Page 22 - Cape-Camera-Nov-Dec-2021

November/December 2021 Cape Camera

A Member’s Profile

Jonathan Burchell

In the 1960s, the headmaster of my preparatory school, Cow- After the stark realization that I might not be accompanying Da-
an House outside Pietermaritzburg, took the final-year class in vid Attenborough’s photographic team on expeditions, I turned
small groups to Hluhluwe and Umfolozi game parks for three to the video camera. I could capture wildlife and action scenes
or four days. I took a camera along and snapped images of gi- on this intrusive, bulky device and edit the sequence by playing
raffe and rhino. On our return, I delivered the two spools to our the small camera cassette through our VCR, recording it onto
local pharmacist for developing. About 12 days later, I eagerly a large VHS tape by deftly pausing the record button when I
opened the envelope containing my pictures. wanted to omit some errant frames of my foot. Unfortunately
The 48 small square, glossy prints seemed to be mainly of thorn recycling video tapes could lead to embarrassing snippets from
trees and mountains. I was about to tell the pharmacist that I’d recorded TV shows (like ‘Dallas’ or ‘The World at War’) suddenly
been given someone else’s photos when I noticed that one of appearing in my video. Transitions were also shaky.
the trees in the far distance of a photo had two horn-like protru- When I retired from academia, after a total of thirty-eight years
sions and what I thought was a tall euphorbia, on the horizon of lecturing at Wits, UKZN and UCT, I had developed a healthy,
of another photo, had brown spots. I proudly pasted them into published research output in criminal law and personality rights
my album with hand-written captions ‘white rhino’ and ‘giraffe’. and an expansive administrative record, but no photographic
A trip with my parents to what was then Rhodesia in the 60s portfolio worth speaking of—just family holidays, events, and
raised another challenge for me. I wanted to capture the full a handful of wildlife images where the animal or bird was now
force of the Victoria Falls with my Yashica camera. Although clearly visible—even identifiable.
I wasn’t familiar with its specs, it did have a leather case, so it I decided in 2007, in preparation for compulsory retirement
was clearly special. My terrified parents watched me clamber at the age of 65, that photography could be one of the ways
over rocks above the Falls to bag my ‘action shot’ of the torrent to keep my mind alert and my creative urges alive during this
pouring over the edge. My slides were filled with about as much change of lifestyle.
action as the Msunduzi cascading over the weir at the start of I bought a Canon EOS 550D and headed with my wife (and a
the Duzi Canoe Marathon. It seemed my future with National university colleague and his wife) into the Okavango Delta. I
Geographic would have to wait a while. had had no real time to practice on the camera and I thought I
I threw myself into playing sport at my high school in the Mid- could rely on some of the knowledge I had acquired in my early
lands and at University in Pietermaritzburg, where I completed days of photography using a light meter.
a BA LLB. The only photos I encountered in this phase of my life Little did I know that when the camera salesman who sold me
were team and graduation photos. the 550D, demonstrated the focus options he must have left the
Studying post-graduate law at Cambridge, I realized that de- default focus setting not in the centre, but on the right of the
ficiencies in photographic technique might be ameliorated to image. Although I did luckily shoot some of my photos on auto,
some extent by great subject matter. My parents had a slide those that I took on the AV setting were mostly out of focus in
projector. We could rearrange the paintings in our lounge and the centre, although the odd object on the right-hand side was
throw dozens of images of ancient college buildings and gentle sharp.
English countryside onto the wall.

21 Cape Town Photographic Society