Photo & Film Expo – a creative talk by Yolandi Jacobsz

We have the Photo & Film Expo that happens annually always towards the last quarter of the year here in Johannesburg, and many amazing photographers from the industry are invited to speak at the Expo, about their various skills, and the aim is mostly just to educate others, selling stunning new gear available that has been launched, and a chance for the photographers to be speakers at this great event, the biggest of it’s kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

Being part of the Fujifilm community, gives us as X-series photographers the chance to speak on the Fuji stage, and represents our brand, but also our different styles.

This past year, I wanted to show what a creative person I am, that all throughout the year, and even previous years – I have various projects I undertake to create beautiful series’ of.

For the Photo & Film Expo, I made a piece, not quite yet in any category or of a specific genre I would say. I would it big, and I wanted it to have a bit of royal feel, with a headpiece similar to a crown.

It took my about a month to assemble the “coat”, which I started with a “blueprint” from another coat first, to get a structure – and then a whole bunch of ribbons, about a good 500 meters of it.

I had this headpiece but never used it, and added some more additions to it for the Expo. I also created a belt to give it some shape around my waist, consisting of some foam flowers.

A lot of patience and a lot of glue sticks went into the construction of this, but I am so happy with the outcome of it

Because my talk was about creative shooting, and how our passion-projects are important to us, to our hearts and how that makes us grow as artists, I wanted to really emphasize what I do, and what I enjoy, but physically have my outfit photographed on the day, by Mardee Maree – a Fujifilm X-Photographer, who was able to have a setup for me there where Fuji had it’s studio on stage, and some coloured gels with the Profoto B1’s.

The final image of my creation is up as this post’s banner – taken by Mardee.

Yolandi Jacobsz, Specialised Photographer