I have this really old fishing boat that I sometimes take people out on. Generally, we’ll launch early in the summer at around 5.00am as the sun starts kicking a bit of bruised orange into the sky. The water usually looks black at this time of the morning – like one giant oil-slick that stretches on forever. As we head out, cormorants wing past us, less than a metre above the water. They pass so close by that you can hear the woosh-woosh of their wings. It’s sublime stuff. It must run heaven pretty close. As we putt-putt out across the water I take great delight in sneaking a look at those aboard. Most people try as hard as they can not to smile and to just look nonchalantly around. But that blue-steel look never lasts more than a few seconds or so before smiles sweep across their faces. You can’t help but smile at the experience, it’s just that special. The reason I’m telling you this is because very often when I’m on a shoot, the same applies to the people I’m photographing, especially when it’s at a place they’ve never been to before. Enter Hein and Almari, Trash the Dress, stage right. We met for the very first time as they climbed out of their car on a pearler of a day at 16-Mile Beach. As the fresh air rushed across their faces, the smiles were almost immediate. 5 minutes later, Almari had her dress on and was like a kid in a candy store – tearing up and down rocks, across shells, through gully’s, and, and, and… Until I asked her to lie down in a rock pool full of sea anemones. At that moment, things went a bit pear-shaped as she point blank refused to lie amongst those creepy little sea urchins. ‘Fine,’ I said walking away slowly and muttering very quietly under my breath… ‘loser.’ ‘HEY!’ she shouted back at me. ‘NOBODY calls me a loser.’ I raised 1 x right eyebrow slowly, turned around, dipped my head slightly to one side and waited. ‘I said nobody calls me a loser! I’m going in! NOW.’ I gave a silent Mexican Wave inside my head. ‘Oh okay, ja I mean whatever, if you really want to’ I said. The psychology of photography. Wonderful thing. Here are a few of Almari’s photos. Well done my girl, you flipping did it – your courage won the day.
