Orms Photo Art Feature: Dewald Kirsten

This week’s Orms Photo Art Featured Photographer is Dewald Kirsten. Keep an eye out for a new feature every second Thursday.

Dewald Kirsten is a professional photographer who specialises in, but is not limited to, landscape photography. He truly understands and embraces the logic and magic of landscape photography, saying that “A photographer goes out, sees the scene and shoots it, and an artist waits and waits and waits for the perfect conditions, sometimes you miss it with a year or two, but when all elements align, you know you have art no matter what composition you end up shooting.”

Dewald’s arresting photographs are the results of a combination of scientific-like research and artistic flair. He does a lot of pre-planning and research, about the location and weather, and then sees and captures the scape in the right light at the right time. This is his inspirational force – “Great light and the will to get better at what I’m doing”, he goes on to say, “You get to capture that moment forever and then share it with people. One is always trying to be better than the last photo, and that drives me. If you do not get better at what you are doing, you might as well stop it right now.”

His photographs have led him to some challenging terrains and situations. He’s chased thunderstorms over the Karoo and been drenched in thunderstorm in a field of flowers outside Worcestor, but he appreciates too that one does not have to venture to exotic locations to capture great images. “Yes locations help, but you must be able to roll with the punches and produce work of top quality in the places where people least expect it.”

When it comes to printing, Dewald has always preferred fine art paper and canvas, until he recently discovered the metal prints that Orms Print Room and Framing produces. “I have been hooked!” he exclaims, “For landscape images it is almost the only medium I would ever print on again as the images comes to life on them. To see those clouds change as you view it from different angles is amazing and the detail and contrast is just WOW!”

You can view more of Dewald’s work on his website, and purchase framed prints on Orms Photo Art.

Photographs shared with permission.