Beautiful News demonstrates the power of collaboration and community

For this reason, Beautiful News has reached out and worked with photographers, artists and creatives whose work is moving South Africa forward. In the stories created about these subjects, their work is integrated into short films, creating a visual collaboration between Beautiful News and the South African artistic community.

Bruce Boyd captures the majestic bond and spirituality between man and horse

The kindred-ness we have with horses is often overlooked; there’s a romance to horses running free and untamed, an enigmatic quality to their independence that creates mystery and wonder.

In 2013, Boyd encountered a herd of untamed horses roaming near the mouth of Botrivier in the Western Cape. He felt a deep spiritual connection and sense of respect for the horses and has been fascinated with them ever since.

Roaming freely in the Rooisand Nature Reserve the ‘Wild Horses’, beautifully photographed by Bruce Boyd, come to life in the Beautiful News film created about his work: http://bit.ly/2qIWF9S

Illustrating Jono Dry’s pencil drawings through motion picture

Jonathan (Jono) Dry’s journey with art has always been personal. He taught himself to draw and predominantly sketches self-portraits. The sketches proclaim self-doubt boldly to express what his words cannot; that uncertainty forms part of any creative’s life, perhaps even every person’s existence. Dry’s work is powerfully introspective, an honest depiction of the voyage to self-exploration. While his work is intimate, the candid revelation of his process speaks universally.

In his film ‘He taught himself to draw’, Beautiful News collaborated with the young artist to create a film using his extraordinary art, which touches on the importance of introspection and self-doubt in the creative process: http://bit.ly/2shfdQq

Sacha Specker defends the ocean through photography

The ocean is vast and full of hidden wonders, yet former bodyboarding world champion and underwater photographer Sacha Specker sees it differently. His relationship with the sea is intimate, most strikingly illustrated in the pictures that he captures. But a recent encounter with a great white shark reminded him that he is a mere fleck in the ocean. He held his nerve in that bloodcurdling moment and made it out unharmed but the moment gave him meaning to the adage: respect is earned, not given.

Depicting the body of saltwater through his eyes, he uses imagery as a medium to communicate the mystery of the underwater world, rolling through all its moods and magic – likened to a water sculpture that has been given eternal life and captures the creation that the sea has formed. But the constant barrage of human negligence threatens the ocean Specker loves, and as its guardian, he is doing his part to encourage people to take better care of what has been given to them.

His Beautiful News film ‘Great whites can’t keep me from the ocean’ transfers his passion into something that is tangible using his images and video footage to inspire South Africans to be custodians of the ocean: http://bit.ly/2rUouRv

Showcasing Tracey Derrick’s introspective self-portraits

A photographer by profession, Tracey Derrick’s career focused on capturing marginalised communities, acting as a looking glass and mouthpiece for minority groups.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and her right breast was surgically removed. The life-threatening disease harmed her body, but it would not break her spirit. On the other side of the lens, she discovered a newfound strength and self-love. Her introspective photo project, ‘One in Nine’ is an exploration of breast cancer, its treatment and survival.

After her mastectomy, she stepped in front of the camera and became the subject of her photographs. Her images capture the skin art that swims over the memory of her breast; encapsulating the raw beauty of her scars she stands barefaced, bold and unapologetic.

Her Beautiful News film is told using images from ‘One in Nine’, which reveals the story of a woman who faced a life-threatening illness with tremendous courage, and was able to use the experience to create a powerful piece of art: http://bit.ly/2kj7kZ2

There are hundreds of other stories where Beautiful News has made a profound impact and is affecting change by harnessing the spirit of South Africans. The digital medium has helped lesser-known individuals who are striving to make a positive impact to spread their message of hope, thereby creating a ripple effect for others to assist and support each other.

In the face of news headlines dominated by disaster and despair, Beautiful News seeks to provide a source of reprieve.

Every day at 4:14pm Beautiful News (www.beautifulnews.co.za) will continue reflecting the actions and endeavours of citizens allowing the public to access and reflect on the goodness of the communities and the people around us.

To view a Beautiful News story, visit www.beautifulnews.co.za. To submit an untold story email: hello@beautifulnews.co.za.

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