Acclaimed photographer and businesswoman Bruna Mentrup-Nortje explores the African bushveld through her lens. Nature is where she feels at home as she embraces her passion, extends her talents and lets others travel with her while she deepens their connection with nature.
Bruna is a professional wildlife photographer, traveller, adventurer and businesswoman.
She was born in Polokwane and during her years at school, she had a passion for photography. Her mother was instrumental in helping nurture her love by buying Bruna her first camera.
‘When others would dedicate their efforts to drawing, I would look at ways to develop spools for photography. I even had my darkroom,’ she said as she highlighted that the help of her family played a role in developing her passion for photography.
Stepping into business
Bruna went on to refine her photography skills when she moved to Johannesburg. Here she started working, and photography became something she would only pursue on weekends.
However, photography did not lead her to her business life. Many years ago, she joined Body Pazaz, a gym in Alberton and became one of Alberton’s first qualified female aerobics instructors.
‘Back then, it wasn’t anything like today. It took hard work and strenuous hours. After years, I had to stop because I was diagnosed with a heart condition,’ explained Bruna.
That did not stop her from pursuing other business interests. After her late husband, Franz Mentrup, passed away, she started the first wedding venue in Alberton, now called Ascot Mews Wedding Venue, Lodge and Conference Centre, in 2000.
The company started as a bed and breakfast called Privet Lane in 1995, offering accommodation only, and it was also the second bed and breakfast in Alberton.
According to Bruna, many jockeys came to the racecourse opposite them and she always wondered where they stayed.
‘My late husband and I thought that the race course opposite the property, now the New Market Shopping Mall, would use the bed and breakfast to accommodate the jockeys. The rooms did not have numbers but names of famous racehorses such as Welcome Boy. Their business came from companies in Steeldale and Alrode, among other companies in the South of Johannesburg.
‘We started with four rooms and added another four rooms the year after. All our rooms used to be old stables, and we converted the stables into luxury rooms, each named after a famous horse. Until today, not one jockey ever came to book into Ascot. We are still waiting for a jockey,’ said Bruna.
‘Weddings were never on my mind then,’ she added.
It all began with her friend losing her venue due to a double booking and desperately needing a place to host her wedding celebration. ‘I only had two weeks to make this possible,’ said Bruna.
‘My friend and her guests thoroughly enjoyed their wedding, and I saw an opportunity and started the first wedding venue in the South.’ At that stage, the main house on the property was used as their home and a place of business.
‘She then built a cottage for herself on the property, which she moved into, and transformed part of the house into a kitchen, two executive rooms and a honeymoon suite. With the former New Market Racecourse located directly across from the property, and many businesses in the surrounding areas, this sparked an idea in her mind to add conference facilities.’
She added wedding facilities, a chapel, two conference centres and 17 rooms after 2001. The name Ascot Mews came from one of Britain’s most well-known racecourses, the Royal Ascot.
‘Throughout the development of Ascot Mews, I made many mistakes, but I worked through my mistakes and never gave up.’
Today, Ascot Mews is a fairytale world of romance and luxury for every bridal party.
‘I planned and coordinated 3 975 weddings by myself at Ascot Mews before I started living my dream as a wildlife photographer,’ explained Bruna.
Her world through the lens
To pursue her dream as a photographer, she handed the business over to her son from a previous marriage, Brandon Jarvis, the company’s managing director and co-owner of Ascot Mews.
In 2013, she started her own photography business, Thru My African Lens Photography and Tours.
‘I have always treated photography as a hobby, but ever since Leon Bouwer came into my life, it has been transformational because of his business mindset. Leon is a partner in Thru My African Lens and my right-hand man. I am curious to know how I ever coped without him,’ explained Bruna.
Being from Polokwane and living on a farm, she often witnessed beautiful bushveld sunsets on the outskirts of the town.
‘I always eagerly awaited evenings.’
Her fondest childhood memory is asking her father where the sun comes from. He answered, ‘The sun and moon came from a factory in Johannesburg.’
‘Looking at the sunset after hearing my dad, I thought that must be a big factory,’ she said with a smile.
When she asked her father where stars come from, she was stunned to hear that it came from this very same ‘unique factory’.
She describes her childhood self as a creative dreamer and quiet observer who would find form in elements such as clouds and colour where no one else would see it.
In her former years, while working, Bruna attended Southern Suburbs Camera Club and later became the chair lady of the club in Alberton. Her network circle expanded by connecting with other photographers from the club.
‘Photography has come a long way from what we know, and it is more than just purchasing a camera,’ she explained.
She started her wildlife journey with nothing but a passion for capturing nature. She loves to travel, and this part of her ties well with her passion, which leads her to beautiful African bushvelds.
‘My heart has always belonged to the great outdoors. I am happiest immersed in capturing landscapes and wildlife and bringing it to life through my lens.’
Proudest moments and travel
Bruna has won the National Geographic Photo of the Year and received a licentiate from the Photography Society of South Africa (PSSA). She also received PSSA Masters-Multiple National and local awards.
‘I take pride in it, seeing my work in magazines and hanging on walls of game lodges across Africa.’’
Her love for travel allows her to spend months on the road, partnered with fantastic light, nature, animals, and the landscape.
Along with her travel, the acclaimed wildlife photographer presents courses and lectures at Digital Photography Courses. She relishes her time as a lecturer and out in the bush with eager-to-learn students.
Her journey through Thru My African Lens Photography and Tours are wonderfully exciting moments for her, and she intends to teach further and deepen her connection with nature.
Text: DESNAY PETERSON. Photo: DANIE BESTER
