I’ve spent the last three days working on Maxi’s album, each album is custom designed and takes a shedload of time. Images have to flow, tell a story and they still need to fit together on a page. Anyway, I don’t often get to play with textures, but this one image just cried out to get a painterly feel to it. I sometimes add a subtle texture to images when they are blown up big onto canvas. It just gives them more of an authentic feel, another dimension really. I’ve seen many pics where it has been overused, but I think it works on this one – imagine it as a 2meter by 1meter canvas print hanging above the couch.

In totally unrelated studio news, I’ll be in Cape Town between the 8th and the 14th of June, I have a couple of morning sessions still available.

I love driving, any chance to put 681 clicks on the odometer and I’m there. Me and Mr Kerouac have an understanding about the road. But V recently sideswiped the Tucson and we’re out here on the way back from Lebowakgomo in the green mamba. A car so low that SUVs have reversed over it unable to see it in their rearview. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s so dry and my sinusitis is kicking in, and I seem to be living on Sinutabs and caffeine, or that every driver driving by on the narrow two lane road seems to be hellbent on meeting their maker. Tonight if possible.

My point. This is probably the last gig that we’re going to take which requires more than an hour’s drive out of Joburg without staying over. I’ve just had way too may close calls on the way back , too many drivers driving too close to the center lane on a pitch dark road with small animals running across.

Anyway, today we were in Lebowakgomo, the ex-capital of the ex-independent homeland of Lebowa. Maxi is getting married traditional style, slaughtered sheep, colourful outfits, dancing and all. We’re here to photograph Dror style; the traditional dancers, outfits and Mafikizolo on the PA that I’m fairly sure can be heard on other planets. Maxi looks stunning in a traditional red and orange outfit. Tomorrow, we’ll be in Shoshanguve where the colours will change to blue and green. She’ll still look stunning. The two days and the ceremony are a million miles away from what we’re used to. Everyone makes us feel welcome, we may move here, I shake hands with the umpteenth person, it’s a three step handshake, I keep stuffing it up. I feel like the whitest boy alive.

It’s V’s birthday on the 1st and we’re going to take a couple of days off away from the computers and just relax out east. We’ll be back on Monday.