Interview with Sven Musica

In this, the fifth of my favourite-trail-photographer interviews, I chat to Sven Musica, who fled the frenetic fumes of Johannesburg eight years ago for Nelspruit, Mpumalanga to continue Phonix Capture, the photography business he and his wife Karen had established in 2007. Sven also does commercial and industrial shoots, but his passion is in stylised athlete profiles and athlete media management.

Sven on the infamous Dragons Back during the 2017 Salomon Skyrun © Sven Musica

LD: What’s the scoop on Sven Musica?

SM: I’m 32, and no, I don’t have a nickname – I have a tough enough time just trying to get people to say my name right first time! I grew up in “Mad”rand (Midrand officially, Gauteng to be exact) but that place scared me and in 2009 I fled to the small town of Nelspruit, Mpumalanga. As of December 2017, I have 2½ little boys – April will make us officially a crowded house of three young boys who my gorgeous wife Karen and I have pledged to introduce to a world of outdoor life and adventure. Our two huskies used to accompany us on our adventures but they’ve now clocked up many running years, and they seem rather happy about their retirement plan.

Runners cresting the chain ladders during the 2017 Mont-aux-Sources Challenge © Sven Musica

LD: Have you always been a photographer, or did you ditch another career for the life of lens adventure?

SM: When I was in Grade 11, I realised I needed to study something. I figured that rather than leaping into a long-term career plan at just 17, a one-year diploma in photography seemed like the right option – it would give me a diploma and a life skill that I could be use professionally or as a hobby. After qualifying, I became photographic assistant to some of South Africa’s best advertising and fashion photographers. Two particular inspirations for me were Michael Doran and Daron Chatz, whose work inspired me to improve my skills before stepping out into the industry as a photographer. After three years as a full time freelance assistant to 24 local and international photographers, I met Karen and in 2007 we started our company, Phonix Capture. We started by shooting weddings, and although we’ve seldom cover them these days, the 250 that we shot taught us a volume of photographic skills applicable to all events. In 2011 I started shooting for advertising and commercial work, with a large focus on industrial photography and the fresh produce industry. I also began learning videography, which took everything to a whole new level in terms of range and scope. Looking ahead, my focus is on stylised athlete profiles and athlete media management. (Watch Sven’s “Finding Resilience” video of SA long distance trail champ Johardt van Heerden HERE.)

Hano Smit near the Blyde River Canyon on the final section of the inaugural 400km Munga Trail this year © Sven Musica

LD: Tell us a bit about what you cover, and the incredible places you’ve been and seen on photoshoots.

SM: My current work range is about 40% commercial stills work, including company profiles and marketing images for web and print media. Another 40% is commercial and advertising film media, including short films on company profiles, lodges, and company’s short stories of staff members. When it comes to trails, my passion lies in athlete media management, but as this is a little limited in terms of work, I shoot events. Event photography and videography is making huge waves in sports photography and as of 2018, it looks to be a very large portion of my workflow. Shooting a documentary at this year’s Skyrun was an incredible experience. The documentary is due out in January. Meeting the locals of the Wartrail area and seeing the farms at the foot of the mountains was something really special.

Johardt van Heerden during a magazine cover athlete shoot © Sven Musica

LD: Have you had any cliffhangers or near-misses during your shoots?

SM: My gear works really hard – it gets subjected to some brutal punishment in the industrial work I do in dusty or humid environments, and whilst racing around after people during events, and I’m fortunate that wear and tear items need replacing from time to time. Being meticulous with my gear is not one of my strong points. Once I was rushing between two different events, and as I opened the car door the camera body and 24-70mm lens fell out, completely snapping the lens in half and shearing the threads that hold the rear element to the rest of the lens barrel. Then there was the time I was shooting swimwear at a waterfall, and my mobile light just couldn’t handle the heat anymore and decided to take a dive into the river…

Athlete profile of Meg Mackenzie on the Kaapsehoop trails, Mpumalanga © Sven Musica

LD: Any amusing moments during a shoot?

SM: I love seeing a person’s change of mood through an ultra – bouncy and energetic at first, then miserable and with zero sense of humour later.

Carsten Nøhr Nielsen taking an aid station rest, close to halfway through the 400km Munga Trail © Sven Musica

LD: What’s the most extreme shoot you’ve done?

SM: From a trail running point of view, I reckon shooting Skyrun this year was my extreme. Although the weather was perfect, the 53km I had to cover on race day with about 14kg of gear on my back including drones and tripod made it pretty testing. I don’t think runners realise that the photographers are also required to carry all the compulsory kit that they do, including the three litres of water, and that’s before any camera gear. Sure, I probably could’ve chosen to hop off and on the trail here and there, but I was determined to get all the way to Balloch, so it was very much a stop, go, sprint-past-group, stop-turn-shoot, sprint-past-group, stop-turn-shoot type of day. The snow on the ground was epic. From a commercial shoot perspective, documenting Sappi Forestry’s super boiler replacement, which involved shooting the replacement of a massive 1 000 ton boiler from 18 stories up was memorable for me – I worked through the night geared up in safety harnesses and perched on the edge of narrow platforms.

LD: What has been the most dangerous or most uncomfortable position you’ve had to be in for a trail shoot?

SM: My professional life shooting trail events is still young, but I think I was perhaps being unreasonable once by asking Bennie Roux to gap-jump ruins during a cover shoot for TRAIL mag. It wasn’t actually much of a gap, it was more the fort’s sharp, broken walls that mattered, with a second gap another metre after the landing, that was the problem. We eventually abandoned the shoot – I realised I’d been asking for a bit much!