Photographer Terence Pieters (31) from Uvongo whose video went viral on Instagram, attracted a whopping 5.4-million views and 171k followers – almost overnight.
Pieters loves swimming in the ocean to capture waves breaking.
“I started surfing when I was six and I am still doing it now. I think that’s the main reason I am able to do what I do. I am really comfortable in the ocean. I also took part in junior lifeguarding when I was younger which helped with my ocean knowledge,” he said.
Pieters said that when he was out surfing, from a young age, he remembered being really fascinated by the waves breaking.
“I would make a small opening with my hands and peep at different parts of the wave. I had no knowledge of photography at that time but it manifested into a huge passion of mine when I combined the art of photography with my ocean obsession,” he said.
Then, Pieters said that every time he was out catching waves, he would see incredible moments.
“Moments that are not noticeable from standing on shore. I wanted to pause those moments so that I could look at them for longer, I think that’s what I was pretending to do when I was younger.”
So when he learnt that it was possible with a camera, it all made sense to him and he chased that perfect shot from then on.
“Just being submerged in the ocean is amazing. There is so much power but so much peacefulness at the same time. Every wave that breaks and that will ever break will be completely different. I feel that photographing these moments I see in the ocean captures the attention of my audience. It creates peace, joy, and appreciation for nature.”
Pieters added that he is thankful that he is able to show people what he sees in the ocean through his photography and he hopes that it evokes some emotion in a person.
Follow him on Instagram: @orangerocks.za
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