Ultimate X

Canon EOS 7D

f5

1/1250th sec. (high speed continuous)

ISO 200

EFS 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS @ 18mm

I’ve had a pretty event filled weekend! I went to see U2 on Friday night with my family which was by far the most awesome concert I have ever been to!! It was a performance like no other and an event that was no doubt enjoyed by everyone who attended. The people that I have spoken to about it are still in awe of the incredible performance which lasted over 2 hours! I have been to a lot of concerts and this one was by far the best. I am still trying to relive it over and over in my head. The amazing sound as well as the lighting and the way everything fitted together was fantastic. The amount of time and coordination, not to mention the cost, to create such an event must be staggering. I just hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get my camera in which was a shame as it would have made for a fantastic photo opportunity. I did manage to get a few pics on my phone and I will try to upload some decent ones in the next few days.

I did however manage to get my camera into the Ultimate X, an extreme sports bonanza which was held close to the waterfront on Saturday the 19^th, the day after U2. The Ultimate X showcased the talent of many of the best South African riders in freestyle motocross, skateboarding, BMX, Dirt BMX as well as wakeboarding.

I unfortunately arrived slightly late… My family were in town for the weekend and I went to the Biscuit Mill with them in the morning before heading there with Joss and my younger brother. We had missed the motocross which was a shame but managed to watch a lot of the dirt BMX and skateboarding. It was such a hot day and the crowds were not big as I had expected them to be, which was nice as it meant we could get right to the front (great for pictures, of which I took a lot!). After an hour we made our way onto the bridge which was right over the kicker/ramp the wake boarders were using to get some seriously decent air. Pulled by jet skis in one of the canals that surround the waterfront area, the riders would take turns to hit the kicker or slider that had been made for the occasion. We witnessed a few heavy wipe outs as well as a few awesome tricks.

I was shooting on high speed continuous (8 frames per second on the 7D) and managed to get some really amazing sequences which I stitched together on Photoshop. I’m really not great with Photoshop and don’t use it often enough to figure out how most of the features work so this exercise proved to be pretty difficult in the beginning but after a while and a few attempts it managed to work out.

It has been a long, exciting weekend. Hopefully there are many more to come!

Enjoy your week. P.S.

Sunset after the chains

Canon EOS 7D
f4.5
1/2000th sec.
ISO 100
EFS 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS @ 40mm

A few evenings ago I climbed Lions Head with Joss and a few friends on a spur of the moment idea, stimulated by a slight hint of boredom. It had been a hot day with little wind to cool things down. The South Easterly wind that blows throughout the summer had eased off and hadn’t come hurtling across False Bay before pouring over Table Mountain creating what is known to local Capetonian’s as the boiling tea pot, or table cloth (I’m actually not too sure as to what it is referred to as). It created a long week of stagnant, hot air which sat in the city bowl making life in the day just a little bit uncomfortable.

As the evening approached, a light breeze picked up providing a welcome break from the heat. It dropped the temperature just enough to make the walking around, or in our case climbing a mountain, just bearable.

So after buying some snacks we headed to the start of the route up at the bottom of signal hill. We started to climb at about half past 6, giving us just over an hour to reach the top before sunset. I had heard that it was a beautiful walk but the views I was greeted with were far more beautiful than I had expected. In terms of the walk I found it to be quite relaxing in comparison to the reviews I had read which labelled it as being ‘strenuous’, the evil word that so many tend to avoid when hearing it. Climbing up the ladders and chains along the rocky walls closer to the top added for something you don’t generally find or have to overcome on a walk. There were couples with young babies making there way up and down as climbed. I noticed one man who had a child on his back and one on his front, both carried in those baby back pack things. I started to feel glad that I all I had was a camera, tripod and food in my bag!

After about an hour we reached the top, just in time for the sunset, which by now was shooting different shades of pinks, oranges and reds across the sky in a beautiful display of light and colour. We sat down to eat and watch the sun disappear from sight on its round the world trip, maybe providing the people in Australia with a beautiful sunrise as we watched it set. I fired off a few shots with my camera and managed to get this nice silhouette of Joss as she watched the play of colour in the sky.

After the light faded we began to make our way back down. All I can say about this one is that if you do decide to go down after dark, don’t forget to take a torch!

See you soon P.S.

Saturday Shopping

Canon EOS 7D

f6.3

1/100th sec.

ISO 320

EFS 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS @ 18mm

This morning I woke up relatively early for a Saturday, as I was going to see a flat with Joss, my girlfriend. It was in Woodstock and after we had viewed it, which took all of three minutes, we decided to go to the Old Biscuit Mill. I don't often go on a Saturday morning but when I do I thoroughly enjoy it.

Upon arriving we were greeted by the same usual dilemma.. where are we going to park!? It took the good part of 20 minutes just trying to find somewhere relatively close by to park the car. After discovering a small, improvised car park a block away, which cost 10 rand, we parked and made our way along the bustling streets of Woodstock to the market.

I had already had breakfast but the sight of hundreds of people gorging themselves on things that smelled so delicious was to much to bear and we headed for the food stalls after popping into a photography gallery/shop which sells Diana 35mm film cameras as well as a few others. The amount of people that cram themselves in between the endless isles of stalls, selling the most awesome food, is unreal. You almost have to go with the flow rather than try to fight your way through crowds. We stopped at a few stores and talked to the makers/sellers of the wonderful food and sampled various things. I tried amazing chillies and other condiments which i had to drag myself away from buying; otherwise I would have bought everything.

We stopped at a stall selling very nice looking sushi and bought a few pieces to eat. I always think that if sushi looks better, it'll taste better. This is the case sometimes but luckily this time it was. However, the problem we encountered was trying to find somewhere to sit and eat! Every table was packed full of people so after much searching we decided to just stand and eat, not such an easy task with sushi. I managed to knock the little bowl of soy sauce that we had been given out of Joss' hands, which went absolutely everywhere when it hit the floor, including the trousers of all the people standing close to us. Feeling guilty i pulled Joss away and made a quick getaway! Sorry whoever you are. I hope it comes out.

We bumped into a lot of people we knew around the market and chatted to people we had never met before and will probably never meet again. The friendly, jovial atmosphere of the place is something that I haven't experienced in too many other places and it is unfortunate that there are not more of these social gatherings going on. Watching people chat so happily to one another fills me with a sense well being and joy, making me enjoy the environment even more.

Whilst standing out of the way at the end of a line of stalls, I captured this moment between a lady selling beautiful cakes and her customer. She was telling her an amusing story about something or another, (I couldn't really hear for the hustle and bustle) and both of them kept laughing on and off for a good while. Having clearly just met, brought together by a love for great food, it was as if they had know each other for years. For me this picture captured what the market is all about.

Canon EOS 7D

f5

1/100th sec.

ISO 250

EFS 18-135 f3.5-5.6 IS @ 44mm

The variety and quality of the food is absolutely amazing. I wish the market happened everyday so that I could do all my food shopping there. There are amazing breads, cakes, meats, fish, vegetables, herbs and spices, the list goes on forever. There is simply so much on offer as well as a huge variety of drinks, homemade as well as mass produced ones. Before leaving I had a bacon butty from a stall named Dasdog. It was amazing! Sour dough beard from Knead, with lots of streaky bacon on a bed of rocket, finished off with a few balsamic onions and a little tomato sauce. Absolutely fantastic is all i can say. Joss had a rooibos iced tea from the same place which she also claimed to be amazing. I don't like tea so i cant give you my verdict but you should take her word for it.

Two other things he caught my eye were the crayfish (pictured above) and a steak sandwich made with beef fillet. The sandwich looked unbelievable and is definitely something that I am going to be having the next time i go. I love shellfish, especially crayfish and lobster! I was so tempted to order some crayfish which smelt great and looked even better but i decided to leave it for another time. At least it gives me a reason to go back! They did however make for a nice photo. We finally left but not before buying a nice small jar of fresh, hot chillies for me to enjoy with whatever they will go nicely with; which is everything!!

If you haven't been to the Old Biscuit Mill on a Saturday morning, I really suggest you do. Go and wander the isles of food. Look, talk, laugh; but most of all EAT!

Enjoy your weekend, P.S.

Slick Concrete

Canon EOS 7D

f4.5
1/125th sec. with built in flash.
ISO 400
EFS 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 @ 38mm

I got a call yesterday from a friend who invited me to come and skate with him and a couple of mates in a multi story car park in town. It sounded cool so I took him up on his offer and headed over there at about half-past nine in the evening. We had to go there after the offices and most people that were out for dinner had all gone home so there were less people to complain to the security. We were obviously not supposed to be skating there.

I used to skate when I was younger and had been pretty good until I got over being injured all the time, swapping it for kite boarding. I had never done long boarding though…

It had always kind of interested me. When someone shoots past you going super fast downhill with a look of extreme concentration, which turns into a broad smile, as they reach the bottom of the hill, you can’t help but think how awesome it must feel and the adrenaline rush it provides. I’m an adrenaline junkie and I love anything that gets my pulse racing.

Arriving at the undisclosed location, I paid my way into the car park and proceeded up to the top level where I was told to go. Driving up the inclined ramps all the way to the top I began to get super excited. I got to the top level to find Justin buzzing about his last run down to the bottom. The others hadn’t pitched, so we had the whole car park to ourselves. Using his sector 9, we started taking turns to ride down the levels of the car park (which was downhill all the way) to the bottom and then catch the lift back to the top. All I can say is that I have found the coolest thing to do at night in Cape Town and it only costs as much as the entry into the car park, which was cheap.

Cruising down the slopes and picking up speed, you slide into the corners hoping that you can stick the turn. The floors are really smooth concrete and you seem to glide along them. By the end of the night we were carving between the concrete pillars, grabbing the board with one hand and leaning right out so as not to fall inwards on those really tight corners, all the time trying desperately not to slam face first into a wall, or worse, someone’s Porsche 911 that was parked at the bottom!

Justin had found something special. The perfect spot. Free of crowds and onlookers, just an empty car park with slick concrete floors and a lift to save you from the walk back up. Helping us to ride again and again.

I didn’t take to many pictures whilst I was there as I was too busy riding. I did manage to get this one of Justin as he carved through the pillars with a huge smile on his face, which kind of illustrates just how much fun it was, which is the whole reason we were there in the first place.

I finally know what it feels like to ride downhill and experience that ‘YES’ moment that I have seen so much of in the past. All I can say is that it’s truly awesome. I will definitely go back.

Check back soon, P.S.

Waiting for Waves

Canon EOS 7D

f6.3

1/500th sec.

ISO 100

EFS 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 @ 135mm

I've been enjoying life closer to the CBD. Its nice trying to find new places to eat and shop, not that I've been having too much luck... I guess I'll have to look a little harder! I had to spend most of the week at my new flat as there have been people here constantly painting and fixing all the little problems that there are. Things that should have been done before i moved in!

Today was the first day I have had a lot of free time so i took the opportunity to go for a walk along the promenade in Sea Point with my girlfriend. It's a really nice casual walk along the waters edge. It was busy as it usually is on a Saturday when the weather is as nice as it was. Women with push chairs pacing along at speed seem to be in such a rush to just get the daily walk over and done with or maybe its a way of exercising with your baby. Then there are the dog walkers and the old people who sit on the benches for hours on end staring out at the horizon as if waiting for something to happen.

We came across two young boys who were watching the small waves roll in and splash against the sea wall. occasionally a larger wave would roll in and send water shooting up over the side and onto the promenade sending them running for cover, laughing and joking with each other. I snapped the shot above as they stared at the splash from a wave a little further down. After i had taken the shot and walked back a little another one hit right in front of them, completely soaking one of the boys who wasn't paying attention. A very amusing moment for every onlooker as well as the boy himself.

Until I get outside again! P.S.