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I've woken up bleary eyed & weary after a heart-stopping few hours early  this morning as Zambia won 8-7 on penalties against Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations! The roar from Lusaka 30km away as that last penalty found the net, was a noise I will remember for a long time to come. The vuvuzelas and car horns are still going strong! What a proud day for Zambia! Congratulation Chipolopolo! You did it!


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Just back from a great shoot in Lower Zambezi at Kanyemba Lodge, one of my favourite places in Zambia. The lodge has recently been refurbished under the guidance of excellent designer Abi of www.souldesign.co.za and the results are fantastic!   As always, an absolute pleasure to hang out with Riccardo and the Kanyemba team, shooting by day, eating pasta and drinking scotch by night.   I love the Lower Zambezi at this time of year; the light is always incredible and we were treated to some of the most insane sunsets I have ever had the pleasure to watch. Here's one of them,...


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As a brand new year dawns, I, instead of doing something adventurous and swash-buckling, have instead been stuck in my office, grinding away at that dreaded task that all photographers hate - backing up.   The achingly boring picture above is of my backup "station". That motley crew of hard drives (and my old battered 17" MBP acting as ringmaster) contains triple backups of the almost 180,000 images I have delivered to clients since I began shooting professionally almost 6 years ago. So much has happened (and changed) since I blabbed my way into that first shoot; I can't wait to see what...


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So I've used macs for my editing for years, but I only recently came over to the dark side and bought an iPhone after my trusty old Nokia E71 got dropped one too many times... The first feature I tested (obviously) was the camera and to my surprise (yes, in spite of all the hype I'd read) it blew me away.   Now, an SLR replacement it ain't, but for a camera phone, I thought it was pretty fantastic, especially tied with one of the many free editing apps you can get (I currently use Instagram). I love having a usable camera with me all the time and I especially love that it doesn't weigh...


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A slightly belated Merry Christmas to you all! I hope much fun was had by all! Just back from the Copperbelt where we had a wonderful few days with family & friends. Time now to begin to sort out shooting schedules, backups and equipment for the new year!   All the very best for 2012 and God Bless. Gareth   P.S. Shot this through my windscreen on my iPhone as we left Kitwe at sunrise. Togs out there will see an ND Grad in use. Any takers as to what I used?  


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The Christmas Season kicked off a couple of weeks ago with a charity fundraiser, organized by the Usual Suspects Cooking Club, to raise money for the very excellent Sam Damalis Trust Fund. The Charity does great work raising money to fund the renovation and improvement of the Pediatric Cancer Ward at the University Teaching Hospital right here in Lusaka. Having already renovated most of the ward over the last few years, they are now working to provide a custom kitchen for the kids and a fund for drugs & therapies for those that can't afford it themselves.   The fundraiser was called...


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Pretty crazy storm in Lusaka as I drove home yesterday morning. Shot above was taken on my iphone out the window of the car. Still don't beat this freaky-deaky one I shot in Mwinilunga nearly a year ago!  Storms get pretty violent up in that part of the country! Looking forward to the chance of heading up there again early next year.  


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Anyone who knows me well or had read my blog before knows that a local project named Chikumbuso is very close to my heart. I've documented the project's journey over the years, from its birth in a filthy former tavern and brothel to the amazing place of security, love, respect and learning that it is today. Visit their site here and then go to Ngombe and visit the project yourself - you will come away a different person, I guarantee it.   A couple of weeks ago, Former U.S. President George Bush was in Zambia with his family and they chose to visit Chikumbuso, so after a phone call...


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A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to shoot a story for an organization called World Bicycle Relief, who work here in Zambia and in many other countries around the world. I knew little about the organization at first, but after spending several days in the middle of no-where with the always-cheefrul Lameck from WBR, I was completely inspired by their work and immediately wanted to be more involved.   The organization provides custom designed & manufactured, "Africa" Spec bicycles to people in desperate need. The particular project I was shooting revolved around the provision...


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Over the years I have shot many images of the fantastic Zambian electric violinist, Caitlin. (Have a look in my Commercial Portfolio to see some examples). In July this year, Caitlin flew into Lusaka on her way to a gig and had one free day here so we quickly organized an impromptu shoot. No lighting, no assistants, no special effects, just Cait and her violin. As usual, I took every opportunity to make her suffer in the name of 'art', including dunking her in a freezing stream but we got some great images in a few short hours! Check out her website to see more pictures, watch videos of her performing...


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