Spider in the Garden

Canon EOS 7D

f5.6

1/1600 sec.

ISO 160

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

When I started writing this blog I didn’t actually think anyone was ever going to see it, let alone read it. However, just 3 months down the line I’ve had just fewer than 580 page views from countries around the world. This may not be a massive number but it’s made me pretty stoked about it! It is quite a rewarding feeling to see that people are looking at the pictures I take and reading about my experiences and opinions on things. I think that for me this blog has just become something of a hobby. I really enjoy posting on it when I get the chance, although I must admit that lately I have been a little lazy and also really busy. It’s hard to find the time to get out and about and find interesting things to photograph that I can also write about. After about 10 days of not posting I get really angry with myself as I always say that I’m going to do more and rush out with my camera on the look out for something cool. I must say that it can be really irritating!!

So last Wednesday I went off to Kirstenbosch Gardens with Joss for a walk and a change of scenery. Cape Town really is amazing for that. The hustle and bustle of the city can easily be left behind with a twenty minute car journey out towards Kommetjie, Hout Bay, or any other direction in fact. It’s something that I love. Kirstenbosch is a closer option but a great one none the less.

Although it is a little pricey to get in, it really is a beautiful place. Once entering you are greeted by lush gardens and sprawling lawns which stretch out across the park. A maze of pathways guides you through different areas of flora and in some cases fauna. We came across a mass of spider webs all stitched together in one shady corner under some trees. In the middle of each web hung what are called Golden Orb Spiders. Joss naturally felt uncomfortable as girls seem to do when faced with huge crawling insects. Female Golden Orb Spiders can grow 15 to 30 cms apparently… pretty big for a spider. Whilst Joss took cover I got closer to try and get some good shots of them hanging around; continuously waiting for insects to fly into their webs of death. The sign said that although they were big, their venom does not have any effect on humans and if you do get bitten it’s more of a scratch than a bite.

I didn’t get bitten so I can’t vouch for the sign declaring them to be non-lethal spiders. They certainly looked dangerous. There wasn’t much light in the bushes so I ended up using the sky as a background and opening up as much as possible to create a nice shallow depth of field. It kind of worked but has finally proved to me that I need to invest in faster lenses!

This spider was about the size of my hand. If you look closely, or enlarge the photograph by clicking on it, you can see flies and other insects trapped in the web. The spider scatters their bodies, wrapped in its silk around the web to make it visible to birds so that they do not fly through it. Very interesting.

Anyways I have a few ideas in my head for future posts which I think will be fun to write about, just have to get out there and get the pictures now.

Until then!

P.S.

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Life changes

Canon EOS 7D

f5.6

1/1600 sec.

ISO 320

Sigma AF 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG OS @ 200mm

Well it’s been a seriously busy couple of weeks for me and things have finally calmed down. I had my first 5 minute film to shoot at AFDA which went pretty well. We shot for over 20 hours which was pretty intense but a good test of endurance. I was quite happy with what I shot and hopefully things can only get better from here on upwards!! I also did an edit which went okay but caused me to spend some very long days sitting in front of a computer, an activity I’m not particularly fond of.

Other than that I was part of a team shooting a wakeboarding expose revealing the river lifestyle and showcasing some of South Africa’s most talented riders. There have not been any high quality videos from South Africa about wakeboarding so this is what we were tasked to do.

We were shooting on the Misverstand River which is about 120 kms from Cape Town on the N7. By the time I arrived with a friend of mine it was already night time and pitch black out in the country side. Navigation isn’t the easiest task in the dark when you are driving along dirt tracks not knowing which on earth you are and only being able to see what is visible in your headlights. My tiny car managed to overcome the bumpy tracks and needless to say we eventually made it to the house in which we would be staying and unloaded all our stuff. We had apparently passed part of the river on our way but I didn’t see a thing… driving the same road in the daytime I saw that it was right next to the road at some points!

We were two of the first to arrive and whilst we chilled by the fire people started to slowly turn up. Meeting everyone was really cool and everyone was super friendly and amped to be there which is always a good vibe in the beginning of a shoot. After a good chat and some food we all went to grab some sleep. Every morning would be an early start as we wanted to be on the water filming during sunrise and whilst the sun was still quite low in the sky.

The mornings on the river were pretty cold and flying along at 60 kmph in a boat didn’t help. For the first day and morning of the second day we filmed from the shore capturing some awesome footage from a lot of different angles. One of the main factors of the video was footage from the RED shot at 120 frames per second so turning 1 second into 5. We shot in the mornings and in the later parts of the afternoon until the sun went down.

Watching the guys out there riding and pushing each other to improve was really cool to see. The enthusiasm to create this video was awesome and was clearly shown by the level of riding and the drive the riders had to land seriously difficult tricks.

The nights were spent chilling and laughing as people recalled funny stories and chatted about the days events. We also reviewed some of the footage that had been shot on the day and everyone was pretty stoked with what was going to create an awesome final product. Look out for it - Tropical Roast!!

I left a day before the end of the shoot because I had to get back to Cape Town to do some more editing but was pretty bleak to have to go. I had such an awesome time over the couple of days and will hang on to it for a while to come. Really was amazing and was super stoked to meet everyone who was there!! Cant wait to see the final cut!!

The shot above is one I took on the last day that I was on the river. I got a chance to take some pictures and was lent a longer telephoto lens by one of the photographers there which allowed for some awesome pics. I filled a 16 gig card in less than an hour! I was only shooting from one angle and whilst on a boat moving pretty quickly so it was quite a challenge especially with such a big lens. In this shot Nick lays down a solid grab with a smoke canister taped to the tip of his board.

The holidays have begun and I have little to do now which is a really blessing as it gives me time to focus on myself and do the things that I enjoy the most. As winter draws steadily nearer I look forward to the change of season and what it may bring. I’m usually bleak when I think about winter but for some reason this year I am looking forward to it and the changes that it will bring. In terms of photography the seasons are extremely interesting to capture and allow for different feelings to be captured in places that they normally wouldn’t be. It is the feeling the photograph creates that is the most important thing about it. I say all this now but in a month’s time when the rain is pouring I will probably feel very differently! Haha.

Anyways I have a couple of cool things lined up… Will share them soon!!

P.S.

Posting more often from now!