PHOTOGRAPHER
FOCUS
Wianelle Briers
Personal background I was born in 1963 in Pretoria . Growing up , I spent my early childhood in Mpumalanga , and later in Pretoria . I lived in Pretoria until 1999 , by which time I was a full time , career woman and a hobbyist photographer . For most of my business career , I worked for my father who was an extraordinary businessman . During these years I obtained invaluable business skills , which helped me tremendously when I started my own photography business in 2008 . One of the most important elements in my business , which is something that I learnt during my business career , is to determine the precise expectations of clients , exceeding those expectations and never to become complacent .
How you got into photography ? My fascination with architecture and photography stems from childhood . I was always a keen hobbyist photographer and was encouraged by a friend who had seen some of my photographs
to attend a photography course in 2005 . In 2008 I entered a photography competition launched by an international hotel group , who needed images to decorate the passages , rooms , and dining areas of a new hotel . I was very surprised when my series of photographs of the Port Elizabeth area were chosen out of hundreds of entries . Increasingly I received requests from local businesses , to supply decorative images and I decided to start a small ‘ sideline ’ photography business . However , I wasn ’ t a qualified photographer and it kept bothering me . I decided to enrol at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University to study photography full time in 2009 , which meant that I had to give up my business career . During my studies I focused mostly on architectural photography . After finishing a BTech in photography in 2012 , I moved to Cape Town , where my architecture photography career started in all earnest .
Do you specialise in any particular types of photography ? My speciality is photographing exteriors and interiors of large buildings or structures as well as interesting modern architecture of any size . Furthermore , I attempt to accurately portray the essence of a building as intended by the architect , by highlighting
8 Wianelle Briers