Talking with Wesley Jacobs
Happy Tuesday, my friends, and welcome to another appointment with Inside the Photo. This month, I’m putting a spotlight on the amazing landscape pictures of my friend Wesley Jacobs.
I think back across my life and realised that, in one form or other, I’ve always enjoyed having a camera in my hands. It was always something I wanted to pursue but never fully committed to. That is until a few years ago when I submersed myself fully into the art form, learning and obsessing about everything I can.
It was when I switched to the Fujifilm system that I felt at one with my camera, that it became an extension of me. I’m not going to turn this into a Fuji rant but needless to say there is, for me, something special about their gear and the way in which their tools are crafted – this I appreciate greatly.
Photographing landscapes came naturally to me, especially since Cape Town (South Africa) has an abundance of natural beauty all around us. Amazing coastlines, awe inspiring mountain ranges and everything in between. But photographing landscapes really became my “therapy”, a time of calm and focus to centre myself and refill the creative side of my life. When someone views my work, I hope that it will at some level, give them reason to pause and appreciate this beautiful world we live in.
Wesley’s images are always filled with a golden, warm soul and with a contrast in the shadows that perfectly render the atmosphere of the places he photographs. Every time any of his images appear in my feed, I instantly feel a sense of relaxation and calmness. Which, for the chaotic world we live in, translates to a priceless moment.
© Wesley Jacobs
Table Mountain is an iconic natural wonder and (as cliché as it sounds) such an obvious subject to shoot. But it’s the ever-changing conditions around it that make it such a wonderful focus. Like this evening a couple of weeks ago. This wasn’t supposed to be a photography trip, just me taking my dog out for a walk along the coast. The weather was really miserable, dark clouds, high wind speeds and showers of rain stopping and starting. As I decided that I (and my dog) had had enough, the sun dipped below the bank of clouds it was hiding behind and lit the coastline up with some golden love. The weather had made for bigger than usual swells and some dramatic waves that usually died well before the rocky edge but were now splashing up against us. The cloud cover over Table Mountain meant that the City below and the foothills were lit up with a dramatically darkened background.
The conditions only lasted around 15 minutes, but it was long enough for me to have forgotten all of the bad weather from earlier that evening. For me, this is Home.
I’m sure you will find Wesley’s work awesome and worth your time, so here you go with all his contacts on socials.
Thank you, my friend, for being my guest today and for sharing this amazing story.
Take care and talk soon!