Avid photographers know what it feels like having to go the extra mile to get that perfect shot. That moment involved staring nervously down the barrel of a gun for mechanical engineer and part time Cape Town photographer Solwazi Khumalo.
Khumalo‚ 33‚ captured some spectacular shots of lightening during thunderstorms in and around Pretoria in the final days before New Year’s Eve.
While visiting his mother in Centurion‚ he decided to capture a thunderstorm by setting up his camera in a secluded‚ and empty‚ parking area at 11pm.
“After about 30 minutes in the parking lot . . . two armed response cars rushed into the parking lot and stopped on either side of me. One armed response (officer) from each car approached me on either side with their guns pointed at me and they asked me to put my hands up‚” said Khumalo.
“After searching me to make sure I did not have any weapons‚ I showed them the pictures I took on the camera and explained that I was just there to take photos of the lightning. They told me to leave the parking lot because it was private property. I would have loved to have taken more photographs‚ but I am thankful the armed response personnel did not force me to delete the photos I had already taken‚” he said.
He took a second set of photographs at a parking lot close to Forest Hill Shopping Mall on Saturday‚ December 30‚ at about 8pm. “I was with my sister and my cousin. We had just purchased some pizza and we were waiting to receive our order. While waiting … I saw the lightning in the distance and I rushed to the car to fetch my camera‚” he said.
Khumalo polishes his photography skills over weekends. Among his favourite subjects are sunsets.
“The main reason why I started taking photos was because when I was three years old I tried to ride my tricycle down a flight of stairs. This destroyed my front teeth and the only way I could make sure nobody takes pictures of me was if I was the one always holding the family camera. We eventually were able to afford medical aid and my teeth have been restored to their original beauty‚” he said.
When he is not taking photographs‚ he devotes his spare time towards getting a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
By: Petru Saal TimesLIVE
Source: TMG Digital.
