Monday, November 30, 2009
Gold 5
In the last 5 minutes of the day gold is a very common element; painting even the lowliest in rich colour. Beautifying life.
Read more!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
A glimpse of the night.
At last light, the white of a leopards tail is all that betrayed its presence.
Your thoughts?
Read more!
Your thoughts?
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
A Humbling Sight
I presented a photo workshop for Getaway/National Geographic events this last weekend. As always, it was good fun talking photography, discussing the participant’s images to see what caught their eye and generally immerse myself around creative orientated people.
And one thing did catch my eye- it was the raw quality of images taken by one participant… with a compact camera.
I’m not talking about a nicely composed image in decent light.
This was raw, pure talent that shook me to the core.
Last night I sat down for dinner with a few of South Africa’s top wildlife photographers. Between us there have been books published, been on the front cover of many magazines, won countless awards in major competitions- you of get my drift.
Yet I looked at us and knew that this young girl had more talent than each person at that table.
It was truly humbling. It made me realise no one is bigger than the game. The beauty of photography is how it can throw you these curve balls just when you thought you had it made- showing you the vast potential of all humans, proving that you are only another photographer doing half decent work; an average photographer with the decency to photograph using a nice composition in decent light.
Yes I was humbled.
I left feeling like I had to start all over again. It sparked that old flame of inspiration in me. I’m looking at the world in a new way now, looking at my friends in new ways now, who or what can be the next flame of photographic inspiration?
Read more!
And one thing did catch my eye- it was the raw quality of images taken by one participant… with a compact camera.
I’m not talking about a nicely composed image in decent light.
This was raw, pure talent that shook me to the core.
Last night I sat down for dinner with a few of South Africa’s top wildlife photographers. Between us there have been books published, been on the front cover of many magazines, won countless awards in major competitions- you of get my drift.
Yet I looked at us and knew that this young girl had more talent than each person at that table.
It was truly humbling. It made me realise no one is bigger than the game. The beauty of photography is how it can throw you these curve balls just when you thought you had it made- showing you the vast potential of all humans, proving that you are only another photographer doing half decent work; an average photographer with the decency to photograph using a nice composition in decent light.
Yes I was humbled.
I left feeling like I had to start all over again. It sparked that old flame of inspiration in me. I’m looking at the world in a new way now, looking at my friends in new ways now, who or what can be the next flame of photographic inspiration?
Read more!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The eye of the elephant
Just returned from an excellent photo workshop at Chiefs Island in Botswana. It was excellent to say the least, but you can read more about that on the C4 blog.
This entry is to say how much I’ve always enjoyed the eye of the elephant. It is fantastically designed and reveals a lot of the spirit in the animal. Those long lashes, the amber colour of the eye and the wrinkles surrounding it make it a unique and beautiful subject to photograph: but due to its downward angle, also very difficult...
At Chiefs, we had an opportunity to photograph this bull elephant getting low down and dirty in a mud wallow. It was a fantastic sighting of a 4-ton animal squirming and sighing in the mud. Wide angles, 70-200mm and long lenses were all used with frantic abandon.
But when he approached to within 2m of us, I saw that eye covered with mud and went really tight.
Came out like a beautiful make up job in my opinion.
Would love to hear your thoughts.
Read more!
This entry is to say how much I’ve always enjoyed the eye of the elephant. It is fantastically designed and reveals a lot of the spirit in the animal. Those long lashes, the amber colour of the eye and the wrinkles surrounding it make it a unique and beautiful subject to photograph: but due to its downward angle, also very difficult...
At Chiefs, we had an opportunity to photograph this bull elephant getting low down and dirty in a mud wallow. It was a fantastic sighting of a 4-ton animal squirming and sighing in the mud. Wide angles, 70-200mm and long lenses were all used with frantic abandon.
But when he approached to within 2m of us, I saw that eye covered with mud and went really tight.
Came out like a beautiful make up job in my opinion.
Would love to hear your thoughts.
Read more!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
3 Stories on the Maasai
If there was a worldwide marketing brand for a culture, I have no doubt that the Maasai would win it. Considering how small their actual number is (about 2% of Kenya’s population), it makes it even more remarkable that a simple picture showing a red shukar is recognised by people all over the world who have never even been to Africa.
If their clothing is distinctive, then so is their culture. They have stood up for their culture more than any other group I know and it has resulted in some extraordinary benefits. However, for them, it all boils down to one thing: Cattle…
Click the link to read more.
Everything in Maasai culture revolves around cattle.
Below are three short stories I observed this year with the Maasai. All link to their culture, their sense of community, and of course cattle. What struck me is how strongly united and community orientated they are. These stories highlight what I mean.
Please note I’m not highlighting cultural differences. I’m pointing out how strong their culture is to them via my encounters with them. This post is more about admiration, than differences. Even though I may use cultural differences to highlight my points.
1. Eduard, a very competent Maasai nature guide who I have worked with quite a bit, introduced himself to some clients from the UK. He was to guide them for 5 days and they, having been to Africa 18 times before, were fairly well versed in nature guides, game drives and natural history. To initiate conversation, they asked him if he knew much about the wildlife of the area. (Eduard has been brought up in the area and his manyatta is on the edge of the reserve) He casually replied: “Me, I don’t know much about wildlife; But cattle, you can ask me anything about cattle…” Well, to say the clients were flabbergasted is an understatement! Here he was, their nature guide for 5 nights and he starts off by dismissing wildlife- the exact reason his guests are here, for his prize possessions, cattle! It was hilarious to witness, but also brought home exactly how much they value their cows.
2. Another incident occurred when I was watching a Thompson’s gazelle giving birth in the north of the reserve, near the border. It’s a long process and we were parked about 50m away, not wanting to interfere. Eduard (again) picked up my binoculars and started scanning the plains away to the right from us. Once we were finished and about to drive away, I asked Eduard what he had seen on the plains. He looked me straight in the eye and said “Oh nothing, I was actually looking at the manyattas (villages) and cattle across the border…” I chuckled to myself; he had just spent about 20 minutes scanning the on goings of the manyatta’s while guiding a nature photography group.
3. There is currently a drought in Kenya. Grazing is bad and as a result cattle are dying. Of course, the Mara is a no go area for grazing cattle. It has been set aside for wildlife. However, cattle are dying. The Maasai have an agreement in their culture that they will never refuse grazing to other Maasai. So other Maasai have come into the area and asked permission with the locals to graze in the reserve, which of course is granted. I discovered this via my Maasai guide this last week. We were watching a lioness with cubs and had cattle bells ringing in the 100m away… (Where else in the world can you have wildlife and man living so close together with no fence…?)
We drove over to the cattle and spoke to the herdsman, an old Mzee. Our guide, Pilot, rattled away in Maa, and I thought he might be telling the herdsman to politely herd the cattle away from the area due to the lioness and cubs. No chance. Pilot opened our picnic basket and whipped out some apples and fruit juice and gave them to the herdsman. I was happy within the context, but I wondered how many international clients would appreciate their breakfast being given away to a person who is “spoiling” their experience of nature?
Pilot then explained to me how these cattle had been wondering for days in search of grazing. The herdsman was away from home and had been living mainly on small amounts of milk from the cows. He had never met the man, who was from a different clan and now breaking the rules of the park. Yet he had taken a part of our breakfast and given it to him without any thought to recourse from a guest’s point of view at all. What mattered to Pilot was that this man found good grazing and stayed healthy- hence the food.
I found these three stories highlight some points at the core of Maasai Culture.
1. Cattle are at the heart of their society.
2. They care more about their culture than anything else.
3. There is nothing better in this world than being a Maasai.
The more I think about it, the more I respect them. They have such a strong core culture and sense of community that it has resulted in them being the most widely known culture on earth. Not every culture is perfect, but the dignity and pride that they show at being a Maasai are quite overwhelming to me.
If only we can take a few of these lessons into our own societies.
Now I just need to find a piece of land for my cattle to graze on…
Read more!
If their clothing is distinctive, then so is their culture. They have stood up for their culture more than any other group I know and it has resulted in some extraordinary benefits. However, for them, it all boils down to one thing: Cattle…
Click the link to read more.
Everything in Maasai culture revolves around cattle.
Below are three short stories I observed this year with the Maasai. All link to their culture, their sense of community, and of course cattle. What struck me is how strongly united and community orientated they are. These stories highlight what I mean.
Please note I’m not highlighting cultural differences. I’m pointing out how strong their culture is to them via my encounters with them. This post is more about admiration, than differences. Even though I may use cultural differences to highlight my points.
1. Eduard, a very competent Maasai nature guide who I have worked with quite a bit, introduced himself to some clients from the UK. He was to guide them for 5 days and they, having been to Africa 18 times before, were fairly well versed in nature guides, game drives and natural history. To initiate conversation, they asked him if he knew much about the wildlife of the area. (Eduard has been brought up in the area and his manyatta is on the edge of the reserve) He casually replied: “Me, I don’t know much about wildlife; But cattle, you can ask me anything about cattle…” Well, to say the clients were flabbergasted is an understatement! Here he was, their nature guide for 5 nights and he starts off by dismissing wildlife- the exact reason his guests are here, for his prize possessions, cattle! It was hilarious to witness, but also brought home exactly how much they value their cows.
2. Another incident occurred when I was watching a Thompson’s gazelle giving birth in the north of the reserve, near the border. It’s a long process and we were parked about 50m away, not wanting to interfere. Eduard (again) picked up my binoculars and started scanning the plains away to the right from us. Once we were finished and about to drive away, I asked Eduard what he had seen on the plains. He looked me straight in the eye and said “Oh nothing, I was actually looking at the manyattas (villages) and cattle across the border…” I chuckled to myself; he had just spent about 20 minutes scanning the on goings of the manyatta’s while guiding a nature photography group.
3. There is currently a drought in Kenya. Grazing is bad and as a result cattle are dying. Of course, the Mara is a no go area for grazing cattle. It has been set aside for wildlife. However, cattle are dying. The Maasai have an agreement in their culture that they will never refuse grazing to other Maasai. So other Maasai have come into the area and asked permission with the locals to graze in the reserve, which of course is granted. I discovered this via my Maasai guide this last week. We were watching a lioness with cubs and had cattle bells ringing in the 100m away… (Where else in the world can you have wildlife and man living so close together with no fence…?)
We drove over to the cattle and spoke to the herdsman, an old Mzee. Our guide, Pilot, rattled away in Maa, and I thought he might be telling the herdsman to politely herd the cattle away from the area due to the lioness and cubs. No chance. Pilot opened our picnic basket and whipped out some apples and fruit juice and gave them to the herdsman. I was happy within the context, but I wondered how many international clients would appreciate their breakfast being given away to a person who is “spoiling” their experience of nature?
Pilot then explained to me how these cattle had been wondering for days in search of grazing. The herdsman was away from home and had been living mainly on small amounts of milk from the cows. He had never met the man, who was from a different clan and now breaking the rules of the park. Yet he had taken a part of our breakfast and given it to him without any thought to recourse from a guest’s point of view at all. What mattered to Pilot was that this man found good grazing and stayed healthy- hence the food.
I found these three stories highlight some points at the core of Maasai Culture.
1. Cattle are at the heart of their society.
2. They care more about their culture than anything else.
3. There is nothing better in this world than being a Maasai.
The more I think about it, the more I respect them. They have such a strong core culture and sense of community that it has resulted in them being the most widely known culture on earth. Not every culture is perfect, but the dignity and pride that they show at being a Maasai are quite overwhelming to me.
If only we can take a few of these lessons into our own societies.
Now I just need to find a piece of land for my cattle to graze on…
Read more!
Friday, November 6, 2009
November Essay, Masai Mara Moods
The thread of this essay is simple. It’s about mood.
Sometimes an image is more about a feeling, than being technically perfect or a good, clean portrait of a nicely placed subject. It’s about how it makes you feel- an emotional response.
I was lucky enough to spend another week in the Masai Mara this week. It was a great safari- Great client, the migration was still there (very late this year), the wildebeest were crossing daily and there was hardly anyone else around. We had the vast plains literally to ourselves; our daily agenda played out by natures hand leading us to leopard kills, 3 week old lion cubs and hundreds of thousands of animals right on the plain at our camp. Of course having a wildebeest crossing right at camp also helps- especially waking up to the honking of wildebeest preparing to cross. What a way to start a day! Get out of bed, have some good Kenyan coffee and walk down to the Mara River with cameras to photograph in the golden morning sunrise light. It was literally picture perfect.
It was on the last afternoon drive that we saw dust rising along the Mara River. We drove closer, and there before us were about 5000 wildebeests anxiously preparing to cross in the last rays of the day. The frantic back and forth of the beasts caused dust so thick that at times we couldn’t even see them. The crossing started and we drove into position. It was just us, alone we sat in silent awe at this spectacle playing out in front of us. The noise, golden light, dust, hooves and water combined to create one of the most atmospheric scenes I have seen in a long time.
We were caked in the dust, it gritting our teeth and cloaking our eyes. We revelled in it, shooting the scene with feverish intent. The tension was intense and we felt it in the scene. It was all I was aiming for in my images. I hope this does it some justice.
Exposure information
Nikon D700 - 70-200mm lens
Exposure – f 5.6 Shutter Speed: 1/500sec
Exp. Comp. - 0. EV
ISO - 400
Flash sync– not attached, Exposure mode– Aperture priority, Metering Mode– centre
File type– NEF (RAW)
Focal length: 155mm
Read more!
Sometimes an image is more about a feeling, than being technically perfect or a good, clean portrait of a nicely placed subject. It’s about how it makes you feel- an emotional response.
I was lucky enough to spend another week in the Masai Mara this week. It was a great safari- Great client, the migration was still there (very late this year), the wildebeest were crossing daily and there was hardly anyone else around. We had the vast plains literally to ourselves; our daily agenda played out by natures hand leading us to leopard kills, 3 week old lion cubs and hundreds of thousands of animals right on the plain at our camp. Of course having a wildebeest crossing right at camp also helps- especially waking up to the honking of wildebeest preparing to cross. What a way to start a day! Get out of bed, have some good Kenyan coffee and walk down to the Mara River with cameras to photograph in the golden morning sunrise light. It was literally picture perfect.
It was on the last afternoon drive that we saw dust rising along the Mara River. We drove closer, and there before us were about 5000 wildebeests anxiously preparing to cross in the last rays of the day. The frantic back and forth of the beasts caused dust so thick that at times we couldn’t even see them. The crossing started and we drove into position. It was just us, alone we sat in silent awe at this spectacle playing out in front of us. The noise, golden light, dust, hooves and water combined to create one of the most atmospheric scenes I have seen in a long time.
We were caked in the dust, it gritting our teeth and cloaking our eyes. We revelled in it, shooting the scene with feverish intent. The tension was intense and we felt it in the scene. It was all I was aiming for in my images. I hope this does it some justice.
Exposure information
Nikon D700 - 70-200mm lens
Exposure – f 5.6 Shutter Speed: 1/500sec
Exp. Comp. - 0. EV
ISO - 400
Flash sync– not attached, Exposure mode– Aperture priority, Metering Mode– centre
File type– NEF (RAW)
Focal length: 155mm
Read more!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Creative challenges to creative comments – 18 points
The second of the creative challenges is over. Thank goodness, it was hard work! Really, it proved to be a lot harder than I thought especially as I was taking the image at 5pm each day. So here are some thoughts and stats about where I was and what I got up to at 5pm with a phone for 31 days…
18 Points
1. It is very hard to actually get up from what you’re doing and “switch on” your creative self. 5pm is normally when I’m hard at work, and changing the mindset can be hard at times!
2. Once I had camera in hand, it was hard to get it away, and then even harder to get back to work…
3. Most of the images were taken within 100m of my office where I work. (Shows what I was doing in October!)
4. One image was taken in my seat at my desk. I was rolling the chair back to go out and get my shot, when I saw these beads lying there. Day 20
5. Two images were taken from a moving vehicle (Say no more…) (Day 4 and 8)
6. I took one image from a stationary vehicle (much better!) Day 16
7. One image was taken at a Bachelors party… Day 17
8. One image was taken at a wedding the week after the bachelors. Day 24
9. One image was taken in the gym. Day 6
10. I missed one 5pm shot as I was visiting my cousin in the hospital.
11. It took me about 10min to get into the groove of photographing
12. The iPhone is a very difficult to work with! It makes you work really hard to get a decent image. There is no depth of field control, no shutter speed, no exposure control- just one button to take the image with. It is damn frustratingly useless, but also absolutely, simply, challengingly brilliant.
13. The shutter lag (delay) almost killed me!
14. I worked a lot harder for images with this phone than I do with my normal cameras. It took me right out of my comfort zone and pushed me into taking images of everyday things with this simple, useless camera.
15. I gathered that the iphone camera isn’t a great sports camera. Day 13
16. Its possible to actually do motion-blur images with an iphone! Day 5 and Day 8
17. I became inspired and found myself self-pulling out the phone to take images at all times of day and night.
18. I discovered that keeping it simple is simply beautiful.
More to come soon.
Oh, I’m actually in Nairobi about to head into the Mara, so more next week with some real action images…
Read more!
18 Points
1. It is very hard to actually get up from what you’re doing and “switch on” your creative self. 5pm is normally when I’m hard at work, and changing the mindset can be hard at times!
2. Once I had camera in hand, it was hard to get it away, and then even harder to get back to work…
3. Most of the images were taken within 100m of my office where I work. (Shows what I was doing in October!)
4. One image was taken in my seat at my desk. I was rolling the chair back to go out and get my shot, when I saw these beads lying there. Day 20
5. Two images were taken from a moving vehicle (Say no more…) (Day 4 and 8)
6. I took one image from a stationary vehicle (much better!) Day 16
7. One image was taken at a Bachelors party… Day 17
8. One image was taken at a wedding the week after the bachelors. Day 24
9. One image was taken in the gym. Day 6
10. I missed one 5pm shot as I was visiting my cousin in the hospital.
11. It took me about 10min to get into the groove of photographing
12. The iPhone is a very difficult to work with! It makes you work really hard to get a decent image. There is no depth of field control, no shutter speed, no exposure control- just one button to take the image with. It is damn frustratingly useless, but also absolutely, simply, challengingly brilliant.
13. The shutter lag (delay) almost killed me!
14. I worked a lot harder for images with this phone than I do with my normal cameras. It took me right out of my comfort zone and pushed me into taking images of everyday things with this simple, useless camera.
15. I gathered that the iphone camera isn’t a great sports camera. Day 13
16. Its possible to actually do motion-blur images with an iphone! Day 5 and Day 8
17. I became inspired and found myself self-pulling out the phone to take images at all times of day and night.
18. I discovered that keeping it simple is simply beautiful.
More to come soon.
Oh, I’m actually in Nairobi about to head into the Mara, so more next week with some real action images…
Read more!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
