“My work is different. I portray the best in people, using mood and light.”
Award-winning photographer Mariska du Toit has recently returned to Hartbeespoort from Canada where she has lived for the past 10 years, and she has her eyes set on a niche market in town.
“My work is very dramatic, I love using contrast and rich colours and conveying emotion,” she says.
Mariska studied at the Vancouver School of Arts after receiving a full scholarship and completed her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts.
One of her favourite subjects is bodybuilders! She has worked extensively with bodybuilders all over the world. Why bodybuilders? “Those bodies… and the lighting that catches the right places. It is a work of art and photographs beautifully,” she says. She has made a name for herself in this competitive field and travels extensively to locations all over South Africa to photograph bodybuilders.
However, her work is versatile and covers a range of genres. With over 25 years’ experience in photography, she has won numerous awards for lifestyle photography, her fashion photos have been featured at Paris and New York Fashion Week, and she has won an international photography Painting with Light competition. Her work conveys mood, feeling and emotion, and her portraits express her subjects’ personalities.
“I am good at what I do. I believe I bring the best out of my subjects. One doesn’t go for a photo shoot to look like you do in everyday life. You want to be your best, and I can capture that.”
She shoots digital and film and does not believe in taking hundreds of photos to get a few good ones. “I think because I have worked with film, I try and get it right the first time. I wait for the perfect shot and my photos need little editing. And for prints I only use German etching textured fine art paper that adds even more beauty to a photograph.”
Now based in Hartbeespoort, she hopes to focus on corporate lifestyle photography, creative portraits, and of course bodybuilders! “You can’t believe how many body builders there are in Hartbeespoort.”
Her multi-media portrait photo art is also in much demand. “I love painting on photos for even more dramatic effect.”
Mariska has a fully-equipped studio in Broederstroom and shoots at various locations.
Follow her on Instagram mariskadtphotography for examples of her work or contact her at 066 439 5102 for more information.