Recently I decided to take the company to new heights, no really, I was on the top of one of the tallest buildings in Durban. Leck and Potgieter are specialists in rope access solutions and have been busy on this project for some time and asked if we could get some pics of them in action.
Naturally I said “sure no problem” thinking that either Kelly could do it or that I could use a zoom lens to capture the action from the safety of having my two feet firmly placed on terra firma. Kelly is afraid of heights so loudly said “No!”. That left me as the next option. I am afraid of lifts and heights so basically this cool job would cover both of those. My brave stance on this was that the only way to conquer those fears was to face them head on. Easier said than done.
I headed up to the site office on the 27th floor and immediately took it all in, Eish! The staff were busy getting ready for the day putting on their harnesses and safety gear like they were about to take a walk in the park. I wasn’t fooling anyone and let Mike know just how nervous I was. He was brilliant and my saving grace on the day. He let me take some pics of the staff at work on the closest roof followed by him going over the edge which sort of calmed the nerves as I could stay on the roof myself. Next we headed to the very, very, top and once harnessed up headed out into the atmosphere(it might as well have been). What made it difficult was trying to work the harness and let out rope whilst having two cameras, two lenses and a flash all tangled together. Mike kept telling me to let go and lean back but as I mentioned to him I was telling myself that but my arms belonged to someone else and wouldn’t listen. I slowly got the hang of it and went over the edge like a flailing spider on slippery ice. At least I put a smile on everyone’s face or to be more accurate brought them to tears with laughter.
I was relieved once we got back onto the roof where I did not need the rope or harness anymore and could move around freely. My legs were a little wobbly and I was a little sunburned due to the fact that I was now closer to the sun.
The results made the job worth while and I would probably do it all over again if I had to for the opportunity to get that perfect shot and to try and challenge myself and push my own limits. I have new respect for this type of work and I hope that the pics show what an awesome company Leck and Potgieter is and what amazing skills the staff have. For more outrageous corporate work covered by OD Media go here
