Fashion Feature: Roots By Culture- Storytellers Of Fashionkynd

Blessed,

This post is to profile my dear friend Gorata Blackdotah Aiah and her fashion and lifestyle brand, Roots By Culture: Storytellers of Fashionkynd. I remember us sitting together a few years ago, her eyes lit up as she shared her vision with me: a brand that was about more than trends, more than price tags, an idea of fashion as identity, self-expression and visual communication. Now in 2013, the dream has come alive! Aiah is more than a fashion designer, she is also a stylist, make-up artist, image consultant,and is also proficient in jewellery design and beadwork. She recently opened her shop in Johannesburg's stylish Maboneng Precinct on the corner of Main Road and Maritzburg Street. The space is unique, a large showroom filled with shipping containers where various artists, crafters and traders have space to showcase and sell their work. There is a definite sense of community, youth and a fresh outlook on life and design. It is the perfect place for Aiah to birth her dream!

Aiah explains, "In fashion theory I learnt in depth how fashion is more than just
clothes, bags and shoes that are showcased by famous people and celebrities.
That is what Aiah call adding “style” to fashion. Fashion is a lifestyle, a way
of life or a livity. It’s an external expression of what's going on internally;
our mind, body and spirit portrayed through our image...

My point is music or sound energy and other things like
books/magazines/articles/journals/blogs/websites we read, the content we watch
on TV, if we watch TV play a bigger role than we are aware of in our well beings
as humans. If you listen to dirty music for example, you will become dirty music
eventually because it’s something which you chant or recite. It’s repetitive and
so it will live in your sub conscience and eventually it becomes habitual making
it a ritual and a rituals purpose is to make manifest. So, eventually dirty is
what you will become. Technology also plays its part in identifying one on a
social standard."

So what is Aiah saying? "At Storytellers of Fashionkynd we have realized
that if we can all identify who we are on the inside then we can easily let
people know who we truly are from the outside. Aren’t you tired of being
mislabelled coz of how you appear?"

To find out more about her, check out her website at: http://www.storytellersoffashionkynd.com

Photo And Film Expo 2013

Blessed, I have been in Johannesburg for the past few weeks and was lucky enough to get to go to the Photo and Film Expo 2013, held at the Coca-Cola Dome over the past weekend. I have never seen anything like it! Although being from Botswana, I do tend to get quite excited in any place with more than a hundred people! For 80 Rand we got to wander around the Huge dome packed with stalls and exhibits form all the major photography brands and several stages where workshops and demonstrations were being held, with lots of competitions happening during the event. There really was something for everyone, from amateur enthusiasts to top-of-the-range professional equipment, the biggest photographic event in Africa really lived up to its name =)

Below, the 'Guess The Weight, Win The Bag' Competition.

Under the huge dome there was everything from car displays to lighting equipment with many stalls having crazy specials on top quality products. No wonder the average Expo attendee was said to spend in the region of R3500, some of the offers were simply too good to pass up! There were also too many happy faces to count =)

This was a demonstration from Topaz, a type of image editing software. More info available at http://www.topazlabs.com.

This nifty set is used to set and maintain the correct White Balance, with tools for both your camera and computer monitor to ensure the best possible colour quality in photo editing.

There were also cool Pantone colour pallette themed accesories like mugs, notebooks and coasters. I loved the clean, bright colours and had to resist very hard from buying the lot!

As was expected, big name brands like Adobe, Nikon and Samsung made their presence known.

I hate to say it, but sometimes size DOES matter...

There were talks happening all over the show and a beautiful exhibition to remind us what we are all aiming for at the end of the day, GREAT PHOTOGRAPHS.

This image was from an underwater photography demonstration. I have yet to find the nerve to plunge my camera underwater.. But maybe one day!

And an electronic photo-booth, so much fun!

There's big lights, and then there's BIG LIGHTS.

There were also several stalls dedicated to make-up and costuming, all important components of building a beautiful photo.

The talk we sat in on was given by Deryck Van Steenderen, a commercial photographer based in Cape Town, who has also lectured at the Stellenbosch Academy of Design & Photography. His lecture was entitled "How Much Should I Charge?" which is something I have been struggling with so I was grateful for any tips. Deryck's lecturing style is straight-shooting and to the point and he opened my eyes to the harsh realities of being in the business of photography. Unfortunately many 'professional' photographers do not bother to do the necessary calculations of running costs, regular equipment upgrades, time spent on editing and retouching and printing costs. By undercharging, they are essentially paying their clients to hire them and making it difficult for photographers who Are charging the correct amount to get paid.

I know it is easy for anyone to go out and buy themselves a camera, but that does not make them a professional photographer, and as someone who is trying to earn a living with my photos it is becoming exceedingly difficult for me to take quality photos without the necessary equipment and having to pay for things like petrol, editing software and other amenities is taking its strain. I'd like to take this moment to ask all my readers to please consider this when admiring my photos. If you'd like to help me I am available for bookings and while I do my best to charge a fair price, I really cannot afford to give freebie sessions if I want to maintain and increase the standard of quality of this blog. So PLEASE HELP by supporting me and supporting local artists!

My favourite part of the Expo was slightly confusing at first. Every photographer needs a camera bag, yes?

So I was slightly confused then I saw this:

I was thinking, "Why on earth would someone want to buy a handbag at a photo Expo?????" Then I found out that these gorgeous handbags are actually camera bags designed specifically for female photographers!! Inside these 'normal' looking bags there are all the necessary padding and compartments for carrying around equipment, plus all the normal functions of a handbag. BRILLIANT! As a female photographer I often already feel like a target because of my gender; that plus carrying around a camera bags makes me feel like a sitting duck for any creeps wanting to take advantage and help themselves. Which is why these bags are so cool! Now I can walk around with what looks like an average handbag without having to worry about my camera making me a target. The team at www.kiekiekit.com brought these bags to South Africa, having originally ordered them from the US. The company have partnered with several handbag designers to come up with these clever bags, which can be ordered online on their website. My new bag was by far my best buy at the Expo, and I couldn't be happier! My partner in crime, Rachel's face holding my bag should give you an idea of how chuffed I am =)

All in all it was a fantastic day well spent, and I would recommend the Photo and Film Expo to anyone with an interest in all things photography! I will definitely be going back!