HomePEOPLETurning selfies into self-portraits

Turning selfies into self-portraits

Award-winning, internationally acclaimed Ballito-based wedding photographer Jacki Bruniquel has launched an online creative photography course specifically aimed at teens – who these days often spend the majority of their day on their phones!

A LEADER IN THE INDUSTRY
Jacki Bruniquel is an internationally acclaimed, award winning South African photographer with an innate ability to tell stories and convey emotion with her camera. With a BA in Fine Art from Michaelis UCT and a Diploma in Photography from the Durban University of Technology, Jacki has, over the last decade, built a reputation as being one of the top wedding and portrait photographers in South Africa. She has been named one of the top 100 wedding photographers in the world numerous times and has become a leader in her industry, speaking at various conferences and expo’s around South Africa and overseas. She also conducts workshops for photographers.

It was while she was chatting to young Holly Caldar that Jacki realised she could help teens turn their screen time into something special.

A SCARY REALISATION AND A ‘PENNY DROP’ MOMENT
“I recently upgraded to a new iphone,” says Jacki, “and it flashed up saying that I spent an average of two hours a day on my phone that week (doesn’t include my laptop time). I was horrified, as it amounted to 14 hours that week alone, which is an entire day!”
Jacki decided to search average screen times and was shocked to find a study claiming that the average modern teenager can spend anywhere between four to nine hours a day looking at a screen. “Granted, some of this time in the world of COVID-19 is attributed to educational Zoom classes, but a lot of it is actually spent on Instagram and Ticktok, playing games like Fortnight and chatting with friends.”

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Not long after this rude awakening, Jacki says, she had a conversation with a teen named Holly. “When I told Holly I am a professional photographer her big blue eyes lit up. Holly is a creative being and wants to learn to express herself and her vision of the world through photography.”
It was at that moment that a penny dropped for Jacki and the idea of starting an online creative photography course for teenagers was born. “I didn’t want to create one of those boring courses you can buy anywhere online. I wanted to hone all my expertise and experience as a professional photographer to create something really special.”

Teen Aphiwe Ngubane poses for and learns from Jacki

THE ART OF BEING THROUGH SEEING
Because social media and screens disconnect us from the world around us, we are often so busy looking down at our devices that we stop taking in the real beauty in a moment. “It has been proved that social-media can cause anxiety. It places pressure to be a certain way instead of just being ourselves. As a person who has suffered with anxiety from a young age, I’ve spent a lot of time studying mindfulness practice. Whilst I don’t always get it right, I know for sure that being in the moment allows for greater happiness and self-awareness. I believe that using photography as a medium has the potential to bring people into present.”

Jacki’s online course is called The Art of Being Through Seeing and is aimed at helping teens use their phones to connect with the real world rather than disconnect through mindless scrolling. “I want to teach them to open their eyes not only to really see the world, but also to go on a journey of self-discovery and self-expression. In the process they will learn to take scroll-stopping images and develop their creativity.” She says a good photographer can take beautiful pictures using any kind of camera, which is why the course uses mobile phone cameras, which are accessible for most teenagers.

The course is run via an online membership site where students watch educational videos, in their own time, that include theory lessons and practical demonstrations. There will also be practical exercises and students will receive feedback from Jacki on a secure online-chat group via voice notes. As an additional bonus, Jacki says Bretton Jones who is a master NLP practitioner and lifecoach will be doing video training on building self-confidence, setting goals and learning to manage stress.

 

Details: [email protected]; www.jackibruniquel.com

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