Local photographer wows KZN with viral video

The Sheffield Manor photographer who co-produced the time-lapse internet sensation, “I am Durban”, said the video has continued to bring opportunity.
The video, uploaded two weeks ago, has since racked up nearly 40 000 views, and showcases the city of Durban, along with scenes on the outskirts of the city, one looking over Zimbali.
“It has actually put me on the map – big time,” said photographer and videographer, Matt Wilkes.
Now 25, Wilkes has been a photographer since the age of 19, when after a year of a business computing course he realised it was what he wanted to do.
Completely self-taught, Wilkes has since expanded into videography as well, creating a media house called “Media Linc” based in Salt Rock.
Wilkes and co-creator of the video, Kierran Allen, have already been approached by KZN Tourism among other interested parties seeking to use “I am Durban”.
“It took us about a year to make,” said Wilkes.
“We had to wait for the conditions to be perfect, and Kierran and I went out and shot from different angles and decided afterwards which pictures were best.”
Wilkes is excited about the popularity the video has gained, saying that it has given his work momentum. He said he was glad that people would be able to see that local photographers could do it just as well as the big companies from Johannesburg and Cape Town.
“I lived in Durban for a while but I moved back up here because Ballito is growing. In the next couple years, it is going to be really big. I believe it,” said Wilkes, who grew up in Groutville.
The two minute video was made completely from still photographs, at a rate of 25 photographs a second. This series of still images shown in quick succession creates a clear time-lapse.
You can see more of Wilkes’ work on his website at www.medialinc.co.za.