VUYO van den Berg opened his studio and gallery in Bedford on Valentine’s Day and has already chalked up three sizeable commissions, as well as numerous smaller jobs.
He has started working with Tara Forster on a year-long project to document her garden as it changes with the seasons.
Designed by Franchesca Watson, the Long Garden has been open during the past two garden festivals attracting over 400 visitors each time.
“Vuyo has an artist’s eye for garden landscapes and he captures exquisite close-up details of butterflies and individual flowers. Photographing gardens is notoriously difficult but he’s a natural,” Forster said.
Van den Berg has recently completed a documentary photography commission from a wind farm company.
Work is underway on a commission from a second wind farm company, which is hard evidence of his strength as a landscape and industrial photographer.
He completed his professional training with the aid of a bursary, where business skills formed part of the syllabus.
He is a Nikon man with a penchant for landscapes and nature photography but his portraits (people and pets) are also attracting a lot of attention.
His young niece and nephew have also provided lots of practice in photographing babies and toddlers.
A solo exhibition during the 2017 Bedford Garden Festival was Van den Berg’s first foray into the public domain.
He was hosted by the Duke of Bedford Inn in one of the conference venues and enjoyed a good deal of attention. By the end of the festival he had sold almost half the show.
In addition to his studio in the Duke of Bedford Inn precinct, he has a small permanent exhibition of work for sale at Bedford’s The Village Farmstall, which is open seven days a week.
He regularly posts new shots on his facebook page, Vuyo Photos.