ABOUT PATRICK ROYAL: I was sold on the ‘image’ as a communicator from an early age, and when a kind neighbour bought me a little plastic ‘Diana’ film camera for my birthday I was well and truly hooked on photography. A few years later, whilst staying in Jhb I had bought an old German camera from an antique store and started shooting Jhb scenes such as mine shaft-heads and dumps and then processing and contact printing black and white film in my make-shift bathroom dark-room and loved it. It was then that I knew photography was for me and that I wanted to capture scenes and tell stories.
EDUCATION: I decided that even though in my mid twenties I would go to college where I completed a Diploma in Photography at the then Durban Technikon under the excellent lecturing staff of the late seventies/early eighties.
EXPERIENCE – Post college years were spent touring much of South Africa shooting stories for Country Life mag. – Another highlight during these years was a trip on a fancy liner from Singapore to Vietnam. With veteran journo Russell Wasserfall we had an amazing time documenting the foods on the ship and in cities and towns wherever we docked at ports along the South China Sea. -A four years stint lecturing at the Technikon was followed by commercial photography. – Spar Brands and Paton Tupper ad agency have been extremely loyal users of my services as a food photographer for over 8 years, as well as the many marketing managers at Unilever FoodSolutions who have supported me and in turn I have provided exciting images for the many Unilever Chef Of The Year events for a number of years and plenty packaging images for various brands. – Other commercial work includes clients like security company Trellidor, decor specialists Decorland, Umgeni water & Crossley Carpets – Over the past few years I have produced and shot video for myself & most of my clients, the highlight being an interesting video shoot for Trellidor using a venomous Cobra and a Tarantula as ‘models’. – Clients have also included a number of top class Hotels and Resorts around KZN – among them The Oyster Box Hotel, Hartford House, Umgazi River Bungalows, Gooderson Hotels around KZN & The Royal Constantia Hotel in Budapest. – Presently I am shooting stills & video & time-lapse photography.
PROJECTS: A huge project was completed for IOM (International Organisation of Migration,) a company based in Geneva Switzerland. The main purpose of IOM is to assist where there is need left behind because of the migration of people to other areas and countries. Places visited were Lesotho, Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda & SA.
NOTEWORTHY PROJECTS COMPLETED: – Fourteen massive 4 metre high posters depicting Durban lifestyle are up at the Mabhida Soccer Stadium Durban next to the Sports Centre. – Cookbook shot with a chef that will be out in 2014 – ‘South Africa – Who Cares’ – a book of black & white photos shot around rural schools showing the work of Round Table SA – SA celebrities pictured cooking and their fav. recipe pictured – a book for Unilever. – Calendar of SA chefs for Unilever FoodSolutions – Plenty packaging photography for Spar Brands and Unilever FoodSolutions – Trip to Singapore, China & Vietnam documenting foods – Hungary, Budapest Royal Constantia Hotel carpet installation for Crossley Carpets – Hotels around SA for the Gooderson Group – Massive blow-ups printed to 14 metres high. Pics of trees for interior walls in up-market building – Ridge Umhlanga – Videos shot and produced for Trellidor & Unilever.
EQUIPMENT USED
-Stills – Nikon user D700 and Hi-END leaf Digital 28mp back used with a Mamiya RB 67
– Video – shot with Canon Mk iii and Nikon D800 and Sony NX70
– Lighting – natural light as much as possible ( cant beat it ) or Bron flash lighting.
