The Archive: Field notes on the craft, grit, and passion behind every project. Documenting the human stories that define South African business.
An exploration of liminality and the emotive power of empty spaces. Richard van Zyl applies the Witness philosophy to the architecture of silence: from neon-lit petrol stations at 3 AM to the symmetry of vacant mall corridors. A clinical study of the transitional non-places that define our quietest memories.
An existential journey into the weight of the archive. Richard van Zyl explores the “why” behind millions of frozen moments—from industrial foundations to the pained smiles of history. A soulful reflection on the desperate necessity of the visual record and our role as witnesses to a world that forgets.
Documenting thirty millennia of African history on a single stone. Richard van Zyl provides a forensic study of Dave Renshaw’s masterpiece, bridging the ethereal San rock art of the South with the ancient precision of the North. A clinical witness to the grit and grace of the continent.
A bag of Ghost Pops, a 10-second timer, and a studio covered in crumbs. Planet Photos documents the “comedy of errors” behind a complex Halloween product shoot, where creativity took over and dinner was a tin of tuna.
A Friday afternoon, a bottle of Jamaican rum, and a pilot who flies junk lead to a dusty hangar 100 kilometres from Johannesburg. Inside, the future of aviation is being 3D printed. Planet Photos documents the 10,000 USD jet turbines of an Eastern European inventor.
From an entry-level Nikon to high-stakes open cast mines, Richard van Zyl shares the origin story of Planet Photos. Discover how a single red flag and a “clickey box” defined a career of documenting the grit, danger, and soul of South African industry. Exceptional visual authority born from the dust of a construction site.