Leave only your footprints behind. Do no harm.
When I take photos, I try to leave the environment as I found it. With photography, our photos do no harm, we leave no imprint.
Just our footprints in the sand.......
Footprints in the sand...
These slops were abandoned, in a perfect pair, on the sand.
Our feathered friends also leave prints on the sand....
Pigeon Prints - look like arrows pointing all over the place
Dees way, dat way.....
Taking flight, all that the flock of birds leaves is their prints on the sand.
Tread lightly...
This is the last sunrise of 2013. Its summer, so the sun rises at 5am, shooting starts at 4.30am, which meant a 3am wake up for me. Incredibly, I made it! And the results were beautiful!
Farewell 2013, and welcome 2014!
Such awesome beauty, its quite breath taking sometimes that we get to see this, and record it. Somehow we become part of that beauty, with is wonderful. This is why I love photography.
Happy New Year! Welcome 2014.
 Yesterday I met Njabulo Mkhwanazi.
We were on our way to the People's Park at Moses Mabhida Stadium, where the Mandela Burial was being shown on big screens.
Njabulo was carrying a huge canvas, and asked us to sign it. The canvas was of Mandela, made from pieces of black and white plastic, glued to the canvas. He was asking everyone to sign his artwork, with messages about Mandela. It is an incredible piece of work.
Njabulo told us that he is an artist. His works are centred around Mandela. He pointed to the Tshirts himself and his friend was wearing, and said he had painted them. He also said he did other works of art.
Njabulo Mkhwanzi explains further, via his Facebook page: "My neighbour gave a big canvas(approximatelyi 1.6 by 1.2) to do something with it, so its stayed a year without me doing anything with it. So Madiba started getting really sick around June this year then I strarted this art work to hounor Madiba's legacy as I've been doing it on t-shirt paintings(I remember my 2004 brand called 'No.1 Slave' which had a black shaded Mandela's picture coming out fro...m prison with his fist up as a logo) . Then I wanted to do something different from what I do(painting),so my 2013 Durban business fair theme was to work with plastics from grocery plastic bags *hence* last year I used newspapers and that theme idea came last year after I did it big. I had to come up with something different pushing the same character for 2013 of taking more time to do something without using money and which can be done by any who. I joined and cut pieces of plastics to create a picture of Madiba visiting the prison wearing the same shirt he wore on the 27 of April 1994 which I do not know if it was the same day I still have to find out. So Mandela left before his work was finished *hence* our country no offence it is just my poetical opinion, then I decided to take this art work to Mabhida yesterday the 15 Mandela 2013 his burial day to ask people that feel the same way as I am to help me finish it with their massages and condolences of love/life. I am not going to sell it,its belong to the public(heritage sites) and I made shore that everybody who wrote knew excatly what he/her was doing. I am 27, could have been an engineer somewhere as a child who was in 1986, but I choose this life. Our art is finished,touching and creating new leaders/humanity(ubuntu)."
Njabulo Mkhwanazi, Afropetic/urbanculture
The finished work of art, with messages and signatures covering every inch.
Examples of Njabulo's Tshirt artwork: I found Njabulo's passion and creativity inspiring. On a day that was a mixture of mourning and opportunism, here was someone who genuinely wanted to share his art with everyone, and have us all be part of the whole experience. He says he isn't selling this artwork, instead keeping it as a memorial to Mandela.
The artwork was excellent too - expertly crafted, and all made out of strips of plastic.
It made me think about what I do as a photographer. I take photos, and record the moment, and for the most part create art. But I don't usually give of my work in such a selfless and genuinely giving manner. My work is a personal experience. Njabulo's enthusiasm was infectious, and inspiring.
When we saw him later on in the day, he was standing under a tree with his huge canvas. Most of the empty spots had been filled, and he was beaming.
Good luck, Njabulo in your future endeavours.
Maybe its the freedom of flying. Maybe its the beauty and grace of the movement. But I find that I am attracted to shooting birds in flight. I love the blurred movement, and the contrast with clouds, or the blue sky.
Here is a selection of my birds...
Of course, the birds are not always in flight. Lazy lumps!!
 Ike's Bookshop - where antiques, memorabilia and books meet. And book lovers... Some of my best memories from childhood, relate to books and book stores.
My mom and dad were voracious readers, and constantly needed to get new books to read. So we would often go to the book swop shop.
We'd be told to sit and read, while they browsed. It would take hours, so we'd end up 'browsing' too... looking at the book covers, trying to read, but basically just breathing in that old book smell, and relaxing and enjoying the vibe.
I think that's why I love reading so much. It has a happy connotation.
We also used to visit the library a lot. Probably once a week. At one point we used to go as a family, in the evenings. It was such a treat to have my dad do something with us during the week! The children's library was open as well, so my brother and I would hang out there a bit. eventually we'd find our way into the adult non-section books, where we would delight in finding books with weird pictures, and showing each other. By 'adult' I mean the grown up section!!!
My first book that i managed to complete was Black Beauty - it was a Ladybird book. And then I remember reading another one that had smaller writing, so the story was longer. I think I only managed a few lines at a time. But i remember getting through that book and being very proud, and being totally hooked. From there it was Secret Seven, Famous Five, all the Judy Blume books, Nancy Drew....
Now I love reading and I have books lined up. Its such a thrill to get to the 'sweet spot' of the book, and thoroughly enjoy the story. I prefer reading over watching TV, or movies.
We went to a talk held at Ike's Bookshop, in Florida Road. That's what brought all these memories to the fore - the bookshop is jammed with books, memorabilia and oddities. Its a treasure trove of goodies!! And books!!
I want to go back, just to smell that 'old book' smell again!!
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!
The grass is in focus, not the lioness. So unexpected, but such a beautiful image.
Mostly not in focus! But yet this shot shows the lion moving into the shot, and his elegant profile.
A herd of walking impala from the distance. The blur showing them walking, or dropping their heads to eat.
The lighting is lovely - enough to highlight the faces, and provide side lighting. The grain, the blur and the over sharpening provide added texture.
This one IS in focus!! But the crop is amazing. The story behind the shot - the bees are attracted to the moisture in the lion's nose. They crawl up and annoy him incredibly! Love his screwed up face!
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. | | The exquisite blur, created by mist, movement and lack of focus creates ART for me. Artistic photography. |
 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!
Vanessa, capturing a splash moment, in my black, patent leather peeptoe heels!
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.
Yvonne gingerly standing in the water, doing gentle little puddle jumps.
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 - high heels, little black dress, the wind in my hair, and a puddle!
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!
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