ONE-ON-ONE WITH PANORAMA PAUL

As a semi-retired professional photographer, Paul Bruins (aka ‘Panorama Paul’) is now living the life. Living at the fringes of the indigenous forest in Knysna, South Africa, he lives in peace and tranquility with nature. Away from all the stress, noise and pollution. His interest in photography was sparked at an early age while completing a school project to build a pin-hole camera and develop and print the results in a homemade darkroom.

As a qualified civil engineer, Panorama Paul has spent most of his life working for a small company developing computer software for the engineering industry. He never went far without some sort of camera though. Paul has experimented with a large range of equipment and styles from cheap disposables to 35mm SLRs and then to medium format. Although he has some studio experience shooting portraits, still-life, and close-up macro images, his love of nature and the outdoors saw him moving towards architectural and fine-art landscape photography. The rest is history.

We have previously featured some of Paul’s works on this site and he was one of our expert judges in Teambooktu’s Nature Photo Challenge #1. So this interesting chat with the genius photographer is long overdue.

Thanks for honouring our invitation, Paul. We’ll go straight to questions. As an engineer, how has your background in developing computer software helped you in photography?

Civil engineering, software development and photography are all highly technical professions, requiring logical and extremely focussed thought processes. The common thread is that they are all “technically creative”. Although some people might think that landscape photography is mostly an intuitive practice, to become successful does require a complete understanding of the technical aspects, which should all be carefully considered before pressing the shutter button. 

Do you think foundational knowledge in another discipline is a bonus in creating good photography?

Absolutely. Most successful photos tell a story. The more you know about something, the more interesting your stories can be.

Some say that good photography must always tell a story even if the focus is on an object. Do you agree with this?

Not all good photography tells a story about the object in focus. Abstract photography is more about the shapes, textures and colours than about the objects. However, I do believe that all good photos have one thing in common. They all have at least one primary subject. Everyone should clearly understand why the photographer decided to take that photo at that moment. That is the only important story to tell.

A lot of the epic photos you’ve taken appear to be spur-of-the-moment shots and must have been selected from many shots of the same image from various angles. How do you know what will make a great picture from the lot?

Indeed, many of my most successful photos are spur-of-the-moment shots. I use the “hey, look at that” technique to decide if something is interesting enough to take a photo of. If I would point it out to a friend who was walking/driving with me, then I’d clearly be pointing at something interesting, which should obviously be the primary subject of my photo. Finding the best composition of that subject isn’t always easy though, so I try to take as many photos as possible, from all angles. The best photos are usually those that are the most visually balanced, with objects arranged in a way that neither the left or right half of the picture feels more dominant than the other.

Landscape photography is your thing. But there seems to be more demand for personal shots, family photos and occasions like wedding and birthday photos. Do you do these as well or strictly landscape?

I don’t often take photos for financial gain. Although I do occasionally take photos of/for other people, I mostly take photos for myself. I once went to considerable trouble and expense to take beautiful photos of someone for their model portfolio, but she didn’t like a single one of them. The photos were all technically perfect, she just didn’t like how she looked in them. Mountains never look fat or ugly.

Can a photographer make a living from architectural and landscape photography alone? Who are the typical clients?

It is becoming increasingly difficult to make a living in any genre of photography. Everyone now has a camera in their cell-phone these days, so everyone is technically a photographer. I wouldn’t advise anyone to pursue a career in photography, unless you also intend to teach workshops, host photo tours, create YouTube content, etc., etc.

Does this require a different skillset from the traditional society photographer?

I believe that any technically skilled photographer will be able to take interesting photos of any subject. 

With Instagram, Tiktok, AI etc everyone seems to believe they are akin to professional photographers these days. People are using sophisticated phones to shoot great photos and make music videos and skits. Is the professional photographer’s job threatened? Is there still a recognizable difference?

Yes, as I mentioned previously, I do feel that professional photographers’ jobs are being threatened by all the new technology. And since most people are only viewing photos and videos on their phone screens, they often can’t notice the lack of quality of the content that they are viewing. However, I do believe that this new technology will also offer new possibilities and open up new doors that we never knew existed. So it’s not all doom and gloom for creative photographers.

Your shots are jaw-dropping and draw the viewer into the space and moment. With your many years of experience in photography, have you ever dabbled in film? Have you ever considered being a Director of Photography for a movie?

Hah hah, that’s two questions disguised as one! Short answers… yes and no. My passion for photography started before digital cameras, and I still own a couple of 35mm film cameras and a medium format Mamiya. But I was much younger (poorer) in those days, so the cost of the film and the development and printing stifled my progress. 

As a nature lover, I see a lot of your photos as an attempt to reawaken the consciousness of people towards nature and its preservation. Do you see yourself as a campaigner for nature and sustainability?

No, I’m not actively campaigning for any specific causes with my photos. I simply enjoy exploring beautiful natural environments, and capturing interesting photos that will forever remind me of those moments. I might share some of those photos on social media, but that’s never done to challenge other people’s beliefs. If one of my photos inspires someone else to also seek out beautiful natural environments, then that’s a big bonus! 

How has that gone so far? I’m sure you have returned to some of your sites and seen the impact of climate change. How does that make you feel?

I have definitely noticed the impact of climate change here in the Knysna forest. The summer of 2017 was unusually hot and dry, which caused most of the tree-ferns to die. Some had been growing for hundreds of years and were more than 3 metres tall. Now there are only a few spots in the forest where you might find a few large living tree-ferns. I was both shocked and saddened when I realised what had happened.

They say architecture and photography freeze time and moments for generations. Architectural photography keeps cultural records for posterity. Development is quickly erasing history so Africa sorely needs this specialization. I recall that you do a bit of that as well. Why do you think this niche doesn’t get much attention on the continent?

I believe that a photo only has historical value when it has been printed. Digital images are saved in one of several standard file formats (JPG, TIFF, PSD, etc.) on some form of storage medium (hard drives, USB memory cards, in the “cloud” etc.). There are no guarantees that these file formats will still be the standard in 50 years from now, or that we’ll still be able to access those storage devices. I have some photos only saved on floppy disks that I’ll probably never be able to view again.

The cover of Claude’s novel “And the Night Hissed” was one of your historical photos. Where was this shot taken? Is there a back story behind the photo?

What a great book! I’ve read it twice! I took that photo in Stone Town in Zanzibar in August 2008. For many years, Stone Town was a major centre for the slave trade. Slaves would be shipped in from mainland Africa and traded with merchants from the middle east. Before they were shipped out, the slaves were crammed into small holding-cells (like the one in my photo) for several days without food or water.

Multiple-image panoramas are your thing hence your moniker. What are its advantages in photography?

Indeed, I love capturing multi-image panoramas! Creating them does include some additional challenges, but for me, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. The biggest advantage has to be that I am no longer constrained by my lens (and viewfinder) when I’m composing my images. With single-frame compositions, your subject usually determines the ideal focal length of your lens. With vast expansive subjects we would typically use a wide-angle lens, and we might use a telephoto lens to zoom in on smaller details in the landscape. But my favourite focal-length is 50mm, because that is (roughly) the focal-length of our eyes. My primary objective is always to capture things exactly as my eyes saw them. I am able to capture most of my landscape compositions with a 50mm lens, but it often takes more than one photo to include all of the most interesting bits. 

What image-stitching software would you recommend for beginners in panoramic photography?

For beginners, I would recommend either Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. Both do a great job. But sometimes you need a bit more control over the stitching process, which is why I always use a program called PTGui to stitch my panoramas. Other programs might provide slightly better results, but PTGui has never let me down.

You published a brilliant book on your old Nature shots (Most Memorable Moments) and one on the way, I believe? What’s this new volume on?

Thank you for your kind words. My “Most Memorable Moments” book was a collection of 150 of my personal favourite photos. My most recent book is entitled “More Magical Knysna Forests”. Three years ago I self-published a limited edition coffee table book (only 250 signed copies) called “The Magical Knysna Forest” which sold out in less than three months. I promised that I would never do a reprint, so instead I did a completely new book on the same subject, with better and more photos. Photos only become historically valuable when they are printed on paper.

This question might be quite tough but what is your most challenging shot yet?

That’s an easy question to answer. The most challenging photos to capture are forest photos. Especially on bright sunny days, when the sunlight penetrates the canopy. The extreme dynamic range (difference in luminosity between the brightest highlights and the darkest shadows) means that it’s often impossible for even the best cameras to capture all the details in one exposure. The only way to capture an accurate representation of those subjects is to take several differently exposed photos and then blend them together afterwards in Photoshop.

You’ve travelled to remote areas for a great shot. What’s the farthest-flung region you’ve been to for a shot?

In February 2015 I traveled to the Lofoten Islands in Norway, to see and photograph the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). I only saw them on one of the five nights of my trip (the rest were overcast), but that amazing experience made all the effort and expense feel worthwhile.

You are an inspiration to many young photographers across the continent. What is your advice for amateur photographers who want to take this as a profession?

Thank you. Everything that I’ve ever learned about photography was shared freely to me by other photographers. I’m still learning from them. My only advice to amateur photographers would be the same advice that I’d give to any young person considering their career. To find something that you can feel truly passionate about, and then to do that thing to the best of your abilities, continuing to improve your skills over the years. Dream big, but be prepared to start small and put in all the effort required to get there.

What are the opportunities out there in landscape photography? Should they specialise in a niche from the start or take on all briefs?

I love watching the expression on the faces of people paging through one of my photo books for the first time. Although the printed media has been in a steady decline for a number of years, fortunately we’re not living in the dystopian era as depicted in Ray Bradbury’s book Fahrenheit 451, where all books have been outlawed. Many people still prefer the tactile experience of reading a paper book, and in my opinion, there could never be enough of those. The more passionate you feel about the subject that you’re photographing, the better your photos will be. But all your photos will always look better when printed.

Besides photography and your love for nature walks, what are your other pastimes?

Since my early retirement 6 years ago (for health reasons), my only priorities have been to avoid all forms of stress and to try and live as long as possible. I’ve been successful in both so far. I don’t enjoy large crowds (anymore), but I do love connecting with close friends on a one-to-one level. I am also very comfortable in my own company. I read at least one book a week and I take an afternoon nap on most days. Most of my life is consumed by photography-related activities though. If I’m not out taking photos somewhere, then I’m either editing photos, working on my next book, preparing for a presentation to a camera club or congress, or writing another article for the PetaPixel website. 

Thanks for a very insightful interview and for sharing your time with us.

My pleasure!