Recently, Red Bull photographer Tyrone Bradley, collaborated with Red Bull athlete Murray Loubser – dubbed the most innovative Red Bull BMX Street rider in South Africa. Combining BMX riding and DIY craftsmanship, Tyrone built a ramp in an abandoned pool to capture the perfect photo and show off South Africa’s heritage in the Cape Peninsula.
This result? One of the most creative and iconic shots that showcases how modern photography can be used as a lens to capture South Africa’s heritage.
“For many years, photography has been at the centre of capturing South Africa’s heritage – whether in sports, culture or landscape – and today, we are taking this to the next level by blending creativity across disciplines to bring to life various elements of South Africa’s heritage, says Tyrone Bradley, Red Bull South Africa photographer.
“Personally, I am all about emotive action where a lot of what I shoot requires documenting moments where you can’t direct things. There is something special about not knowing what will come next and relying on cultural beauty in unexpected places to set the scene for you. Projects such as the collab with Murray was testament to this – it was all about employing a unique perspective to immerse the viewer into the scene and create resonance with an iconic part of South Africa’s landscape while capturing the culture and skill of one of South Africa’s most popular and growing sports,” continues Bradley.
Photographs provide a preview into forgotten and sometimes derelict places, lives once lived and provide a platform for the intrinsic understanding of culture and heritage. The beauty is that today, photography continues to do just – capturing South Africa’s heritage but with a modern twist. In fact, modern photography is about finding angles that tell the story you want to tell and bringing them to life creatively.
The Bradley ft. Loubser collab was captured in a derelict pool on the rocks looking straight over the sea on the Cape Peninsula. In just two days, the team – along with concrete skate park builder, Jamie O Brien – piled rubble and cemented a quarter pipe and managed to shoot a whole gallery of images. And as sunrise would be the best light, they headed back on day two at 4am to get set up and ready for first light to shoot what is now a bank of images that bring to life the beauty of the Cape.
“For me, this collab was a way in which to showcase the beauty of something old and seemingly non-functional, turning it into not only an ‘overnight’ functional space, but against the backdrop of one of South Africa’s notorious Cape sunrises, showcasing the skills and talent of a local South African sportsman – comparable to South Africa’s ability to ‘bounce back’ and make something beautiful out of nothing. We are super proud of this image gallery and look forward to finding new and exciting ways to bring modern photography to life!” concluded Bradley.
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