The picture perfect life of an extraordinary photographer
Laetitia Kenny is a mother, former teacher and a master photographer.
She is proud to invite people into her home in Boksburg, which reflects her cultivation of and her love for sophistication.
The Advertiser had an opportunity to sit down with Kenny, a prominent member of the Boksburg Camera Club, surrounded by interior déecor which is suitable for a home and living magazine.
In the living room, a painting displays an image of a beautiful woman smoking a cigarette in bed.
Kenny lives there with her husband, Michael, and their two daughters, Nicole and Caitlin.
She bought her first camera 22 years ago and she described it as “love at first sight”.
It was an entry level film camera and she developed the photographs herself, in a homemade chemical darkroom.
She explained that she had to make the darkroom completely dark and she literally boarded the windows and air vents herself.
She admitted that it was not very healthy, but the hobby was very rewarding.
Decades later she describes her photographic style as “evolving”.
She joined the local camera club because she “was looking for like-minded people who share [her] passion for the discipline and who can help [her] grow as a photographer”.
“Club photography is very competitive and the photographers compete at club, national and international level,” said Kenny, who is also a member and a national director of the Photographic Society of South Africa (PSSA).
When asked what kind of photography she enjoys, she said she loves photographing people and that portraiture will always stay her first love.
“I am drawn to the poise, grace and confidence of dancers, from little ballerinas to adult dancers,” she added.
Her work includes implied nude photographs, which means that the models are required to pose naked, even though the image itself does not contain explicit nudity.
“I enjoy working with the models, because they are comfortable in their bodies and they also appreciate the elegance of implied nudity.”
When asked how she adapted to the digital migration of photography, Kenny said that she sees great potential in digital photography.
“Digital cameras offer faster frame rate and lighting is easier to enhance with a digital camera,” she explained.
“In essence, photographs can be captured with more ease with digital cameras.”
She acknowledged that the cost of buying film and paying to develop each and every photo is something of the past.
Her family was also relieved when she “traded [her] smelly darkroom” for a home computer.
The digital era of photography also allowed Kenny to develop and master photo manipulation, and can be regarded as a modern day ”Photoshop Michelangelo”.
She combines two, three or even four of her own, original photographs to create one fine art graphic.
“For example, one time I photographed the moon from my kitchen window and placed it as a background in a couple of my Photoshop masterpieces. I call these images altered reality photographs.”
Kenny has won numerous awards during her career as a photographer.
She received her Fellowship, a Service Award and she won the Impala trophy twice, which is annually awarded to the PSSA photographer who has the highest number of photographs accepted at national salons.
All these awards were needed in order for her to receive what she called her “proudest achievement.”
She was also awarded the title of Master Photographer of the PSSA.
Once she qualified for the title she had to write a dissertation which she presented at a national congress, with an exhibition of her work.
“Looking ahead, I would still like to photograph the great Wildebeest migration in the Serengeti one day, and I want to publish a photographic book of children in Africa,” she said.
“It will, however, not be images that are depressing in nature, but inspirational, rather.”
Her advice to aspiring photographers is to learn your craft.
“Remember, photography requires a lot of technical skills and that you must learn your camera properly in order to capture well exposed images in all situations.
“You must be able to control your camera, not the other way around, and that is what happens if the camera is set to automatic mode.”
Kenny invites all photography enthusiasts to join the Boksburg Camera Club, saying that “anybody who has an interest in photography” should join – from beginner to advanced, freelance to professional.
If you are interested in joining phone the chairman, Percy Mitchell, at 0825757401. – @JohaneTurkie
See more of her photos here: https://bit.ly/29fJSnM
