TAKE TEN: The Leaf Eaters

Fujifilm’s celebrating a decade of our X Mount system by featuring Fujifilm shooters from across South Africa. A switch to Fujifilm offered Cape Town food and travel couple, The Leaf Eaters, a “cheat code” to getting great images. We caught up with Vernon and Simóne to talk more about their storytelling, photography and future plans.

Why do you love photography?

We consider it one of the most powerful ways to tell a story. There’s something special about capturing a moment in time and being able to look back and reflect on it, as well as sharing it with others. For us, photography is a visual diary as well as a way to communicate without words. We also love the creative freedom associated with photography, and how different photographers are able to put their “stamp” on a piece of work.

Tell us a bit more about your photography and what you would like to achieve through this.

Leaf Eaters started out as food photographers a few years ago but have since developed into so much more. We shoot travel content, properties and unique destinations most frequently nowadays, but enjoy shooting everything from food, to product, to fashion.

Our ultimate goal is to make a living travelling South Africa and abroad whilst taking on content creation projects for a variety of different brands and clients. It’s also about sharing our experiences and stories as we go and influence and inspire others that are looking at starting out as content creators in South Africa.

What’s your camera and lens combo?

The Fujifilm X-T4 with a Fujinon 16-55mm F2.8 lens.

What made you switch to Fujifilm and when did this happen?

We were in the market for a strong mirrorless that can shoot beautiful cinematic video. Coming from a DSLR with a rather slow autofocus, we were so blown away with the X-T4’s video capability. It’s also a no-brainer that we considered affordability, and we were very impressed with the Fujifilm’s price when compared to similar cameras in the market.

We also love the retro and robust feel of our Fujifilm. We made the switch fairly recently in August 2022, and have tested the camera in different settings and during a variety of different projects. We are loving it!

What do you love most about the camera?

Compared to our previous camera, it now feels like we’re using cheat codes as getting crisp images and excellent video almost feels too easy. We’re also big fans of the build quality, aesthetics and overall feel of our camera.

Where can people find your work online?

If you’re keen to stay up to date with the day-to-day of our lives, check out our IG page at @the_leaf_eaters.
You’ll find links to our Adobe Express portfolio’s here.
And our content creation and social media consultancy here.
For media, work or other collaboration enquiries, please contact us at hello@theleafeaters.com.