George Philipas presents 'The Controversial Vuvuzela'

Date
28th Jul 2010
1 comment

© George Philipas

At the World Photography Organisation, we love discovering photographs that bring a big smile to our faces, so when World Photography Collection member George Philipas sent us some outstandingly composed yet comical photographs from his time at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, we couldn't wait to share them with our community. George's captivating photographs seemed to encapsulated the light-hearted mischief that the South African vuvuzelas are all about, despite the hype surrounding them as a nuisance instrument. We got in touch with George for a frank but informal interview to find out the story behind the photographs and what his feelings are about the controversial vuvuzela at the core of his series...

What was the inspiration behind the series?

Before the World Cup started I had been toying with the idea of doing a portrait series of fans at the event. I had been to previous World Cups and seen the amazing and diverse set of people in attendance, many who would not normally let their hair down and I wanted to capture that.

But as the World Cup began and the controversy started raging over the vuvuzela I decided to incorporate the plastic instrument into the original idea. The series though was not really about the controversy that seemed a million miles away in South Africa. Rather I wanted to use the vuvuzela - and the relationship each fan had with it - to attempt to visually convey the vibrant and unique party atmosphere in the country during the event.

Vuvuzela 6© George Philipas

How did you achieve the lighting and composition of the photos so well?

To create something that was different from the other armies of photographers there, I decided to use flash lighting on location for the series.

In the past I have used a monobloc with barn doors for highly directional lighting but this time I decided to go with a wafer soft box which produces a smoother more seamless lighting effect and of course covers a larger area of the subject. 

I tried to shoot the whole series in strong sunlight (which in Winter in South Africa was a bit tricky some times!) underexposing the background by a few stops and with the 500w light almost close to full blast.  Using relatively high shutter speeds also helped to freeze the action concisely and beautifully.
Needless to say, carrying the equipment around in large crowds of people was a bit of a nightmare to say the least!

What was the atmosphere like at the World Cup?

Truly amazing.  

To see people from such different walks of life from all over the world mingling is an eye-opener in itself. But I think what really made this World Cup stand out was the passion and excitement from South Africans themselves – from all different backgrounds – and how they came together to watch and celebrate harmoniously.

I have actually lived in South Africa for around a year now and have never ceased to be amazed at how the country always pulls together when it needs to. You always get the feeling during events like this in SA – for all the pessimism that sometimes surrounds the country – that it will be just fine in the long-run.

Vuvuzela 4© George Philipas

Are you mainly interested in photography surrounding sporting events, or are there other subjects that you like to explore?

To be very honest, this would be the first major sporting event I’ve actually covered!   

My main line of work focuses on Africa and is mainly editorial and news type photography. I do specialise in child portraiture as well and have had a decent career in commercial photography in the past (hence knowledge of lighting!).

Now you’ve returned, what are you feelings about those vuvuzelas?!

Towards the end of the event, my nerves were a bit frayed by the sound of those things and I couldn’t wait to see the back of them! But now that it’s over, I look back on them fondly to be very honest.  

They are an integral part of what made this World Cup a very South African event. They have come to symbolise the atmosphere that was generated and the undisputable success of this World Cup. I totally agreed with FIFA (for once!) when they decided outright not to impose a ban along the lines that it would have been an attempt to westernise a truly South African experience. As for whether I would like to see them at future major sporting events… well – I’m not sure on that one at all..!

To see more of George's work, you can visit his website www.geojournalism.com

Vuvuzela 3© George Philipas

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