doug and Emmanuel, and slept the sleep of the just afterwards, so that not even the hyena prowling near the camp fence could disturb us!
Jacques, Professor of Zoology, South Africa