Ballito local captures memories around Africa

Ask Ballito resident Samantha Basson to talk about photography and you immediately see that you have touched her at the very core of her being.

The petite lens lady has captured the nuptials of dozens of loving couples, but the strangest has to be the one where the groom walked out of his own wedding.

The 46-year-old who has been a photographer since her high school days said she does not see herself doing anything besides capturing memories.

“After matric, my parents asked me to study something and get a real job, so I studied marketing and accounting and tried working but hey: That was so boring for me. I just didn’t connect with it,” said Basson.

Instead, Basson opted to travel throughout Africa for four years, something she says was an amazing experience – even after surviving malaria eight times. She then went to work as a photographer in the United Kingdom, but that lasted only for six months.

“I didn’t enjoy The States, the weather wasn’t good either. I missed home because Africa is where I was born and it’s where I belong. So I came home with just my clothes and my camera and pressed the restart button on my life.”

Basson said she and her husband Andries often works hand-in-hand and, that he had been very supportive, making her job easier and more enjoyable.

“When I am shooting a wedding, he photographs the groom and I do the bride. We will meet at the venue and again share our ideas to make sure we give our best.”

What she enjoys the most about her job is meeting new people and travelling around the country. Due to Basson being in high demand, she even has photography gear ready and waiting in Gauteng and a separate set when she is working in KZN.

“Two years back I had to fly out to Mauritius for a wedding shoot and stay there for three days. It was more fun because my husband decided to join me, and brought in the kids as well. That was one of the most memorable weddings I’ve ever photographed and one of the most expensive ones. I think it cost the couple R80 000 to R90 000, that was just for photography.”

So why are wedding photographers so expensive?

Basson said people need to understand that photography is more technical and cameras are very expensive – some cameras even hit the R50 000 to R60 000 price range.

“A normal wedding will take about eight hours and I think the longest I ever shot was about 12 hours. The photographer has to arrive at the venue before the event starts, set up lighting, photograph the venue and decorations, then go to the bride and groom to take photos of them before doing the actual event and the official wedding shoot. Editing requires lots of time and thinking. It can even take up to seven days to edit all the photos,” said Basson.

She will never forget a wedding outside Ballito when the couple wanted to get married at the beach, but the weather was not on their side. Instead, they moved indoors, loadshedding struck and when the lights finally came back, the bride sang to her husband a song by Die Antwoord called ‘Enter the Ninja’.

The poor man was so unimpressed by her choice of song that he walked out.

“The bride had to cut the cake with her parents and danced with her father. Eventually, her husband came back toward the end of the wedding. I don’t know why, but it turned out to be one of the funniest weddings I’ve done.”

She said of the places she had travelled to, Ballito beachfront remains one of the most favoured places for most couples.

“I have seen people getting married overseas and fly into South Africa just to have a wedding photo shoot at our beaches. So the beaches remain some of the strongest attractions on the Dolphin Coast.”

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