TAKE TEN: Phil Buffiet
Hailing from Cape Town, Phil Buffiet started photographing kiteboarding after getting a job at a kiteboarding hostel. He tells us more about his passion for the sport, his love of 35mm film and what’s on his photography bucket list. (Image credit: Machiel van der Waldt)
Phil Buffiet
Hi Phil! Tell us more about yourself and your photography.
Hi there. I’ve been on a unique and somewhat unorthodox journey for the last nine years. It started with a lucky coincidence: A friend thought her old film SLR was beyond repair and handed it to me. Sceptical but curious, I found a repair shop, and a week later, I was loading my first roll of film. The moment I pressed the shutter – that sound, that feeling, the uncertainty of what I’d captured – I was hooked. From then on, the camera was strapped around me wherever I went.
A few years later, a friend saw my work and invited me to join the film industry as a location scout. On my first day, he handed me a Fujifilm X-T1. This was my introduction to the Fujifilm ecosystem, and I fell in love with its film-like quality and ergonomics. Whether scouting or just exploring, I shot digital alongside film, always chasing candid, authentic moments.
One scouting trip took me to a township with a striking view of Table Mountain. I snapped a photo, not knowing why it felt significant. Over time, I kept capturing Table Mountain from different corners of Cape Town, each frame telling a unique story. This became the heart of my work. In 2019, a friend in Germany offered me a solo exhibition there through her nonprofit, Capetopia.org. I was speechless. After months of curating, I showcased Cape Town’s diverse neighbourhoods using Table Mountain as the backdrop to share local stories.
That exhibition was a milestone – not just for the art, but for the community that made it possible. My kiteboarding friends even crowdfunded my trip to Germany so I could attend the closing night. Standing there and seeing my work on display was a moment I’ll never forget.
How did you get into kiteboard photography – it seems very niche?
Through common friends I got a job at a kitesurfing hostel and fell in love with the sport and the community. I started managing a kite gear store and nowadays I am managing a kite boarding guesthouse, which gives me enough time to fulfil my passion in the community that I love. For years already the community and friends knew about my love for photography and asked me to take shots of them and this is how I discovered my passion.
What’s the best thing about shooting kiteboarding?
I am lucky enough to kiteboard myself so that helps with knowing when to capture the best moments while on the water. Film photography has also taught me patience and to time the perfect composition.
Being able to capture the essence of the athletes’ accomplishments – while knowing about the danger of the sport – is most rewarding for me. Especially when the kiteboarders are up in the air with the wild force of nature, surrounded by the combined elements which make this sport possible.
When did you switch to Fujifilm and what do you enjoy most about the cameras?
Nowadays I work in the kiteboarding world, which is a seasonal sport for Cape Town. For the off-season I managed to get a photography job in Greece shooting sailors. For this I needed a digital camera and there was absolutely no other choice than Fujifilm for me. I like the X-T range, but the X-H range grabbed me.
My budget allowed for an X-H1 which I am still so happy with, especially from an ergonomic point of view but also for hybrid shooting. The 4K video is decent for its age, FLOG1 still carries enough data to create very cinematic type colour science in post-production. I must say that I just love Fujinon glass, I still use the kit lenses XF18-55mm and 55-200mm and the image quality with these two lenses have brought me so far already. My goal for this year is to upgrade to the XF16-55mmF2.8 and XF50-140mmF2.8 plus a teleconverter (just in case).
You started photography shooting 35mm film – how often do you use the Film Simulation settings?
Funny enough, I don’t use any Film Simulations as I shoot in RAW all the time (dual card slots for the win), so standard/PROVIA is my choice.
What’s the one thing that improved your photography the most?
Time in the seat. I feel the more I shoot, the more I hone my craft because I constantly strive to be better than the day before at what I do. From working in so many different industries – from scouting to lifestyle to action sports – the variety of environments makes me capture moments in my own unique way.
Do you have a bucket list event or destination you would want to shoot?
To be able to become a kite camp photographer globally when it’s out of season in Cape Town. Places like Kenya, Madagascar, Egypt, Peru and Brazil have various kite camps around the year. I would also like to shoot kite competitions like Red Bull King of the Air, Winds of Sinai or Cold Hawaii in Denmark.
