About
Founded October 2008 · Renamed KZN Photo Academy · August 2009
An independent photography academy, since 2009.
An independent, private (non state-aided) photographic tuition entity operating in KwaZulu-Natal. Contact tuition students across the province and a growing worldwide family of distance-learning students.
01 — Founding
How this all started.
In October 2008, two linked events led to the formation of the academy — originally called Whysall's Photo Academy. The first was the availability of one of South Africa's most knowledgeable photographic voices, Mark D Young. The second was the Whysall's group's desire to expand in-house tuition beyond their Umhlanga branch to serve the upper-highway region of Durban.
The academy was established in its first location in Westville, quickly serving students from greater Durban and from as far afield as Underberg, Wartburg, Port Shepstone and Empangeni. In August 2009 a management buy-out and renaming to KZN Photo Academy enabled us to open the doors to a wider group of photographic enthusiasts.
The studio & classroom
Where you learn.
The Academy is based in Hillcrest, on Durban's upper highway, in a classroom set inside a working commercial studio. The studio runs real pack-shot and fashion shoots, so students learn where the work actually happens.
There's a kitchen for food-photography practice, and a customised outdoor area for natural-light and product work.
Forty-plus years behind the lens.
Mark D Young has been involved with photography in Southern Africa since his first professional assignment in 1978 — as a photo-journalist and commercial photographer across African countries, Europe, North America and the Far East.
He was involved in the early development and field testing of digital imaging equipment in South Africa from 1995, and was called upon by the Department of Environmental Affairs to train the 1987 and 1988 SANAE and Marion Island teams in the basics of photography and handling cameras in cold, wet environments.
Mark is the senior tutor and course director at KZN Photo Academy.
Numbers behind the academy.
Years teaching
Founded 2009; 15+ years and counting.
Photographers trained
Hobbyists, commercial pros and certificate students.
Years behind the lens
Senior tutor Mark D Young has shot since 1978.
KwaZulu-Natal based
Contact tuition across KZN; distance learning worldwide.
Independent power
Load-shedding doesn't stop class.
The Academy runs on independent backup power, so scheduled lessons, studio shoots and editing sessions carry on through grid outages. Your booked time is your time.
With thanks
Firms who have supported the Academy.
For their donations of equipment and ongoing support.
Special mention
Sakuma Relief Programme & scholarship
The KZN Photo Academy thanks Mr Johan Rupert, Remgro (Pty) Ltd and Business Partners South Africa for their generous support in covering overheads, via the Sakuma Relief Programme, during the difficult period of the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown in South Africa.
As a way of paying this forward, the Academy intends to establish an annual Sakuma scholarship for deserving students to complete the full certificate course programme.