Why Cape Town?
“It had always been Farina’s dream to travel to Cape Town”, Hannes says during our Skype chat, sweating in a tanktop a couple of miles South of where I am. Meanwhile I can see snow and sun taking turns outside my office’s window in Berlin.
Together they made this dream come true and sort of “swapped offices” in the beginning of January and relocated it to Cape Town for the following three months. Both work as wedding photographers and rely on good weather, therefore a change of location is a benefit. Hannes calls himself a summer person and the South African city seems to be a good place to shorten the German winter.
First impressions?
The city offers many “photogenic spots” that everybody takes photos of, for example the stylish district of Woodstock. In order to get more variety, Hannes captured a couple of motifs for the hashtag #somethingyellow.
The media industry is ever-present in this city, everything seems very European and touristic, people hang out in hip cafés and drink smoothies. It gives the impression that Hannes feels very comfortable in Cape Town: “We like the idea of having a second base here in Cape Town, in order to skip the cold winter in Germany”. Next time he’d like to go on a road trip to Namibia.
If Cape Town was a person, how would you describe her/him?
“Friendly, open-minded and pretty. A soft shell with a hard core. Classy and versatile”, says the photographer. The city is rich in variety, “from St. Tropez to America, you can find everything here”, surrounded by beautiful scenery. Indeed, the city seems to be incredibly photogenic, the images speak for themselves. One will really get to know each area after living there for a while, says Hannes. That’s why the couple moves into a different place regularly during their stay.
Not only landscape, architecture and people are stunningly beautiful in Cape Town, one can spot many old VW models on the streets in various colors. Just recently Hannes discovered a Herbie double and photographed it right away.
Favourite places?
If you’re already following @_hannesthun on IG, you know the answer: The Table mountain! Possibly the best view over Cape Town and the sea. What’s the best time to go up? “Definitely for sunset.” Hannes and his girlfriend got themselves a yearly ticket so they can climb up anytime they want. The Lion’s Head is a great option as well, from up there you can see the Table mountain.
Another motif which can be found on Hannes’ stream several times is the Africa Café. Here, the couple went on a blind date with another couple they got in touch with via Instagram. Thanks to the social network his photography of the Chapman’s Peak Drive got featured by three South African accounts (@Pixelpanda_za, @loves_southafrica and @kapstadtmag) – the first step towards becoming established in Cape Town.
Life in South Africa isn’t always pretty and sunny. At the beginning of their stay the couple got scammed and lost their credit card to strangers. Sometimes the photographer doesn’t feel completely safe in some areas of Cape Town, but he would love to take some photos there someday.
What else is on his list before heading back to Germany? Watch the sun rise at Lion’s Head! By the way, check out Hannes’ #capetowntoDOliste!
