Armani
Artist | Professional | Photography

South Africa

I am originally from Nelspruit, South Africa, but now live in Johannesburg. I left the conservative and artistically oppressive backwards town of Nelspruit to move to the big city to study photography (amongst other visual arts, including 3D animation and graphic design) at The Open Window school of Visual Communication in Pretoria where I let my creative freedom fly free. (Overly dramatic? I'll try tone it down for the rest) Once I moved on from studying I started working full time as a technical adviser at Kameraz of Rosebank (South Africa's top professional photographic equipment store) and I am also the editor for the photographic magazine Photocomment where, other than being the editor, I am also an article contributor and writer for monthly columns where I conduct photographic tests/reviews. (if you look at the metadata of my images you'll see most were shot on various cameras. Those shoots were done for camera tests for the mag.) Photography and shooting is my life.

Many who know me well would describe me as odd, weird, eccentric, crazy, but in a good way I hope. I always make my shoots interesting and fun. From my side if it's not enjoyable then there's no point in doing it. I get the job done, I take it seriously and keep it professional but I keep it fun. I shoot throughout Gauteng (Johannesburg and Pretoria) and also occasionally shoot in my home town, Nelspruit.

My main line of shooting is studio/glamour/fashion but I do shoot a lot of sports and automotive photography as well. I also shoot swimwear, lingerie and pregnancy shoots. I have been known to do the occasional product and food photography shoots. I enjoy it, particularly when I get to eat the food afterwards. I'm no stranger to covering gigs and shooting bands performing on stage either. I'm passionate about music and love covering a good event.

I'm versatile and adjust quickly to new shooting situations. If you want to inquire about a type of photography that I haven't listed, just ask me if it's part of my repertoire. I could even shoot your chihuahua's wedding if you asked me nicely enough, but generally I don't shoot weddings.

If you have a project you want me to do that I don't think I can pull off, I will tell you. I have a standard and an image to uphold and that I only want to improve on so if I think what I'm capable of for a project will be sub par to what I'm used to delivering, I will say no. I won't waste your time and mine by not providing the best work I can.


Compensation:

At the moment I can only accept paid assignments. A girls' gotta eat, right? (isn't that a line from a movie?) But seriously, I have rent to pay, a lot of expensive camera equipment to cover and a belly that needs to be fed. And not to mention that that stupid price of petrol keeps going up too. This isn't my hobby. It's my job and profession, and one which I spent a lot of money studying how to do well. Good universities don't come cheap. I need to recoup those costs. That being said, my rates are very reasonable and I won't rip you a new one. With me you get what you pay for. I produce quality and guarantee it. I'll be honest with you, if you really want the cheapest price, there are plenty of people out there with a camera who call themselves a "photographer" who'll probably do a whole shoot for R250, but don't be surprised when the results are not what you wanted.

But, all that being said, I will occasionally consider a trade-for-CD shoot. If you have a great concept and a great portfolio that I'm impressed by or have a "look" that I like, I'm happy to do a collaboration if it will benefit my portfolio as well. Don't be afraid to ask if you have a really wild idea. The more crazy, the more likely I'll agree to a TFCD shoot. (hint, I really love pin up)



On a personal note, due to my style of working and shooting, it's very important for me for the model to enjoy themselves as well. The more relaxed the model the better the results of the shoot. Trust to me is very important. Lately, photographers have developed a negative stereotype as creepy and dodgy, and rightfully so. There are many photographers out there that have contributed to giving our industry a negative image. Photography started out as an art form, and I still intend on keeping it that way. I keep things classy and try hard to build a relationship of trust. If you want to bring a chaperone to a shoot to be more at ease, I'm very happy with that. In fact, I strongly recommend it.

Also, if you're not a very experienced model, don't worry. I'm very patient and am used to working with new models who aren't used to knowing what to do and need direction. I don't bite and am very happy to help you as much as I can. Because of my relaxed shooting style, you'll be laughing and having fun in no time. Promise


Equipment:

For those interested in what I shoot with and all that technical jazz, I have a vast range of fast aperture lenses for different shooting situations and types of photography for added versatility. Low light shooting situations with natural, available light is not a problem with my equipment. In fact, it's a specialty of the equipment I have

Pentax K5 body AKA Snappy (rated by DXO Labs (camera test specialists) as the 3rd best DSLR ever produced in terms of sensor performance at time of release - November 2010.)
Pentax K100D Super body as an emergency back up (trusty old friend)
Pentax K1000 35mm film SLR
Sigma 10-20mm f3.5 wide angle lens
Sigma 17-50 f2.8 fast standard zoom lens
Pentax 50mm f1.4 extreme fast portrait lens (my favourite and most used lens)
Pentax 50-135mm f2.8 fast long standard zoom lens
Tamron 90mm f2.8 Macro (legendary lens)
Tamron 70-300mm f4.5-6.3 (my only lens that can be considered modest, but it's already given me one magazine cover so it stays)
3x Portable flashes with brollies for easy location shooting with quality controllable light

Pentax might not be the first choice for professionals but it works well for me. Personally I believe it's the photographer that makes the difference anyway, not what brand he shoots. Show me a photographer who takes better photos than me because he shoots with Canon or Nikon and not because he's a better photographer and I'll prove you wrong. I let my images do the talking. Not my equipment. The proof is in the pudding. Damn, now I want pudding.

My camera equipment isn't just equipment to me. You could almost say I have a close relationship with my cameras and lenses and I practically consider them part of the family. If you ask me nicely I'll even give you the honor of letting you meet my baby, Snappy, my main camera. Yes, I gave her a name and yes, she is my baby, but it's because I love her and we've seen many amazing things and been to many unbelievable places together. If I really like you, I might even let you hold her but no promises there

But because I do camera test and reviews, I do often shoot with cameras completely unknown to me, as I put it through its paces. So some weeks it's not uncommon for me to have some of the best cameras ever made in my camera bag. I just wish I could keep them. Not that I'm complaining. I LOVE MY JOB!


I have my own large, fully equipped studio in the heart of Johannesburg for when I don't feel like shooting on location.

On a completely unrelated note, if you buy me an ice cream after a shoot, I'll be your best friend forever

https://www.facebook.com/armani.quintas.photography