Photography Feature: Jacques van der Smit

Seeing Through the Noise

Although his day to day sees him as the chief Anti Money Laundering, Counter-Terrorist Financing and Sanctions Officer at Nedbank, Jacques van der Smit spends his free time on his passion for photography.

“I got my first exposure to cameras through my father’s Pentax film camera that he would take along on family holidays to places like Etosha or the coast. After teaching me how to change the film and take some photos he eventually bought me my own point-and-shoot film camera that I would take along on camping and school trips. I eventually upgraded to a Ricoh that allowed me to take panoramas which have been a huge love of mine since my youth.

Throughout high school, my fondness for photography kept on growing thanks to some of my friends who were also interested in this art form. This allowed us to support each other and grow together as well as creating some healthy competition amongst us.

After school I started using a DSLR that allowed for more growth, especially in terms of macro photography. Currently, my main focus is on astrophotography, a skill that I hope to keep on improving.

In photography, every day presents new challenges to see through the noise around us and capture that moment in time that tells a story or inspires.”

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