The wait is over! After nine gruelling weeks and tons of shutter speed photos taken, we’ve finally reached the season 2 finale of Canon’s hit reality TV series, The Perfect Picture. Out-shooting six other contestants, Lasizwe, Jonathan Boyton-Lee, and Nomvelo Makhanya were crowned the top three in the last episode and Ivan Roux was sadly sent home.
Every bit of knowledge they’ve learnt has led up to this moment but who will take home the grand prize of R150,000 in cash and R100,000 worth of Canon photographic equipment? Let’s get into what you missed in the season 2 finale.
The final challenge: Capture the essence of Lesotho in different genre shots
A challenge fit for a finale needs an epic location. In the last episode, the contestants were told to ready their passports for an incredible adventure in the mountains of Lesotho. However, they had a little bit of a situation… Lasizwe fell ill and required immediate medical attention. Dosed on medication, he agreed to soldier on with the competition.
The challenge kicked off when the contestants met host Maps Maponyane for their final brief on a beautiful, snowy mountain. Maps made it clear that they were no longer shutterbugs but earned the title of full-fledged photographers.
Comprised of four smaller challenges, Maps announced what they needed to capture: four travel log photographs across four different genres. Given a guide, a vehicle, and a crew, the celebs had the whole day to take their perfect pictures. But, as always, there was a twist. One of the photos needed to be a night shot.
To help the contestants, Maps introduced the guest judge. Tristan Schäfer is an internationally acclaimed photographer who specialises in everything from commercial to wildlife, fashion, food – you name it, he’s done it. Offering some advice, he told the contestants to look for unique stories and settings, and using the foreground, midground and background to their advantage.
After a quick snowball fight, they were off to take the perfect set of travel log pictures. Capturing a combination of landscape, portraits, animals, and documentary pics, we were shown how some of the locals lived, how they herded sheep and the incredible scenery they call home. It was an emotional rollercoaster for everyone but what was ultimately captured were truly all perfect pictures. Jonathan added, “It tested every part of us emotionally and physically, but it was a finale for the books.”
And the winner is…
Back in Johannesburg, the contestants’ framed images of their travel log photos were displayed at The Melrose Gallery. Now our resident judges, Neo Ntsoma and Hilary O’Leary, joined by Tristan Schäfer had the ultimate decision to make.
Starting with Nomvelo’s pictures, the judges loved the use of her model who wore a balaclava, mentioning that it captures the feel of Lesotho perfectly. Lasizwe’s collection of photos was said to be carefully considered, striking a great balance of depth that adds to the story. Last up was Jonathan’s pictures which immediately made the judges go ‘wow’. They loved his use of colours in the landscapes.
Before the winner was announced, all the season’s contestants reunited at the art gallery. After a quick catchup, the top three’s scores were read. Nomvelo’s overall score was 67, placing her in third place. When asked what she will take away from the show, she said, “I applied myself to get this far. I listened and took everything in. it’s been an incredible experience.”
Only two points separated the winner from the runner-up. After a suspenseful pause, Lasizwe was crowned the winner with 73 points. Confetti filled the room, and he was awarded the coveted trophy along with a check for R150,000 and R100,000 worth of Canon gear.
Lasizwe reminisced his time during the competition saying, “For me it was showing my evolution. People know me as a child star and for my caricatures I play online. This was my breakthrough of becoming someone new and reinventing myself.”
That’s a wrap on season 2 of The Perfect Picture. Catch the repeat episode on Saturday at 17:30 on eReality or binge-watch the entire season again on YouTube: youtube.com/@perfectpicturesouthafrica.
Also see: Minnie Dlamini to host Miss World SA
