A walk in the park..

Nikon D40x
f16
2.5 seconds
ISO 200
Nikon AF 18 - 55mm 3.5-5.6 @ 18mm

I've been back in Cape Town for a few days now. I'm really enjoying being back in the hustle and bustle of the city. There is always something going on. Being able to spend my time between Knysna and Cape Town is something that I am really greatful for. It is nice to be able to escape the constant noise of city life for the peace and tranquility that Knysna offers and vice versa.

I am moving flat though.. Since I arrived in Cape Town at the beginning of 2007, I have stayed in Rondebosch, Newlands and Clairmont. I'm Moving to Gardens on the other side of the mountain, closer to the CBD. I think its going to be a nice change of scenery and I'm looking forward to having to familiarise myself with that side of town. Its going to be pretty cool finding new things to do, looking for places to shop and places to hang out and just experiencing life on the other side of the mountain.. haha.

One thing that i am going to miss about being in Clairmont is being so close to the Newlands forest and that area of the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP). I do a lot of walking in the forest when i have free time and I'm not at college or at the beach kiteboarding or surfing. The trails starting from the Newlands Fire Base on the M3 offer anything from a gentle stroll to a full on serious hike. Following your instincts can lead you into a serious maze, never really knowing where you are going to come out. Its pretty hard to get really lost though. I most enjoy walking up to the contour path and then up through the Newlands ravine; and from there on to devils peak. Its a nice ramble for the more fit. The toughest of the climb being a part known to myself and my mate Martijn, as 'The Squiggley'. It seems to go on forever. Anyone who has been up this route probably knows what i am talking about.

A lot of streams run through the forest carving miniature gorges on their way down. During the winter month when we experience the most rainfall, a lot of large tree trunks and logs are washed down and end up towards the bottom of the mountain. This always instills these images in my mind of raging torrents of water rushing down the mountain. However... I have never seen one. Whenever I'm there, they are only ever small trickling streams, gentle making their way through the rocky riverbeds and the tree trunks. So until i eventually see a raging torrent, I have added a picture of a stream.

Hope you enjoy it. P.S.

Trust

Nikon D40x

f5.6

1/80th sec.

ISO 200

Nikon AF 70-210mm 4-5.6 @ 210mm

I haven't posted for nearly a week! I've been away in Cape Town and Johannesburg for the weekend and the last few days I have been recuperating from the lack of sleep I got throughout the trip. It was really nice to see JHB. I have lived in South Africa for six years now and I've never spent anytime there! I've been to the airport a lot but never any further than that. I love experiencing new places, it's something that drives me as a person. I want to see everything and I want to experience everything. I didn't see as much as I would have liked to.. Not necessarily a bad thing as it means that i will have to go back for a return visit :)

I took this picture a few months ago whilst visiting the Tenikwa Wildcat Sancturary. The Park is just outside of Plettenberg Bay and is worth the visit if you haven't been. I had actually forgotten that they have a leopard there so when I arrived and remembered I was quite happy about it. Such powerful, stealthy, efficient predators that attack their prey without warning and usually leave it with no chance to escape. There is something so intriguing and mysterious about them. Everyone always remarks "you can't trust a leopard". One of the only animals that cannot be tamed, an animal that can be perfectly fine with you one day and tear you to shreds the next. The only other species I can think of that shares this characteristic is the human race. Can we ever truly trust anyone or are we like the leopard?

Habitat destruction, poaching, trophy hunting and culling by farmers, all play a role in the decreasing population numbers of the African Leopard. New evidence shows that trophy hunting of large cat species is having a more detrimental effect than previously believed. Hunters always want to shoot the biggest and the strongest, the most 'fearsome' animal they can set their sights on. What this is doing in the long term is weakening the gene pool by removing the stronger blood lines. The larger cats are killed and the females mate with the smaller cats resulting in cubs that are not necessarily unfit but they aren't as strong they would have been if she had mated with a larger cat. Its natural selection with its head cut off. How anyone can shoot a leopard is beyond me and I find it disgusting to think people do it for fun. I don't even want to think about starting to share my views about trophy hunting though..

I find leopards to be one of the most beautiful of the big cats and probably the most photogenic. The fencing around the enclosure was a sort of wire mesh with large holes but not big enough to get my lens through. The leopard was lying in long grass behind some trees when we first arrived at the enclosure but got up and moved a little further away when we got closer. He seemed to ignore us completely and acted as if we weren't even there. Something caught his attention though and he raised his head through the grass. I was crouching down away from everyone else and managed to get this shot as he stared at the focus of his attention.

Phewww... more to come soon. P.S.

Cape Town at night

Nikon D40x
f9
20 sec.
ISO 200
Nikon AF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 @ 30mm

I'm off to Cape Town tomorrow! I love Cape Town. It is a city that has a little bit of everything, but enough of everything to keep everyone happy. Especially me! I have always lived by the sea. I grew up in Dubai and we pretty much lived at the beach in those days (at one point we did ACTUALLY live on the beach). After I finished high school in Knysna the obvious place for me to go to college was Cape Town. I could have gone anywhere I suppose but i wanted to be close to the sea as well as be in the bustle of the city. Where better than Cape Town?

Cape Town at night is a fantastic place. Not only is it alive and vibrant, it is also beautiful. With Table Mountain illuminated on clear summer nights it sets the perfect back drop for the city lights adding such a contrast between nature's creation and human imagination.

I took this photo one night a few months ago whilst at the V&A Waterfront. Just happened to be wondering around with nothing to do... Actually I think I was waiting to see a movie with my sister or something and I happened to have my camera along with a tripod. I was glad that I managed to avoid camera wobble with such a long shutter speed. At the time it was actually quite difficult to see Table Mountain in the background and I was really happy when I saw how well it had showed up in the photographs!

It's my girlfriend's 21st birthday on Saturday, so I'm also going to Johannesburg on Friday... I've never been before which is slightly odd seeing that i have been living in South Africa for over six years now. I haven't had a reason to go. I am really looking forward to the trip and her party. Should be a blast.

Until I return...

By the way.. please feel free to comment on my posts. This is my first blog and if anyone has any pointers, tips or suggestions on how i can improve please feel free to let me know. Would be much appreciated.. Of course all criticism is welcome :)

Thanks P.S.

Slightly Odd Looking Birds...

Canon EOS 7D
f6.3
1/500 sec.
ISO 200
EF 75-300mm 4-5.6 III @ 205mm

Since I have lived in South Africa, particularly in Knysna, I have been really interested in these slightly odd looking birds. The African Black Oystercatcher is an extremely shy, skitterish bird. They are easily spooked and most of the time very hard to approach. Feeding on the sandy flats around the lagoon, I often see them whilst out walking.

I have never been a person to go bird watching or “twitching”, as it is apparently called in some parts of the world. However, lately I have found myself taking lots of pictures of the birdlife around where I live. There is an immense variety of birdlife around Knysna that I have always taken for granted. I used to chuckle when I saw people from out of town sitting with their telescopes gazing out onto the lagoon all day long. Picnic baskets by their sides and all sorts of fancy equipment and books, I could never see what all the fuss was about or how enjoyment could possibly be had from such pastime… Needless to say I sometimes feel as if I have become one of them. Instead of the chuckle I used to have I find myself stopping to see what they have spotted hiding in the reeds.

I have found enjoyment in something as simple as watching birds going about their daily lives. Sound boring? I used to think it was; now I’m not so sure. But hey, that’s just me.

I managed to get close to this pair of Oystercatchers yesterday whilst at Coney Glen, a small beach at the foot of the Knysna Heads. I have never been able to get as close as I did in the past and managed to get off a few frames before they scattered.

The African Black Oystercatcher is endemic to the South African and Namibian coastal region. There are estimated to be only 5000 individual birds making them one of Africa’s rarest coastal birds. There seem to be plenty in Knysna though… Something else that I used to take for granted.

Thanks for reading…

Big AIR!

Canon EOS 7D

f9

1/400 sec.

ISO 100

Canon EFS 18-135mm IS 3.5-5.6 @ 135mm

The 2nd Pili Pili big air contest was held at Myoli Beach in Sedgefield yesterday. Myoli is notorious for large waves and strong winds during the summer months.

An enormous swell made for very interesting conditions during the event with waves reaching triple, maybe even four times overhead at the backline. The wind was unfortunately light which resulted in the competition being delayed for a few hours until it was strong enough. This gave the competitors time to go out and get used to the conditions which were a little scary to say the least. The size of the breakers at the back were enough to put you under for a while or stop you from getting past. Getting caught in a close out would not be somewhere anyone would want to be. Zak, pictured above, can attest to it.

The event saw the entry of 12 participants, including myself. Participating riders were mainly locals from Knysna, Sedgefield and George but there were a few people from other parts of the country. Divided into 4 groups of 3, we had 10 minutes to get in some serious jumps. The winner of each of the first rounds would then proceed into the final round in which there would be 4 contestants and a 15 minute window in which to compete. The competition would be judged on hang time (who can stay in the air for the longest).

At about 3pm it was decided that the wind was strong enough for the competition to commence. It was still a little light, only gusting up to about 17 knots which didn't make for particularly easy jumping conditions but a good amount of height could be achieved by ramping from one of the humongous waves that were breaking at the backline.

I was in the first heat and went on to win it, securing my place in the final. It was a battle as the wind was rather light and the massive swell meant it was very difficult to build ground upwind, forcing us all to have a quick dash downwind and hopefully a few jumps, then walk back up to the top of the beach. Each round was very close but eventually a rider from each prevailed and was placed into the final.

After an agonising 15 minutes of battling it out with the three other winners from previous rounds, Warren, a kiter from Johannesburg came out on top with a jump lasting over 5 seconds, quite an achievement for such light wind.

Overall the competition was a lot of fun and thoroughly enjoyed by all who took part. The prize for best wipeout of the day went to Zak, who seemed to end up getting more than a fair share of beatings from the waves.

As i was competing i wasn't able to take many pictures. I did manage to grab my camera during the 3rd and 4th round however and get down to the waters edge to get some shots. In the picture above, Zak is walking back up the beach to get another run in, whilst watching on as Craig boosts from a wave in the background. You can see from the photograph that standing on the beach the horizon was not visible due to the massive swell!

Check back in soon!

I can't keep my trunk off you!

Canon EOS 7D
f8
1/400th sec.
ISO 320
EFS 18-135mm IS 3.5-5.6 @ 18mm

I'm sorry for the 'post title'. I know its cheesy but it kind of seemed to work for this picture. I was amazed at these two elephants. They really did seem so in love. One of the workers at the game park told us that they spent all their time together and were pretty much inseparable.

This is obviously not normal behavior for elephants as males generally tend to live solitary lives or form small bachelor herds. It goes to show the effects captivity has on animal behavior. It is extremely sad for me to think that despite efforts to stop hunting and poaching of these animals, their numbers in the wild continue to fall. Perhaps one day the only place to see elephants will be somewhere like the Knysna Elephant Park, and that is a sad thought.

Nesting Owls

Nikon D40x
f10
1/160 sec.
ISO 200
Nikon AF 70-210mm 3.5-5.6 @ 210mm

I have always loved photographing birds and wildlife. I would take my mums camera when i was a child, a Nikon F70 film camera, and photograph swans or whales or whatever was the focus of my attention. I remember that she would be fairly annoyed when after developing the rolls of film she would receive 36 exposures of a whales back or a swans head. Ha ha, got to start somewhere i suppose.

Okay, so i do a lot of wondering around when I'm at home. Knysna is quite a small town and its really quiet but its also really beautiful with an abundance of bird life. The island i live on has a lot of really tall trees which are perfect for nesting birds. I had noticed a pair of owl chicks on the heads and had regularly seen the mother hunting close by but never straying to far from her nest. She would swoop down on the neighbourhood dogs keeping them in check.

After trying to get some shots of them at night with very little success i discovered a breeding pair of spotted eagle owls and their two chicks just down the road from me. Rather than only coming out at night as usually, they were really active in the day. I spent a few days there and managed to get some really nice shots. I managed to get this one of one of the adults cleaning their talons. I thought it made for a really interesting picture as an owls talons are what really makes them such an efficient and deadly hunter. The sheer grace and stealthiness they have when swooping from the branches in absolute silence never ceases to amaze me.

Even though i like to think that my photography has progressed since the days of swans and whale's backs, I still get the same amazing feeling i did then of capturing a moment that will never happen again, and boy is it a good one!

Will add some pictures of the chicks soon. They were super cute balls of fluff!

Til next time..

First Post

Nikon D40x
f 9
1/25 sec.
ISO 200
Nikon AF 70-210mm f4-5.6 @ 70mm

So I decided that I would begin writing on the 1st of December but I never got round to it... Something that is fairly common for me. Being easily distracted I tend to put things off until i eventually come back to them.

I've been in Knysna, part of the renowned Garden Route in South Africa, for the past month or so on holiday before I return to Cape Town to continue studying. The weather here has been particularly dull this summer with lots of overcast days and rain. For once, the resivoirs are full and the common water shortage warnings are not as servere. The infrequent hot, sunny days end with a short downpour, creating a tropical feeling that I'm not used to here. It reminds me of a summer we spent in Florida where every day at about 3pm there would be a massive electrical storm.

The cloudy weather does however provide some spectacular sunsets. On this particular day it rained continuously until late in the afternoon. I was at a friend's house on the Eastern Knysna Head and the sun came out for the last 20 minutes of the afternoon. Luckily, having a camera with me most of the time, I managed to take this shot as the sun dipped behind some clouds, before setting for the evening. The sunset definitely made up for the crap weather we had earlier on.

Check back soon.. (if anyone ever actually reads this haha)