I'm not the only one who likes to shoot blurred images.

Willem Oets shot these recently on a wildlife expedition. They are either fully blurred, or the blur is selective. The images are incredible, though. They show the motion and the magic of the moment, rather than the detail of the animal.

I just love it!

Wildlife photography is traditionally the strictest genre for shots being in focus, and 'correctly' depicting the animal. No post editing allowed, if you wish to submit the photo for PSSA salons and competitions.

But here we see that you don't need to follow the 'rules', that breaking them creates a different mood and feel. And the animals are depicted in a different way, to great effect!

Wonderful work, Willem.

In the pursuit of ART in photography, how far can one go?

To be technically competent, the photo should always be in focus. Or at least have one area that is in sharp focus.

However, I find it pleasing and artistically creative to dip into the realm of the blurred and unfocused.

For me, the exquisite blur, and the hint at the essence of the moment or movement, is what appeals.

It was raining and misty, on the drive up to Pietermaritzburg. I could have given up, and not taken a photo, based on the norm that all photos should be in focus. But I was delighting in the images I was getting through the wet windscreen! The blur was incredible! The forms were mist covered and hazy, but the scene was captured perfectly. A cold, wet, misty Friday afternoon, people going home from work, umbrellas up, walking along the road.

In post editing, the black and white high contrast effect suited the scene even more.

Its a childhood joy. Jumping in puddles!

I've watched my niece's gain endless hours of pleasure, just by walking and running through puddles of water.

It turns out though, that not all people have enjoyed this childhood pleasure. Take Yvonne. She says she has never jumped in a puddle. Ever.

It goes deeper than that - puddle jumping is connected to a free childhood, something Yvonne didn't have. And now she is trying to reclaim the experiences that she has not had. Starting with jumping in puddles!

After days of rain, and a weekend looking to be filled with storms and more rain, we were faced with not being able to take photos. Or we could find something to do with all the wetness and puddles of water everywhere. Puddle jumping!!!

We don't own wellies, though. So the next best thing - high heels! As an extension of our boudoir shooting, where the motivation is to look good naturally, puddle stomping in high heels made prefect sense! Added to that we wore LBD's (little black dresses) and makeup. And adult twist on a childhood activity!

We went puddle hunting, which is quite a task. They cant be too small, or too big, preferably clean water, and with a nice background to shoot. We only managed the 'nice background'. We ended up choosing the muddiest, biggest 'puddle' of water along the road, which just happened to be near the entrance to the Jockey Academy in Summerveld. 

Picture the scene, two ladies in heels and black dresses, with cameras and  tripods in tow. One standing in her heels, in the water and the other directing  the action. Must have looked hilarious. Specially when I started waving and smiling at them, in an effort to reassure them that we didn't need to be chucked
out, and weren't mad. Yvonne just giggled.

And so, to the puddle jumping...... Yvonne went first, and that was when I realised that she really didn't know what to do. She spent some time swishing the water around, tapping the edge and looking sheepish. Luckily I have some experience in this matter, so told Yvonne what to do. "Jump! Make a huge splash! Stomp on the water!" And after much encouragement and hooting with laughter, Yvonne got it right!!

Yay! Yvonne got the puddle jumping exercise right! And understood why its so thrilling and exciting, and why its irresistible for little ones! Look at her face - the Puddle Jumping Grin emerges!

It was my turn next. I put on the peeptoe black heels, and proceeded to the water. It was deep, muddy puddle. No wonder Yvonne struggled a bit! But within seconds, the old feeling of euphoria and glee came back - the joy of jumping in puddles!  Yvonne snapped away, capturing me in my Puddle Jumping Glee.

Such fun, and an effective way to reach back into those childhood memories, and just be! I could see on Yvonne's face that she had achieved a milestone - captured a happy memory, which although was current, was now part of her 'Happy Childhood Times'. I cant wait to do it again, maybe with wellies, maybe with heels again, who knows!?

The man captivates me. His photography is creative, beautiful, awesome. And most importantly, inspiring!

Willem Oets. He is a Durban photographer, based in Amanzimtoti. I met him when I attended one of his basic photography courses. He first showed me the magic of Photoshop. And the beauty and 'music' to be had in photography.

I got to hear him speak a few weeks ago, and then asked him to speak at Hillcrest Camera Club. Amazingly, he said yes, and we all got to hear him last Tuesday. And what an inspiring breath of fresh air of creativity he is! He spoke about his journey from landscape photography to fine art nude, and to the final combination of the two. All explained poetically, and illustrated with beautiful images.

Made me want to get back to shooting boudoir. And to finding that creative spark again!

I also want to hear the 'music' when creating beautiful photography! Thanks for the inspiration, Willem. Below are a few of his images. Find more here.

So, I'm not a beach babe.
Hate the sand.
Hate the heat.
But I love the waves and the sea!

My new inspiration is to shoot the waves in motion, panning as they curl over and crash down, trying to get that perfect moment in the motion, just as the light catches the inner wave.

Its tricky photography. Panning a moving wave is not easy. And for the most part, the focal point moves, so the focus is soft.

But every now and then I hit gold!!

I became inspired by David Orias's photos of waves. His work is incredible.

David shoots with a long lens, and he manages to pan perfectly. I have a 200mm, and panning is still a new technique for me. The idea too is to be there at the prime time for the best light to hit the waves. And in Durban, sometimes that time is rain time!! So shooting is out!

Here are some of my efforts:

Not quite there yet! But close! I will keep practising! And will update you as I go along!